Rethinking sex, 25 years later

"The time has come to think about sex," Gayle Rubin wrote 25 years ago as the opening of her paper Thinking Sex. Now, that time has come again.

Rethinking Sex: Gender and Sexuality Studies State of the Field Conference opened last night at the Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Rubin, a professor of Anthropology and Women's Studies at the University of Michigan, gave the keynote speech. The conference continues today and tomorrow with panels and presentations by thirty other scholars in the fields of gender and sexuality studies.

Rubin's talk, entitled "Blood under the Bridge," focused on the historical context in which Thinking Sex was published. Rubin discussed the "Sex Wars" or "Porn Wars" of the 1980s between differing factions of feminists, in which she gained some notoriety for advocating free practice of sadomasochism.

Rubin also discussed the influence and flaws of Thinking Sex. The paper is widely regarded as one of the most influential in the field. It has been cited in no less than 681 scholarly works on a list of topics ranging from hate crimes to daytime talk shows.

"That essay is a model for how to be a badass: provocative, courageous and seriously smart," said one of Rubin's presenters, Sharon Holland.

Central Planning Committee head and Humanities professor Heather Love, director of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center Bob Schoenberg, associate Dean of Arts and Letters Ann Matter also introduced Rubin.

Love stated that the aim of Rethinking Sex is to establish the state of gender and sexuality studies today. "We're trying to explicitly make it extremely broad as a state-of-the-field conference, and that doesn't actually happen that often. "

College of Liberal and Professional Studies student Emma Stapely said she enjoyed the historical value of Rubin's speech. "I thought it was really provocative. The atmosphere was incredibly supportive, which I enjoyed a lot, especially given Gayle Rubin's history of controversy. "

In addition to scholarly presentations, Rethinking Sex includes a sold-out concert by electronica group Matmos tonight and a film screening Friday.

The conference also coincides with the opening of Out at the Library, an exhibition celebrating the legacy of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. Out at the Library will be on view until March 27 in the Fox Gallery of Claudia Cohen Hall.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.