Godless Perverts

Sex, Atheism, and Other Heresies

Guest Post: Transphobia at the Godless Perverts Story Hour

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Last month, we received this email concerning the August, 2013 Godless Perverts Story Hour, which was held at the Center for Sex and Culture. After discussing the issues among ourselves, and asking the permission of the author, we’ve decided to publish it here on the blog, so that the issues can be addressed publicly.

The tl;dr version is this; the author saw parts of M. Christian’s performance as transphobic, especially one line that mockingly speculated that Ann Coulter has a penis. This isn’t a new idea, and it’s been criticized by queer communities before, such as in this piece from last year, at The Advocate. (Caution: You have to watch a few seconds of video to get to the article.) There’s also this article, from Jezebel, which gives a lot of things that Coulter should be ashamed of. Whether she’s cis or trans isn’t one of them.

We’d like to thank Jessica for writing us about this. We welcome criticism and commentary on our events, especially if you think that we’ve gotten things wrong. The whole point of Godless Perverts is that atheist communities have often built spaces that are closed or hostile to all but a narrow spectrum of genders and sexualities. Godless Perverts exists to build spaces that are much more open. We apologize for failing to do that here. We know that building such spaces is a lot easier said than done, and we hope that people will continue to give us feedback.

We offered M. Christian the opportunity to respond to Jessica’s comments, but he declined. 

Dear Godless Perverts,

Let me start out by saying, I absolutely love the Godless Perverts Story Hour. Also, I apologize that the issue I want to address is in regards to something that happened quite a while ago. However, I still feel that it is an important thing to address if you are interested in creating a welcoming and inclusive space for queer and trans individuals.

At the Story Hour that happened last September, I was surprised by a transphobic humor piece read by M. Christian (the Jesus’s penis story). First, he equates having a penis and being a man, which I can understand is just a reflection of the cissexist society that we live in (though perhaps a queer writer should have known better). Then, he make a joke about Ann Coulter having a penis, which I can’t think of any other interpretation to, except Ann Coulter is a transwoman, and is therefor gross. I didn’t understand the joke, and saw a number of people, including transwomen in the audience, cringe. My partner and I strongly considered leaving at that point, and I overheard another group talking about leaving (they didn’t return after intermission). I assume it made many people in the audience (both cis and trans) feel unsafe and excluded.

Thank you for taking the time to read this email. I would really appreciate it if at the next Story Hour, you would address the idea that everyone is welcome in the space and call out transphobia in the future. I am sorry that I didn’t address this when it first came up.

Jessica

The Godless Perverts Holiday Fun Time Was a Roaring Success

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Last Saturday, Godless Perverts threw our first holiday party for the San Francisco atheist community, known puckishly as the Godless Perverts Holiday Fun Time. Like it says in that Other Book, we looked upon our work, and we saw that it was good. We all put a lot of effort into bringing the thing together, and at the end of the evening, it was worth every bit of it. Greta brought four amazing chocolate pies (she gives the recipe right here), Chris Hall baked pumpkin rolls with cream cheese fillings, and David Fitzgerald and his zombie-loving partner Dana Fredsti did an amazing job of bringing together all the other food and drink in the face of a lot of stress. We were also very generously given cupcakes by SolaceSF, a local support organization for sex workers. Thanks to Laura Lasky and SolaceSF for the cupcakes, and thanks, as always, to the Center for Sex and Culture.

As we say, it was a very fun and very satisfying evening, enough so that we feel confident that we want to do this again next year. With more cowbell, naturally.

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Saturday Night’s Story Hour Kicked Ass!

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The consensus here at Godless Perverts is that we’re feeling pretty damn proud of ourselves for Saturday night’s Story Hour.

At the Center for Sex and Culture. From left: Jen Cross, David Fitzgerald, Virgie Tovar, Greta Christina, Chris Hall

At first, we were a little bit anxious about how things would turn out. We were expecting a low turnout because of it being Labor Day weekend, which means that half of the Bay Area has fled out to the Playa to do the Burning Man thing. In addition, the Bay Bridge is closed until early Tuesday morning. If riding BART is a pain in the ass under normal circumstances, it’s even worse when half the train is marvelling at this strange new experience of using public transit. So, we showed up at the Center for Sex and Culture a little pessimistic about how many people would show.

Boy, were we wrong. Not only did we have a large and enthusiastic audience, but the reading was one of the best we’ve ever done. We all went home glowing with satisfaction. Not only were all the pieces hot, moving, thoughtful, and honest, but they covered a really broad span of genres and voices. More than anything, we were pleased at how well-balanced the topics were, from critical essays to poetry to shameless smut. If you couldn’t make it to this one, we really hope you’ll make it to the next one. And tonight, you’re invited to hang out with us at Wicked Grounds Café for the Godless Perverts Social Club, an evening of informal socializing and snacking.

Here’s a quick summary of what our performers read on Saturday:

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A Change of Date, A New Story Hour, and Asking for Input

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Hello, Godless Perverts! The hosts of the Godless Perverts Story Hour and the Godless Perverts Social Club wanted to let you know about a date change for the Social Club. We’ve set a date for the next Story hour, and we want to let you know so you can mark your calendars. And we want to get your feedback on what kind of Godless Perverts events you’d like in the future!

Godless Perverts Social Club Moves to First Tuesdays

Wicked GroundsFirst order of business: The Godless Perverts Social Club has moved from the third Tuesday of each month to the first Tuesday of each month. (There’s another group starting up at Wicked Grounds that could only meet on the third Tuesday — and because we can be good without God, we let them have the slot.) We won’t be changing the date again, though — we’ll be on the first Tuesday of each month for the foreseeable future. Our next social meetup will be on Tuesday, July 2. It’ll still be at Wicked Grounds, 289 – 8th Street in San Francisco, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Hope to see you there!

Godless Perverts Story Hour: Saturday, August 31

We also have a date set for our next Godless Perverts Story Hour performance event! It’ll be on Saturday, August 31, at the Center for Sex and Culture, 1349 Mission Street in San Francisco, at 7:00 pm. Our lineup currently includes Keith Lowell Jensen, Molly Weatherfield (aka Pam Rosenthal), Victor Harris, Kate Sirls, M. Christian, Simon Sheppard — plus your charming hosts Greta Christina, David Fitzgerald, and Chris Hall, and other readers/ performers yet to be announced! A splendid time is guaranteed for all. So save the date now!

Feedback: Looking at Future Perversions

And finally: We’re looking at expanding the Godless Perverts franchise into other kinds of events — and we’d love to get your input! Do any of these ideas spark your interest? If so, which ones? Do you have ideas that aren’t on this list — and if so, what are they?

  • Speakers. (If you like this idea — who would you like to hear speak?)
  • Discussion groups or workshops on specific topics. (If you like this idea — what topics would you like to have discussion groups or workshops on? Are you interested in leading a discussion group or workshop?)
  • Service projects/ charitable work. (If you like this idea — what particular projects/ charitable work would you like to participate in?)
  • Political activism. (If you like this idea — what particular areas of activism would you like to participate in? Are you interested in spearheading an action?)
  • A Godless Perverts holiday party.
  • An anthology based on our reading and performance events.
  • A Godless Perverts conference.

If you’re interested in any of these ideas — what are you willing to do to help make them happen?

Please send us your feedback using the form below. Thanks, and we hope to see you at the next godlessly perverted event!

 

Can we put you on our mailing list for future announcements?

New Monthly Event: The Godless Perverts Social Club

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Wicked GroundsLast month’s meetup at Wicked Grounds was a great success. We had a great time, and it was even more well-attended than we had hoped. It was so successful that we’ve decided to make it a regular thing. From now on, we’ll be meeting at Wicked Grounds on the third Tuesday of every month to talk sex, atheism, and everything in between. People of all orientations, genders, and preferences are encouraged to join us. The next one is on Tuesday, May 21, at 7pm.

Despite the (only slightly) portentous name of the group, we intend it to be a pretty laid-back affair where people can come, get to know each other, and talk about whatever comes to mind.

For those of you who don’t know the venue, Wicked Grounds is a BDSM-themed café in the South of Market district of San Francisco. They don’t serve alcohol, and the place is open to anyone 17 or older. If you’re not used to this kind of environment, please note that the art on the walls (and the occasional patron) is often R-rated or above. It is one of the friendliest and most laid-back places in the city, and the coffee, waffles, milkshakes, and other goods are truly top-notch. Since the café is being very kind in letting us use their space, we encourage you to buy as much stuff at the counter as possible.

We look forward to seeing you there, and if you can’t make it, we’re going to be doing this every month for the foreseeable future.

Places to RSVP:

Godless Perverts Has a Mission

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In order to better articulate what we want Godless Perverts to accomplish and be, we’ve finalized our mission statement and published it on the site. You can read it below. Comments welcome.

Godless Perverts presents and promotes a positive view of sexuality without religion, by and for sex-positive atheists, agnostics, humanists, and other non-believers, through performance events, panel discussions, social gatherings, media productions, and other appropriate outlets.

Our events and media productions present depictions, explorations, and celebrations of godless sexualities — including positive, traumatic, and complex experiences — focusing on the intersections of sexuality with atheism, materialism, skepticism, and science, as well as critical, questioning, mocking, or blasphemous views of sex and religion.

Godless Perverts is committed to feminism, diversity, and inclusivity. We seek to create safe and welcoming environments for all non-believers, as well as for any believers open to considering atheists’ perspectives on sexuality, and are committed to taking positive action to achieve this.

Heina Tells Godless Perverts About Islam’s Heavenly Sex-Bots

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At our April 16 Story Hour in San Francisco, Heina did a great reading called “The Heavenly Sex-Bots” about the sexualized nature of paradise in Islam. In particular, she talked about how very different the rewards (or more realistically, the duties) are for women. For instance, while a man goes to heaven based on his earthly deeds, a wife’s rewards are wholly dependent on her husband calling her to heaven to be by his side (along with his virgins). As Heina says, in part: [Read more…]

Some Great, Godless Stories Were Told on Saturday

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Victor Harris reading poetry about dragons and desire at the Godless Perverts Story Hour.

The Godless Perverts Story Hour on Saturday went off without a hitch, and we’re still feeling a little euphoric from it. If you were there, thanks so much for your support, and we hope you had as much fun as we did. If not, we really hope that you’ll join us next time around. Tomorrow will a good opportunity to come and meet up with us, if you feel so inclined: we’re having the first Godless Perverts Munch at Wicked Grounds Café. It’s a pretty laid-back event, where everyone just drops by to hang out, but we do think that it’s hugely important in its way. Part of what we’re trying to do is build community so that atheists with alternative sexualities and genders have a place to land, instead of just feeling like they’re the only one in the room.

Not only did we have great readings from everyone, but we gave away blasphemous sex toys (courtesy of our friends at Divine Interventions) and Greta showed off a pair of stunning (and somewhat lethal-looking) steampunk-themed stilettos. We’re really proud that we got so many great writers and performers together for one evening, who had so many different things to say. That says a lot about the potential of this project and where we can go with it. [Read more…]

Upcoming Events: San Francisco (4/13 & 4/16) and Reasonfest (4/21)

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Although it might not always look like it from what’s happening online, we’ve been very busy the last couple of months, and we have some great events coming up in April. We’ll be posting a lot more information as we get closer, but here’s the basics so that you can mark your calendars and clear any other social obligations.

San Francisco:

Saturday, April 13, 7pm:  Take a break from filing your taxes to join us again at the Center for Sex and Culture for another Godless Perverts Story Hour. The last one was a great success, and we’ve got some new names performing, as well as some favorites from our first event.   As of this writing, our list of confirmed readers includes Greta Christina, David Fitzgerald, Chris Hall, Heina, Liberty N. Justice, Victor Harris, and Kate Sirls.

Tuesday, April 16, 7pm: Okay, so the tax thing is over and you can start to relax a bit. Join us for coffee and conversation at the Godless Perverts Munch. For those not familiar with the term, a “munch” is a term developed by BDSM communities for an informal get-together of people at a restaurant or café. We’ll be gathering at Wicked Grounds, San Francisco’s famous kink-themed coffee house. Godless Perverts isn’t just about holding readings; a big part of it is building community so that people can talk openly about sexuality and atheism. This is the first time that we’ve held a munch, and if it goes off well, we hope to have lots more.

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Reasonfest; Lawrence, KA:

ReasonFest 2013: Modern Morality Making Ethical Decisions in a Secular SocietySunday, April 21, 6pm: For the first time, we’re going to be venturing out of the Bay Area. The folks at Reasonfest have agreed to let us do a Godless Perverts Story Hour at the conference, so if you’re attending, please join us.  In addition to co-founders and co-hosts Greta Christina and David Fitzgerald, Amanda Brown, Bridget Gaudette, and Keith Lowell Jensen are going to share their insights on religion, godlessness, and fucking. There’s no admission price—Reasonfest is a completely free event—so if you’re in the area, or have any way of getting there, be sure to check it out.

Video: Godless Perverts Panel at Center for Sex and Culture

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For anyone who truly nerds out on talk about sex, here’s a treat: video of the first official Godless Perverts event, a panel held at the Center for Sex and Culture on April 6, 2012. The topic was a broad one: “Atheism and Alternative Sexualities,” and featured Miss Maggie Mayhem, Charlie Glickman, and Greta Christina, with moderation and occasional input by Chris Hall. This was originally supposed to be a one-off event, but we found that we have a lot more to say about building secular sexualities. Unfortunately, there isn’t any video of the Godless Perverts Story Hour that we just did, but there will be lots more opportunities in the future.

Thanks very much to Maggie Mayhem and Ned Mayhem for shooting the video, getting it into usable shape, and putting it online for us.

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