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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 12, 2014)
Street roots Sept. 12, 2014 9 ÜXäxÖ MOEN, from page 8s men because they always want it and they’ll do anything to get it. And women are supposed to not want sex. They want relationship. They want emotion. In our culture we don’t get that women have pleasure from sex. S.Z.: The two couldn’t be combined... you , couldn’t have an emotional connection and have hot sex. E.M.: Right? That couldn’t work. And remember this is all very heterosexual based. So that’s our pop culture and then you go into the classroom where kids are having their sex ed and it’s just the biology. It’s just about reproduction. If it’s a comprehensive sex ed class, at least they will cover contraception: Use a condom when you put a penis in a vagina, use birth control if you’ve got a uterus. Or, it’s abstinence only and sign your name on this card that Says you won’t engage in sexual activity. It’s just focused on penis and vagina. That’s sex. They’re not talking, about oral, anal, manual or digital even, because you’ve got your digits. S.Z.: That could easily be confused with Skype or Internet sex. coü M f realized th a t rf th e of a stranger i never met fee! «ke a personal, jxunfU ioso> hew r u x h woroe woolrf it h y r t .my own friends and famèy even more to foae me? y- E.M.: That’s-cyber sex. S.Z.: Oh. Right. E.M.: So anyway, pleasure is not taught It’s not explicitly said. Another huge problem, is if you aren’t teaching about pleasure, then you’re not teaching about consent either. They are not taught consent. They are not taught both parties need to be enjoying this. , This is non negotiable. This needs to be a pleasurableexperience fop,both ppogle.^ ' Pleasure and consent go hand-in-hand and that needs to be taught. Our society is producing people who don’t understand how sex works. Who don’t understand that they need to ask permission. Who don’t understand they need to give permission. Who don’t understand that permission is not a one time thing and then it’s a free pass forever. That permission can be rescinded. That when you agree to something, if i t " ’ starts feeling bad you can rescind your agreement. And it stops. And both sides of this equation don’t know that. S.Z.: You have dealt with periods of depression in your life. In the last frames of your autobiographical comic, DARI, you tell ns that you suffered a couple of deep depressions and have been medicated and weaned yourself off meds. Most recently, I read the comic that you drew in response to Robin Williams suicide. What is your own experience with mental health issues? E.M.: I had a very negative view of people who get on antidepressants. I know that there are people who seriously need that. In my head it was like people who are suicidal or can’t function. I am somebody who can function. My life is very de-railed and difficult and there are lots of roadblocks because of the depression, but I m still functional. I can still go to work. I can still go to my pole dance class and ride my bike. I just need to suck it up and pull my shit together. I’m being self-indulgentl’m being weak. I’m being a whiney baby. I’m not somebody who needs meds, I need to boot straps it up. And it was very hard for me to get on Antidepressants for the; first time years ago. It did help. But then, I lost my job, and because of our medical system, I lost my medical insurance. I couldn’t afford to stay on antidepressants. I was in a position where I can’t afford medication. I can’t afford to see a therapist. Let’s just try this because we don’t really have any other options. So I did have to wean myself off. And by wean off I mean I just stopped taking them. - The last few years have been OK. I’ve done pretty well and then this last year my shit was just shutting down. I was becoming hn supposed to be here. Some ago i fold 919 husband i ciôiŸf to be ; . «five ang. mare, |g eiorfthô ago « gçf- fth ^opposed be L as t roohfh t. gab hack The cartoon Erika Moen drew in reaction to Robin Williams’ suicide as it reflected on her own depression._____________ non functional. I do not think of myself as suicidal at all, but there is just this lack of desire to be alive. The thought of not being alive is such a comfort and a relief. No matter how good it is. whole culture around it. When is it OK to have sex, when is it not OK to have sex? The people who are allowed to have sex with each other: The ways people have sex with each other. Sex can damage someone for the rest of their life or it can be, healthy and positive. ~ beautiful word way and also the, “Man-that- person’9-being-a-jerk-I’m‘’gonna-call-them-a- cun t” way I’m,a really bad feminist. S.Z.: Really? E.M.: Mmmmm. Read tumblr ... So, “battle hardened cunt.” It’s not like a S.Z.: What does the term “Sex positive” delicate flower. I don’t haye a delicate E.M.: I’ve got a great life. I have a loving, mean to you? garden orchid growing down there. wonderful, supporting husband whb I’m I wanted to do a sex education comic E.M.: I want to say what sex positive is crazy about. I am doing the career that l am before I started OJST and it was going to be n o t SeX positive is not, “Sèx feels so good passionate about and care a lot about. I m geared toward youths - teens specifically. for me. Therefore, I’m sex positivé. I like to getting recognition and praise and all the And it would be a giant book that would have sex, therefore I’m sex positive. stuff I need to feel good. Everybody should be having sex.” That’s not walk through stages of how to become And even in tiie midst of all of that. It’s sexually active safely. sex positive. like, “No, this is great. I recognize that. In my research f°r S I was looking up all Sex positive is looking at sex, at all the Wonderful. If I could just stop being alive kinds of sex ed resources. And there have possible ways that sex can manifest itself. right now, I would totally go for it? been some other people who have made In saying that for all of the participants I didn’t even count that as depression. I some sex-ed comics, and I was so offended involved, it should be a positive, good figured nobody wants to be alive, we just by this one that I found. They had done one experience. Everybody should be willingly, have to be. for the penis and one for the vulva to happily, enthusiastically consenting. explain how they work. And the cover for S.Z.: You recently got back on meds? Sex positive is saying consent is the penis one, was made to look like a mandatory. E.M.: I got back on meds and got a rocketship, it’s a drawing, a cartoon g | | Sex positive is saying you need to be therapist. Just getting on meds by rocketing through space, like coming at you. educated about all of your different options. themselves wouldn’t have done i t But Ig o t Here’s everything you need to know about Sex positive is saying you have the right a therapist. And she is kick ass. It’s the penis. So powerful and full of fuel and to pursue your life liberty and happiness, important to find the right therapist. virility. sexually. The cover for the vulva, which they called S.Z.: You are transparent and overt about Sex positivity is about sexual respect You. the vagina. Hey buddy, that’s the inside b it your sexuality - genuine, enthusiastic and don’t get to push it on others either. So right off the bat, they’re calling it the And sex positivity is inclusive of asexuals. open. wrong thing. And the cover for that was a It’s respecting th atthere are people who E.M.: Here’s the thing. I don’t think I’m a female body with her panties on with a have no desire for sex or have a very nymphomaniac. I don’t think that I think flower on the panties. reduced desire for sex. Sex positivity is about sex more than other people. I think I was so offended by th a t Oh it’s so respecting people’s consensual, healthy, sex I’m just somebody who’s okay talking about passive, it just sits there. It’s just waiting ... life styles and sexual orientations. it more than other people. I think I have a It’s a flower. It didn’t even show (her body). very normal, regular sex drive. S.Z.: You have referred to your “Battle The perils was drawn. This was panties. People think I have no filter. Thafc is not hardened cunt. ” Is sex a battle then? Have you It goes back to battle-hardened cunt. I true. I am very specific in what I talk about. any war stories? know “empowered” gets over used, but I only talk-about the things I’m comfortable when I say i t (my pussy) becomes an active E.M.: (Grunts and laughs). I say battle talking about. And for some broken reason participant It’s getting what it wants. It s hardened 'cunt because I think it’s real in my head, sex falls into that category. I having adventures! I’m trying to show funny. Cunt is my favorite word. It always think sex is super funny. I love making jokes pussies as strong and active. has been. I mean it both in the empowered, about i t I think it’s super fascinating - our S.Z.: You’ve got it pretty good;-
