Lolita Wolf’s Predictions & Predilections

Friends of sex-positive journalism everywhere hailedthe launch of the first ever Sex-Positive JournalismAwards last fall. Now, as the March 23rd deadline forentries approaches, the Sexies board would like toremind all you wonderful sex-positive readers andwriters that we can't do it alone. The awards needto raise another $5,000 to cover their budget andproperly award the winners, and we need more entriesfrom mainstream sources (www.sexies.org/submit.php:it's free to submit entries, and readers can submitas well as writers). 

"The entries, the encouragement, and the enthusiasmwe've received tells me that the time was ripe forthis award," says co-founder journalist MiriamAxel-Lute. "But the fact that sex-positive journalismis so rare means we need the help of all of youreaders out there to help us turn up those gems ofgood, objective, sex-positive reporting--especiallyin mainstream sources--and then to help us be ableto afford to get the word out about them." 

The Sexies were launched by the National Coalitionfor Sexual Freedom, the Center for Sex and Culture,Babeland, and Miriam Axel-Lute to promote fair,accurate, and non-sensationalized coverage of sexualtopics. The awards are currently accepting entriesthat meet both high journalistic standards and theSexies awards criteria (www.sexies.org/criteria.html). 

Here are 10 ways to support sex-positive journalismand the Sexies: 

1. Give money! The Sexies are a labor of love. Butlove doesn't pay the bills. If you can give $100,$50, or $25, it will help us promote the awards,cover our expenses, and honor our winners properly.Donate at www.sexies.org/support.html. 

2. Become a corporate sponsor of the Sexies orconnect us with your favorite sex-friendlybusiness that might want to become one. E-mailinfo@sexies.org for more information. 

3. Submit entries. Yes, readers as well as writerscan submit to the Sexies. Articles have tohave been published in 2007 and meet highjournalistic standards as well as oursex-positive criteria. Full guidelines, criteria,and a submission form are on our website:www.sexies.org. We especially need submissionsb -even ones that were merely sex-neutral when everyoneelse was  sex-negativeb from mainstream dailynewspapers! 

4. Mention the Sexies as a resource in a letter tothe editor, especially our sex-positive journalismcriteria (www.sexies.org/criteria.html) andresources for journalists(www.sexies.org/resources.html). If you've alwaysbeen meaning to write in to your local paper abouttheir sex-related coverage, good or bad, now's agreat time to do it! (And while you're at it,write a thank you letter to your favorite sex-poswriter - they're a lonely bunch!) 

5. Ask your favorite sex-positive publications,and your favorite mainstream ones as well, tocover the Sexies. We think we're pretty unusualand would make a good story! 

6. Tell everyone you know. Blog about the awards,bring us up at opportune (or inopportune) timeswith family and friends and your local newspaper editor.

7. Make us popular. Join our LiveJournal community(sexposjawards), friend us on Myspace(www.myspace.com/sexposjournalism), post our siteon Del.icio.us, Digg us. 

8. Sign up for our announcement list. If you don'tdo LiveJournal or Myspace, sign up for our updatemailing list, sexies_update@yahoogroups.com, tostay up to speed. 

9. Link to us. Even if you don't want to make abig fanfare, a link helps us in search-enginerankings. 

10. Donate airline or Amtrak miles to get ourwinners to an awards ceremony, or to be raffledoff for fundraising. You must have enough toredeem for a whole ticket. E-mail info@sexies.orgif you've got a chunk to offer. 

And whatever else you do, read skeptically,support sex-positive writers wherever they write,and stick up for your right to a sex-positiveworld! 

xoxo --The Sexies Board 

-- Support sex-positive journalism!www.sexies.org/support.html