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The Edge of Sex: Navigating a Sexually Confusing Culture from the Margins
The Edge of Sex is an anthology of voices from the margins, bringing together 37 writers to discuss their experiences of sex and sex education in America.
The anthology explores often overlooked and excluded identities, with pieces on sexuality and disabilities, survivors of assault, sex work as women of color, kink and BDSM, being Muslim and queer, reproductive rights, and the challenges of culture and identity when grappling with gender fluidity and gendered expectations. As they trace the negative effects of a restrictive, fear-based sex education - particularly on marginalized individuals - these stories unearth larger themes: tensions with race and religion, expectations from heteronormative society, and pressures of femininity and masculinity. Importantly, they also highlight the resilience and empowerment of marginalized individuals within a culture designed to ostracize them.
The rich, diverse, and intersectional stories of The Edge of Sex paint a contextualized picture of sex education and make an urgent case for better representation and more inclusive, consistent, and comprehensive content. By reading this anthology, casual readers may learn more about their sexual selves, clinicians can apply the material to their practices with clients, and educators and students can expand their knowledge of feminist theory, intersectional theory, queer theory, and sex education.
The anthology explores often overlooked and excluded identities, with pieces on sexuality and disabilities, survivors of assault, sex work as women of color, kink and BDSM, being Muslim and queer, reproductive rights, and the challenges of culture and identity when grappling with gender fluidity and gendered expectations. As they trace the negative effects of a restrictive, fear-based sex education - particularly on marginalized individuals - these stories unearth larger themes: tensions with race and religion, expectations from heteronormative society, and pressures of femininity and masculinity. Importantly, they also highlight the resilience and empowerment of marginalized individuals within a culture designed to ostracize them.
The rich, diverse, and intersectional stories of The Edge of Sex paint a contextualized picture of sex education and make an urgent case for better representation and more inclusive, consistent, and comprehensive content. By reading this anthology, casual readers may learn more about their sexual selves, clinicians can apply the material to their practices with clients, and educators and students can expand their knowledge of feminist theory, intersectional theory, queer theory, and sex education.
- GenresNonfiction
350 pages, ebook
Published November 27, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 12, 2024
Giving 5 stars because one of my favorite professors at the University of Virginia wrote this…but also because there are some really important themes in here (coming out in a religious household, transgender struggles, polyamory, infertility, and many more…).
There are devastating yet powerful essays in here. It saddens me to know I currently work in a country and culture (Uganda) that does not give a platform for these types of expressions. In fact, even identifying as LGBTQ will send you to prison. A book like this simply can’t exist in many cultures around the world. Knowing that people around me in country go through the same issues yet have little to no societal acceptance for them is just awful. There is such rigidity in everything - expectations for fertility, marriage, gender roles, attraction to the opposite sex that is grounded in every aspect of life here…Knowing and seeing this first hand perhaps made this book a bit more somber to read.
There are devastating yet powerful essays in here. It saddens me to know I currently work in a country and culture (Uganda) that does not give a platform for these types of expressions. In fact, even identifying as LGBTQ will send you to prison. A book like this simply can’t exist in many cultures around the world. Knowing that people around me in country go through the same issues yet have little to no societal acceptance for them is just awful. There is such rigidity in everything - expectations for fertility, marriage, gender roles, attraction to the opposite sex that is grounded in every aspect of life here…Knowing and seeing this first hand perhaps made this book a bit more somber to read.
January 2, 2025
My college professor at UVA edited and put together this collection of important stories and anecdotes about sexual experiences. As a cishet white man, this book really opened my eyes to how everyone experiences sex. I think it's a great read for anyone looking to broaden their understanding of people's sexual experiences in a wholesome and inclusive way.
June 15, 2020
My dear friend co-edited and contributed to this terrific collection. Such diverse viewpoints and experiences here that help move toward a more intersectional understanding of sex education and experience. Highly recommend.
February 2, 2020
All of the contributions were emotional and touching, there was a sense of relief in finally having a way to speak about things that are traditionally silenced.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews