There’s a lot of bad sex writing out there, and we’re not talking about the fiction. For some reason the topic brings out the worst in some journalists, who cannot report on anything outside of the missionary position among married couples for the purposes of procreation without devastating judgment. So last year writer Miriam Axel-Lute, the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, the Center for Sex & Culture and the sex toy shop Babeland joined together to launch a sex-positive journalism awards competition they dubbed the Sexies. The founders put the word out that they were looking for “stories that treat sexuality as something other than a problem or prurient curiosity.” More than 100 entries came in for the first competition, with the winners announced earlier this week.
We’re pleased to announce that Playboy took top honors in the “sex-themed publications” category, with “Sex in Iran” by Pari Esfandiari and Richard Buskin (May 2007; the piece also appears in Best Sex Writing 2008) winning first place, “The Redclouds Revolution” by John H. Richardson (September 2007) winning second and “The Girlfriend Experience,” by Erik Hedegaard (July 2007) winning third. Congratulations to Pari, Richard, John and Erik.
While it’s wonderful to have our hard-working writers recognized, it’s gratifying to see recognition being extended to so many other compelling and entertaining pieces on a topic so close to our hearts (and loins). Among the winners: Debbie Nathan’s dissection of the Justin Barry/New York Times case in Counterpunch and “Naughty Nursing Homes: Is it time to let the elderly have more sex?” by Daniel Engber in Slate. The answer, of course, is yes.
By the way, the Playboy Foundation also has become involved in the Sexies by providing sponsorship to ensure the awards continue. Nominations, which can be made by writers or readers, are now being accepted for articles written in 2008.
RSS 2.0
http://www.playboy.com/mt-tb.cgi/12343