Califia celebrates, elaborates on radical sex

Writer and gay-rights activist Pat Califia spoke to an overflowing lecture hall Saturday with her sarcastic humor and radical view of sexuality in society. Her speech both celebrated and explained the value she sees in radical sex and challenging sexual norms.

Califia was introduced by senior David Berman, member of ACT-UP, as "the unofficial post-dyke for SM." She is the author of both essays and commentary on sexual politics and radical sex in America, as well as a large body of sexually explicit fiction.

Berman quoted a book review which called Califia's writing "militant kink without compromise."

Califia based her lecture on explaining her reasons for writing fiction from many sexualities' perspectives: gay male, heterosexual, lesbian and bisexual. In explaining why she writes from these varied perspectives, Califia developed her opinions about identities and inclusion in sexual society as well.

"My life is richer from climbing out of the box of lesbian leather-dyke. I live in the whole world. We should not be afraid to look over the walls we've built and put down on the page whatever it is we see," Califia said.

Berman, who said he wanted to bring Califia to Oberlin ever since reading her book Public Sex, thinks she is unusual among speakers at Oberlin because she talked about things which many students may not already know about. "She is controversial and takes up issues that there is not much open discussion of," Berman said. In addition to being a gay-rights activist, Califia is a supporter of SM sex, pornography and the elimination of age-of-consent laws.

Califia said writing and reading sexually explicit fiction from various perspectives is a good way to learn about other gender identities. She described writing fiction from a male perspective as a way to "get behind one of the damn thing and see what it feels like to drive it."

She also spoke of her writing as a political statement. "Straight people assume it is their prerogative to write about us," Califia said. She said that writing about heterosexual people is a way to take away their power to intimidate other sexualities.

Califia also read excerpts from letters she has received criticizing her decision to write from various sexuality perspectives. In answering some of these criticisms that accused her of not remaining true to her identity she criticized the obsession with "pure identities" in the gay and lesbian communities. She also pointed out that "sex devoid of men is not devoid of oppression."

Another criticism she has received asks how she could even imagine what those perspectives feel like. In a characteristic show of humor, she said, "Most of us made of pretty extensive study of heterosexuality before we left it."

Califia was also retrospective, discussing how she came to see the beauty and importance in other sexualities. "The way I felt when I first saw two men have sex was a defining moment in my life," Califia said. "I never stop trying to understand it. It was sacred and awesome."

She compared these men to wild animals, and described their bodies and sex as beautiful. "Gay male sex is beautiful," she said. "Young queer men need to hear that from as many sources as possible."

Califia also outlined the progression of homophobia in America, or "the onion of homo-hatred," as she called it. Califia said that the first response was to assert that queers don't exist. The second phase, according to Califia, is disgust and revulsion. She said that as queers move from phase one to phase two they move from invisibility to unmentionablity.

The third response is to ridicule homosexuals and believe they are simply confused heterosexual who want to be heterosexual. "Before I even licked a clit I knew that was bullshit," Califia said. She said the last phase of misunderstanding of homosexuality is to believe that queer sex is absolutely superior to heterosexual sex. She countered this: "What is addictive about gay sex is its honesty."

Califia then articulated the ways to surpass these stages of homophobia and misunderstanding in society. She focused on the need for communities to work together and be inclusive to groups such as bisexuals and transgendered people.

She said that the structure of groups should be based around issues and agendas rather than identities. She also talked about the importance of recognizing how issues such as race and class effect people's ability to make organization and activist more difficult and complex.

After her lecture Califia answered questions from the audience. Berman said he was very impressed with the intelligence of the questions as well as Califia's honest answers of them. One student asked Califia how she felt about her experience as a professional dominatrix (pro-dom). "I've been both a secretary and a pro-dom," Califia answered. "And I felt a lot more oppressed as a secretary."

Other questions addressed the way in which radical sex can help people deal with sexual abuse issues; her stance on whether sexuality is socially or genetically determined; and the ways more liberal sexual identities can be addressed in schools. She also fielded questions about the inclusion of transgendered people in gay and lesbian groups and about the interplay between sexuality and race.

Berman said he was very pleased with the lecture and the turn-out. "I feel Oberlin is still really repressed. People don't talk openly and these issues are not integrated into the curriculum," he said. "Having done safer sex education for years it is clear to me how much there is to be learned."

Radical culture, radical sex: Author and gay-rights activist spoke on a variety of issues that challenged even Oberlin students' views.