Back in April, I participated in a super-awesome panel discussion at the Center for Sex and Culture: “Godless Perverts: Atheism and Alternative Sexualities.” The panel was with me, Maggie Mayhem, Charlie Glickman, and Chris Hall, talking about being atheists in the queer, kinky, and alt-sex communities, and taking questions from the audience. The event was very well-received — lots of people there wished it could have been seen by more people, and lots of folks who couldn’t be there said they wished they could have been.
Well, the event is now on YouTube! Not quite the same as being there, but a damn sight better than nothing. Here’s the summary of the event, as it was promoted:
What’s it like to be a queer or kinky atheist? Alt-sex communities might favor calling the goddess or tantric rituals instead of a church revival, but the belief that a spiritual life makes you a better person is as common as in Middle America. The reality is that for nonbelievers, dungeons and Pride Parades can be as unwelcoming as the neighborhoods they grew up in.
Whether you’re a believer or a skeptic, come join us at the Center for Sex and Culture on Thursday, April 26 for a dynamic conversation exploring the role of atheists, agnostics, and skeptics in alternative sexuality. The panel features Greta Christina, Charlie Glickman, Chris Hall, and Maggie Mayhem speaking about how to be a good perv without God(dess), community attitudes that privilege religious and spiritual beliefs, how science can be ecstatic, what atheists call out when they come, and much more.
And here’s video, in two parts!
Enjoy!
I missed GrayDancer doing a talk of the neurochemistry of kink at an event once. Very saddening. The science/kink mix is rarer than I’d like, though the younger kinksters I know are much more sciencey, generally speaking.
…okay, I need to go find my headphones. O.o
(Broken laptop speakers.)
[…] (H/T Greta Christina) […]
Thanks for posting this, Greta. What an impressive panel! It wasn’t until I started following kinky blogs that I realized how fucking intelligent a lot of sex workers are. Now, I watch panels like this and wonder why I ever thought otherwise.
I thought it was a really interesting talk. I’m curious if you would respond to the question about acceptance in the atheist community the same way now as you would back in April.
I also thought Maggie’s feedback on the same question as a sex worker managed to completely peak my interest in a frustratingly unresolved way. I’m so used to having the full context of these kinds of conversations available due to a widespread blog discussion:) I personally know atheists who are very pro sex work in the sense that they are very libertarian, but also are extremely dismissive of actual sex workers.
I personally hope I’m not dismissive of sex workers, but I haven’t come around to thinking legalizing prostitution in my own community would be a net positive for the community as a whole. I also haven’t decided if I feel that way for legitimate reasons.
I am so glad the video is now available. I was there in the audience to hear the panel and I knew that I wanted to listen to it again. If anyone is reading the comments wondering if it is really worth spending the time on this my opinion is YES it really is worth it.
Best laundry day ever! I watched the videos as the machines hummed in the background. Thank you for offering something so engaging & thoughtful. I am sick of sexual-expression-only-as-spiritual-parctice nonsense. I have spoken out against it & time & again have been locked out of discussions for being a “filthy libertine” or for being “intolerant”. This panel touched on multiple points for me regarding appropriation & sexism & the Natural vs the Supernatural. I called out “Yes!” multiple times.
Atheism has nothing to do with sexual peferences.
The connection is idiotic.
I hadn’t heard of Charlie Glickman before watching this video, but I’m a fan now! His comments were very insightful.