Our Bodies, Ourselves is seeking up to two dozen women to participate in an online discussion on sexual relationships.
Stories and comments may be used anonymously in the next edition of Our Bodies, Ourselves, which will be published in 2011 by Simon & Schuster.
We are seeking the experience and wisdom of heterosexual, lesbian, bisexual, queer and trans women. Perspectives from single women are encouraged, and you may define relationship as it applies to you, from monogamy to multiple partners. We are committed to including women of color, women with disabilities, and women of many ages and backgrounds.
In the words of the brilliant anthology “Yes Means Yes,” how can we consistently engage in more positive experiences? What issues deserve more attention? And how do we address social inequities and violence against women? These are some of the guiding questions that will help us to update the relationships section in “Our Bodies, Ourselves.”
The conversation will start Sunday, Feb. 14 (yes, Valentine’s Day) and stay open through Friday, March 12.
Participants will be invited to answer relevant questions (see sample below) and build on the responses of other participants. We’ll use a private Google site to post questions and responses.
Personal stories and reflections are welcomed, along with updated research and media resources. While we hope to use some of the stories and experiences in the book, names will not be published.
We hope the open process* will spark robust discussion. We expect new questions to arise that challenge us to re-work this section even more.
If you would like to participate in this conversation, please e-mail OBOS editorial team member Wendy Sanford: wsanford@bwhbc.org
In your email, please tell us about yourself and what you would bring to the conversation. We need to hear from you by Feb. 5 Feb. 3 and will let you know soon thereafter about participation. Thanks for considering this!
*We have thought a great deal about privacy. If you want to share a story or information, but do not want to participate in the private Google site discussion, please indicate that in your email. We may send you questions that you can answer on your own.
* * * * * *
Sample Questions
Participants can suggest other questions
How do you define — and express — intimacy?
What are you looking for in a relationship? What kind of relationship do you seek at this time in your life — monogamous, non-monogamous, long-term, short-term, one partner or more than one? How is this related to being a woman or to your gender or sexual identity in the society(ies) and culture(s) to which you belong?
What do you enjoy most about being sexual?
What are your experiences in a relationship that spans differences such as class, race, age, physical or mental ability, chronic illness, other?
How does it affect your relationships when you are with someone whom the world gives more or less power than you have — because of race, income, gender or disability?
What role has love played or not played in your relationships?
Describe a time when you realized that despite the romantic images you may have grown up with, a relationship you intended to stay in over time was going to be work.
What are some obstacles that can get in the way of our relationships? What images or stereotypes in popular culture add to the difficulties?
What helps? What books or other resources do you trust to speak honestly about relationships?
What is it like to be in a relationship with a man/with a woman when you don’t like some or all of your own body?
How have specific acts of sexual violence against you, or general societal/cultural acceptance of violence against women or LGBT people, affected your intimate sexual relationships?
If you have been in intimate sexual relationships with both women and men, are there special dynamics and challenges that you have noticed in each?
If you have experience with online dating networks, what would you want someone to know who was just starting to explore that venue? What are the safety issues?
[Re-posted from Our Bodies, Our Blog]
