Kink On Tap 51: Harmful Social Norms

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An Israeli woman cries rape after consensually sleeping with an Arab, stripper-chic comes to security-theater with Flying Pasties, blowback against Malaysian sex education efforts are a mirror on American paranoia, “no” means “pull down my top and put me in your Girls Gone Wild video,” and Indian sex-workers draft a bill of rights that finally acknowledges consent.

This week, we get a first peek at the ready-to-launch mixed-media erotica from Syzygy Magazine courtesy of its editors, Brad Hanon and Susan Beaver. Syzygy Magazine wants to take fan art of gay male erotica and present it with a female gaze for anyone who enjoys such things, whether they be men, women, or some different gender. Because the answer to bad porn isn’t no porn, it’s better porn!

On a bit of a meta-note, we’re having some odd issues with our audio recording setup but don’t have the expertise necessary to trace the problem to its root. If you’re a talented audiophile with some spare time, please have a look through our documented production setup and let us know where we can improve our setup. (Thanks!) Also on the wiki are instructions for contributing stories to the community links feed, instructions for helping with show notes, and a whole lot more!

Anti-gay protesters: Sick perverts – get out of Jerusalem – Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

Gay rights issues in Israel are often dwarfed by coverage of religious wars, but GLBT people face harsh treatment under the Jewish State's theocracy, just as they do in Arab and Muslim countries.

This Thursday, as "several hundred gay activists preparing to march in the eighth annual Jerusalem Gay Pride parade," they were met with anti-gay orthodox Jews who hoisted banners saying "sick perverts—get out of Jerusalem" and compared them to animals such as donkeys, Liel Kyzer reports. Similar activists from the United Torah Judaism party were expected outside the Knesset Building holding signs above the gay marchers reading "the marchers who do what beasts do." "It is a disease of choice, and a man can change his taste and his ways," said Baruch Marzel, an extreme rightist activist.

Openly gay MK Nitzan Horowitz criticized Jerusalem's mayor for his support of the extremists, saying: "calling the marchers names such as beasts and donkeys, are incitement which leads to heavy violence."

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China Seeks End to Public Shaming of Suspects – NYTimes.com

"According to the state-run media, the Ministry of Public Security has ordered the police to stop parading suspects in public and has called on local departments to enforce laws in a 'rational, calm and civilized manner,'" Andrew Jacobs reports. Chinese police are under scrutiny with increasing civil unrest being expressed online. "Last October, the police in Henan Province took to the Internet, posting photographs of women suspected of being prostitutes. […] The police later said they were not punishing the women, but only seeking their help in the pursuit of an investigation."

The Chinese public was not placated: "Why aren’t corrupt officials dragged through the streets?" an Internet posting read. "These women are only trying to feed themselves." Public shaming was embraced by the Communist Party. If you think America is better, think again: public shaming is actually being considered in Massachusetts.

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‘I was scared to sleep’: LGBT Youth Face Violence Behind Bars | The Nation

"Many judges in rural Louisiana still conflate sex offenses with sexual orientation and gender identity," says Wesley Ware of the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana in an article by Daniel Redman. "50 percent of the gay youth picked up for nonviolent offenses in Louisiana in 2009 were sent to jail to await trial, while less than 10 percent of straight kids were." This heart-wrenching piece is just painful to even read.

"Sending LGBT victims of violence into isolation, instead of punishing their attackers, is common practice across the country, even though a federal court has held the practice to be unconstitutional and the American Psychological Association opposes it," and "In an East Coast state that's the subject of an ongoing investigation, prison authorities permit religious volunteers to enter a youth facility to lead explicitly antigay Bible classes. Lesbian youths who refuse to attend the programs have had their sentences extended from nine to upwards of thirteen months."

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Law.com – Atlanta Lawyer Takes on Botched Circumcision Claims Nationwide

"I didn't set out to be a circumcision lawyer; it just sort of happened," said David J. Llewellyn of his legal practice suing doctors, hospitals, and medical supply makers around the United States. Llewellyn recently won a $10.7 million default judgment "against Mogen Circumcision Instruments, claiming one of its devices severed the head of the boy's penis during a bris, a Jewish ceremony for a male infant," Katheryn Hayes Tucker reports.

"The circumcision of infants is the American sickness, and unfortunately, we're spreading it around the world because of a small group that's pushing it," Llewellyn said. He recalls his early days fighting the practice, being routinely confronted with jokes and questions like "what does it matter?" The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) remains neutral on the matter, claiming "most of the complications that do occur are minor," and advising parents to "determine what is in the best interest of the child." But how, I wonder, are parents to know?

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U.S. and U.K. gay men differ in definitions of having ‘had sex’: IU News Room: Indiana University

Brandon Hill, a lead researcher at the Kinsey Institute, reminds doctors and public health officials: "It is important for researchers and clinicians not to assume that their definition of 'sex' is shared by their participant or patient, and to use behaviorally specific criteria when conducting sex-behavior assessments, especially when assessing risk of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infection transmission." The cautionary advice is paired with the release of his latest study, published in the journal AIDS Care, wherein 180 gay men in the UK between 18 to 56 years old and 190 gay men between 18 to 74 were asked what behaviors constituted "having sex."

Among other things, the study revealed that 5% of respondents did not believe penile-anal intercourse was considered "sex." It also revealed playing with sex toys was "sex" to 77.1% of UK respondents, but only 55% of American respondents. That could explain a thing or two.

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Gay Couples Sue Hawaii | News | Advocate.com

Four lesbian couples and two gay male couples are suing the State of Hawaii in an effort to obtain "the equivalent rights and responsibilities of marriage, just weeks after Gov. Linda Lingle vetoed a civil unions bill passed by the state legislature," The Advocate reports. "The suit does not seek marriage rights…. Rather, it seeks equal rights and responsibilities for same-sex couples who currently are offered limited protections known as reciprocal beneficiary arrangements, available to adults who cannot marry under state law." Equal rights include access to health care and family court where the frequent deferral to the State's definition of marriage cause partners of gays and lesbians to be denied health coverage or fair resolution of issues like alimony, property division, and child custody.

"What is the excuse for withholding these other important protections?" asked Lambda Legal national marriage project director Jennifer C. Pizer. Two of the plaintiff couples have children.

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Law.com – Judge OKs Law Requiring Pornographers to Keep Age Records

A challenge to amendments in federal law that requires anyone who posts sexual imagery to keep records of models, broadly known as "2257 record keeping requirements," was struck down by US District Judge Michael M. Baylson this week. The challenge was brought to court by The Free Speech Coalition and backed by the ACLU, the EFF, and the American Center for Law and Justice, who complained that millions of Americans who behave flirtatiously on social networking cites "could now be prosecuted for failing to keep extensive records of their own age and identity." The plaintiffs argued that "consenting adults have the right to engage in such sexually explicit expression…and the law would chill that speech," Shannon P. Duffy reports.

In defense of the statute, Judge Baylson "said the government has promised that it will not target such expression and must be taken at its word." The plaintiffs are not so confident the government should be so trusted.

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Pushing ahead with sex education (via NewStraitsTimes)

A pilot program for a new sex education curriculum in Malaysia is moving forward with hopes that it will prevent unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and lower STI rates. The program, called "I'm In Control," is a big step forward in the country, as its "public is ultra-sensitive about this subject, and some would rather sweep it under the carpet," according to Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, a government official and a proponent of the new program. "Once upon a time it was a taboo subject," Shahrizat said, "but today it's on the Net. So, we really have no choice—it's either our module or the pornographic materials available online."

"Through the pilot programme, Shahrizat hoped the teaching of sexual reproductive health would gain general acceptance," Aniza Damis reports, insisting that the programme, funded by the UN's Population Fund, isn't intended to promote promiscuity or even experimentation, both common fears in his country.

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The Work of SANGRAM: Sex Workers Claiming Their Rights | RHRealityCheck.org

We don't always know much about the people we want to help; that's why it's important that we listen to them just as much, if not more, than we talk to them. Meena Seshu, co-founder of SANGRAM, a rights-based organization that helps vulnerable groups in India to mobilize and protect themselves against HIV/AIDS, discovered this when she first spent time with sex workers. She found that when she cleared her vision from the clouding of her background, she saw a community of women who knew how to manage themselves, their families, and their clients. They didn't need to be taught anything – all they needed were the proper tools, and they could manage the epidemic as well. This experience lead to the creation of SANGRAM's bill of rights – which includes "People have the right to say YES or NO to things that concern them," and "People have the right to reject harmful social norms." A bill of rights exceptional not only for HIV/AIDS vulnerable populations, but for everyone, everywhere.

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