[Wamvan] Fwd: [GENDER CENTRED: A GenderIT.org thematic bulletin] EroTICs: Sex, rights, and the net

Wed Jun 29 22:08:30 PDT 2011

I'm supposed to say why this is interesting to WAM.  To me just interesting
that there is a discussion among women about the role of sex on the
internet.  The internet is a big part of all our lives as well as our
professions.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: www.genderit.org <genderit at apcwomen.org>
Date: Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 3:22 PM
Subject: [GENDER CENTRED: A GenderIT.org thematic bulletin] EroTICs: Sex,
rights, and the net
To: wings at wings.org

-------- EROTICS: SEX, RIGHTS, AND THE NET ------------------------------**
-----

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*GENDER CENTRED: A GenderIT.org thematic bulletin*
APC WNSP - GenderIT.org, 29 June 2011
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I. THOUGHTS AROUND...Sex and the Net - It starts with rights
II. NEW ARTICLES
III. FEATURED RESOURCES
IV. JARGON
V. WHO'S WHO
VI. FEMINIST TALKS
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In 2008 the APC Women's Programme began a two and a half year research
project looking into the role of sexuality online. The study, called
Exploratory Research on Sexuality and ICTs -- or "EroTICs" -- looked at the
experiences of a diversity of users, primarily women and girls of different
ages, classes, sexual orientations and identities. Research was conducted in
five countries: Brazil, India, Lebanon, South Africa and the United States.

This two-part edition of GenderIT aims to present this groundbreaking
research. The first part of the edition features the executive summaries of
the full reports, and brings interviews with the EroTICs researchers and the
experts involved within the fields of the internet governance, sexuality and
women's rights, who shared with us their ideas, insights and policy
recommendations based on the findings of this research. The second part of
the edition will publish the full reports. We hope this will help to guide
an
informed debate around internet governance, content regulations and internet
rights.

Grady, Flavia, and Katerina from the GenderIT.org's team

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I. THOUGHTS AROUND...Sex and the Net - It starts with rights
by Jac sm Kee, APC Women's Rights Advocacy Coordinator

What is the value of the internet in the exercise of our rights? The
question
almost need no answer these days, with increasing evidence across the world
on how people have gone online to organise protest, gather information,
engage in open discussions and more. Yet, there is an aspect of the internet
that does not receive the same recognition, despite being a central part of
our everyday lives. That is, how the internet helps us exercise our rights
as
sexual citizens.

Sexual citizenship simply means the extent to which we can participate in
public, political, cultural, economic and social life, depending on what
gender or sexual identity we inhabit. For example, women in many parts of
the
world do not have the right to decide on their own bodies when it comes to
the issue of abortion, or even the type of clothes that are considered
appropriate without facing the high cost of sexualised stigma or violence.

Read the full editorial at:
http://www.genderit.org/**editorial/sex-and-net-it-**starts-rights<http://www.genderit.org/editorial/sex-and-net-it-starts-rights>

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II. NEW ARTICLES

*Lebanon and USA*: Where is the line for sex on the internet?
GenderIT.org contributor Mavic Cabrera-Balleza speaks with EroTICS
researchers Melissa Hope Ditmore and Kevicha Echols as well as LGBT activist
Nadine Moawad about the role of the internet in our sexual lives. They talk
about the effect that filtering and censorship have on sexual expression and
access to information, particularly for youth and LGBT persons.
http://www.genderit.org/**articles/lebanon-and-usa-**where-line-sex-internet<http://www.genderit.org/articles/lebanon-and-usa-where-line-sex-internet>

*EroTICs raises fascinating new questions*
The EroTICs research of sexuality and the internet revealed that, contrary
to
much public opinion, sexuality online is much more than just pornography. As
the EroTICs project comes to a close, GenderIT.org's writer Grady Johnson
asked some of the experts to share their thoughts about the research.
http://www.genderit.org/**articles/erotics-raises-**
fascinating-new-questions<http://www.genderit.org/articles/erotics-raises-fascinating-new-questions>

*EroTICs in Brazil: The complex universe of sexuality on the internet*
Sexuality Policy Watch and the Latin American Centre on Sexuality and Human
Rights teamed up together to conduct the EroTICs research in Brazil. In an
interview with GenderIT.org's writer Flavia Fascendini, they talked about
their participation in the project as an opportunity to address the nuanced
impact of new Internet legislation on sexuality. They approached this
complex
issue from two sides: looking at legislative and public policy on the one
hand, and at expressions of sexual minorities on the other. Their next step
will be to discuss the findings with other researchers and actors in the
fields of communications, gender and sexual rights.
http://www.genderit.org/**articles/erotics-brazil-**
complex-universe-sexuality-**internet<http://www.genderit.org/articles/erotics-brazil-complex-universe-sexuality-internet>

*India and South Africa: The hidden story of sex on the internet*
After two years the EROTICS research has revealed that sex on the internet
includes a vibrant ecosystem of individuals sharing and discovering their
sexuality online. Not only that, the internet provides a space for sexual
and
identity rights activists to organize and advocate for change. Esther
Nasikye
from the GenderIT.org's pool of writers talked to Manjima Bhattacharjya one
of the researchers from India and to Prof. Jeanne Prinsloo and Nyx McLean
from the South Africa team to learn about their EroTICs research experiences
and their take on the findings.
http://www.genderit.org/**articles/india-and-south-**
africa-hidden-story-sex-**internet<http://www.genderit.org/articles/india-and-south-africa-hidden-story-sex-internet>

To learn more about the EroTICs project visit GenderT.org's archive:
http://www.genderit.org/**category/tags/erotics<http://www.genderit.org/category/tags/erotics>

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III. FEATURED RESOURCES

*EROTICS: summary report*
What is the value of the internet in the exercise of sexual rights? From
2008
to 2010, the EROTICS research sought to answer this question, aiming to
bridge the gap between policy and legislative measures that regulate content
and practice on the internet, and the actual lived practices, experiences
and
concerns of internet users in the exercise of their sexual rights. The
summary report provides an overview of the research, and surfaces the key
areas of concern, interest and findings of five national studies in Brazil,
India, Lebanon, South Africa and the United States. They give a compelling
glimpse into the richness of the research universe, and the complexity of
the
subject.
http://www.genderit.org/sites/**default/upload/APC_WNSP_**
EROTICS__IssuePaper.pdf<http://www.genderit.org/sites/default/upload/APC_WNSP_EROTICS__IssuePaper.pdf>

*Media brief: Censorship, sexuality and the internet*
What is sexual content on the internet? What are sexuality and sexual
rights?
Which communications rights are critical for people's sexual rights? What
are
the most common threats to people's sexual rights? What are some of the
methods and impacts of censorship of "sexual content" on the internet? These
and other issues are highlighted by the media brief published by APC as part
of the EroTICs research.
http://www.apc.org/en/system/**files/EroTICsBriefingEN_0.pdf<http://www.apc.org/en/system/files/EroTICsBriefingEN_0.pdf>

*EROTICS: literature review*
The literature review produced to guide the development of the EroTICs
research framework assesses the status of current writing and research on
sexuality, the internet and women. It places a special emphasis on feminist
perspectives on what technologies in general, and the internet in
particular,
mean to and for the construction of gender and women's lives.
http://www.genderit.org/sites/**default/upload/APCEROTICS_**
LiteratureReview.pdf<http://www.genderit.org/sites/default/upload/APCEROTICS_LiteratureReview.pdf>

*EROTICS: policy review*
The policy review produced as part of the EroTICs project includes a
historical and contextual overview of international and regional policy
documents on the area of internet governance as well as sexual rights, a
focus on pornography and sexuality in relation to policy and regulation, an
assessment of 'terms of use' agreements by 18 popular online social
networking and content sharing platforms, an assessment of censorship and
content regulation mechanisms employed in content related to sexuality, a
mapping of key actors involved in policy and legislative processes in this
area, an assessment of the legislative and policy landscape in Brazil,
India,
South Africa and the USA, recommendations and future research, an extensive
bibliography as well as interview transcripts with key actors in the area of
sexual rights and communication rights on the internet.
http://www.genderit.org/sites/**default/upload/APCEROTICS_**PolicyReview.pdf<http://www.genderit.org/sites/default/upload/APCEROTICS_PolicyReview.pdf>

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IV. JARGON

*Freedom of association and assembly*
The right to freedom of association and assembly ensures that people are
able
to meet and interact freely without the interference of the state or others.
This right is essential for citizens to be able to influence their
governments and leaders and is guaranteed in many international treaties and
national constitutions.
Today, the internet is a critical arena for sexual rights groups to
organise,
associate, assemble and engage in advocacy. However, many individuals are
prevented from exercising their rights to peaceful assembly and association
because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, including harassment
and threats to their physical safety.
Freedom of association and assembly is one of the main themes within the
emerging field of internet rights. On the internet, all organizations,
communities and individuals should be free to organise and engage in
protest.
Everyone has the right to form, join, meet or visit the website or network
of
any organisation for any reason and access can not be blocked or filtered.
Source:
http://www.apc.org/en/node/**5677 <http://www.apc.org/en/node/5677>
http://www.hrea.org/index.php?**doc_id=406<http://www.hrea.org/index.php?doc_id=406>
http://**internetrightsandprinciples.**org<http://internetrightsandprinciples.org>

*LGBTI*
LGBTI is an acronym that stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and
Intersex people. It is a derivation of the original LGB that replaced the
expression "gay community" in the mid-to-late 1980s but excluded transgender
and intersex people. The term LGBTI (or LGBT) is used to refer to a wide
diversity of sexuality and gender identity-based cultures as well as to
refer
to anyone who is non-heterosexual.
The evolution of this acronym is representative of the complex and changing
politics behind it. LGBTQ variant adds the letter Q to include those who
identify as queer and/or questioning their sexual identity. Other versions
add a U for unsure, a C for curious; a T for transsexual or transvestite,
another T, TS, or 2 for "two spirit" persons, an A or SA for straight
allies,
an A for asexual, or a P for pansexuality or polyamorous, among others.
Source: http://www.wikipedia.org

*Queer*
Meaning "strange", "unusual" or "out of alignment", the term "queer" was
originally used in anti-gay hate speech in reference to a person who
exhibits
socially inappropriate behaviour. Since then the word has been reclaimed by
some groups as an umbrella term used for sexual minorities that are not
heterosexual, heteronormative or gender-binary. The range of what queer
includes varies, and the non-specificity of the term is perceived as
liberating since it avoids the sometimes strict boundaries that surround
other identity labels.
This term also acts as a label setting queer-identifying people apart from
all that typify mainstream LGBTI identity, as sometimes it can be seen as
too
"well behaved" and adapted to social and cultural norms in a society where
homophobia is still present.
In contrast, some LGBTI people consider the term queer offensive or
self-deprecating since it is derived from hate speech and others avoid it
because they associate it with political radicalism.
Source: http://www.wikipedia.org

To understand unfamiliar ICT or gender terms visit the Jargon section:
http://www.genderit.org/**glossary <http://www.genderit.org/glossary>

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V. WHO'S WHO

*Bekhsoos*
Bekhsoos is a queer Arab magazine published weekly by queer and transgender
people from the Meem community. They cover topics related to (homo)sexuality
in the Arab world and discuss a variety of subjects such as politics,
apartheid in Israel and diversity within the queer community, allowing a
space for LBQ women and transgendered persons to share their stories and
write to break the veil of secrecy.
They believe that the wealth of LBQ women's and transgendereds' stories and
experiences have not yet been realized enough online or in print, so they
use
the website to speak their minds and tell their stories. "We must write for
the eyes that want to read us. We must write for our thoughts that need to
be
expressed. We must give new meanings to things through new words, new
phrases, and new paragraphs. We must write" they emphasize.
Website: http://www.bekhsoos.com

*CLAM*
Created in 2002, the Latin American Center on Sexuality and Human Rights
(CLAM) aims to produce, organize, and disseminate knowledge about sexuality
from a human rights perspective, in order to help fight gender inequality
and
to contribute to the struggle against the discrimination of sexual
minorities
in the region. The Center's main areas of interest are: sexual rights and
politics, sexual behavior and cultures, and sexual knowledge.
CLAM is a project housed within the Program on Gender, Sexuality and Health,
at the State University of Rio de Janeiro's Institute of Social Medicine,
Brazil, and it brings together scholars, activists and other partners from
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, to encourage public
debate on sexuality and sexual rights in Latin America.
CLAM, in partnership with Sexuality Policy Watch (SPW), worked with the
Brazilian team of the APC's EroTICs project - a global research on sexuality
and the internet, which included researchers from Brazil, India, Lebanon,
South Africa, and the United States.
Website: http://www.clam.org.br

*CREA*
CREA (Creating Resources for Empowerment in Action) is a feminist human
rights organisation, founded in the year 2000, based in New Delhi, India.
CREA promotes, protects and advances women's human rights and the sexual
rights of all people by building leadership capacities, strengthening social
movements and organisations, increasing access to new knowledge, information
and resources, and creating enabling social and policy environments. CREA's
work focuses on issues of women's human rights, feminist leadership,
violence
against women, sexual and reproductive rights, sexuality, and social
justice.
In 2011, CREA has run five program initiatives through which its strategies
were implemented in order to meet its goals: Strengthening Feminist
Leadership, Organisations and Movements; Influencing National and Global
Advocacy; Creating Information, Knowledge and Scholarship; Changing Public
Attitudes and Discourses; and CREA's newest initiative: "Addressing Social
Exclusion: Count me IN!"
(http://www.**countmeinconference.org<http://www.countmeinconference.org>
).
Website: http://www.creaworld.org

To find out more about key stakeholders in the field of ICTs, visit the
Who's
Who in Policy's directory:
http://www.genderit.org/whos-**who <http://www.genderit.org/whos-who>

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VI. FEATURED FEMINIST TALKS

*Pakistan: Count me IN!! Something I can't unthink now...*
By Nighat Dad
Nighat Dad shares her experience from the Count me IN! Conference organized
by CREA, an international feminist human rights organisation, in April 2011
in Kathmandu. The Conference brings annually together women who have not
been
counted in - sex workers, disabled, single, young, lesbian and HIV-positive
women, and trans people from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri
Lanka, to discuss violence against women and strategies of resistance.
http://www.genderit.org/**feminist-talk/pakistan-count-**
me-something-i-can-t-unthink-**now<http://www.genderit.org/feminist-talk/pakistan-count-me-something-i-can-t-unthink-now>

*World Pulse starts campaign on universal access*
By Grady
World Pulse, the authority on all things woman, has recently launched an
action blogging campaign to promote universal access to the internet. This
author is tempted to sue them.
http://www.genderit.org/**feminist-talk/world-pulse-**
starts-campaign-universal-**access<http://www.genderit.org/feminist-talk/world-pulse-starts-campaign-universal-access>

*Gender and citizenship in the information society*
By Arpita Joshi
Arpita Joshi reports on a recent workshop organized by IT for Change, her
home organization, in April 2011 in New Delhi. The workshop was the part of
Asia-wide research programme 'Gender and Citizenship in the Information
Society i(CITIGEN)' and brought together researchers, scholars and
practitioners to share their views on democracy and women's participation,
new articulations of citizenship in the information society and other issues
at stake.
http://www.genderit.org/**feminist-talk/gender-and-**
citizenship-information-**society<http://www.genderit.org/feminist-talk/gender-and-citizenship-information-society>

Read also:
*Gay Girl in Damascus is actually Straight Man in Scotland*
http://www.genderit.org/**feminist-talk/gay-girl-**
damascus-actually-straight-**man-scotland<http://www.genderit.org/feminist-talk/gay-girl-damascus-actually-straight-man-scotland>

*Checkin from the Human Rights Council, a new and complex universe*
http://www.genderit.org/**feminist-talk/checkin-human-**
rights-council-new-and-**complex-universe<http://www.genderit.org/feminist-talk/checkin-human-rights-council-new-and-complex-universe>

To read more Feminist Talk's posts and debates visit:
http://www.genderit.org/**feminist-talk<http://www.genderit.org/feminist-talk>

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*2011 APC Women's Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP). Except where
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