Sex-Positive Feminism: 5 Notable Sex-Positive Feminists

Sex-positive feminism is a branch of liberal feminism that believes in the healthy nature of sex and emphasizes sexual freedom as a key part of equality and liberation. The sex-positive feminist movement works to deconstruct the patriarchy’s control of sex and sexuality, fighting against regulations and societal perceptions that discourage people from having or wanting sexual desires or sexual activities.

Key tenets of this sex-positive movement include the empowerment of human sexuality, decriminalization of sex work, and general societal acceptance of different sexual orientations and gender identities outside of traditional gender roles. Sex-positive feminists support consensual practices with sexual partners, including BDSM and other fetish and kink groups, masturbation, pornography, and erotica. The movement also advocates for broader access to contraception, empowering people through sex education, and the destigmatization of casual sex.

Sex-positive feminism arose in the mid-1970s during what historians call the sex wars.

• 1970s: During this period, the second–wave feminist movement began to take on antipornography, anti-sex work, and anti-BDSM attitudes, now referred to as sex-negative or antiporn stances. Second-wave feminists believed these activities encouraged the degradation and objectification of women’s bodies, promoted sexual violence and sexual assault, and contributed to inequality between the sexes. Notable antipornography feminists included Andrea Dworkin and Robin Morgan.
• Late 1970s–1980s: In response to the anti-female-sexuality stances of the second–wave feminist movement, some began to advocate for sexual pleasure and sexual liberation—encompassing things like pornography, sex workers, and BDSM—as the key to women’s liberation. Betty Dodson, Ellen Willis, Samois, and COYOTE (Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics) were among the first feminist or advocacy groups to argue that sex positivity can be empowering.
• 1990s: Third–wave feminist activists and artists sought to use their sexuality as a means of empowerment and expression. Eve Ensler’s prevalent and influential play The Vagina Monologues, which premiered in New York in 1996, was an example of this trend.
• 2000s to today: By the early 2000s, the sex-positive movement was a major force in third-wave feminism. Some dispute that third-wave feminism continues, while others say a fourth wave has succeeded it.

A few prominent figures in the sex–positive feminism movement include:

1. 1. Amia Srinivasan: A noteworthy voice in the feminist movement, her book of essays, The Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century, analyzes the sex–positive feminist movement from a contemporary perspective.
2. 2. Betty Dodson: Betty Dodson was a feminist, sex educator, and artist who advocated for a healthy sex life. She supported erotic art, group masturbation, and methods for pleasurable vaginal intercourse.
3. 3. Carol Queen: A sex-positive feminist author and sexologist active in the pro-sex movement, Carol Queen has published numerous books on healthy human sexuality, including Real Live Nude Girl: Chronicles of Sex-Positive Culture.
4. 4. Ellen Willis: A major force in the New York feminist movement, Ellen Willis was a sex-positive feminist who coined the term “pro-sex feminism” in her 1981 essay, “Lust Horizons: Is the Women's Movement Pro-Sex?”
5. 5. Mireille Miller-Young: Mireille Miller-Young researches and writes about sex-positive feminism through an intersectional lens, investigating how pornography has historically treated people of color.
   

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