written and gathered by adrienne maree brown
Activism is often associated with asceticism. But not for adrienne maree brown, whose bestselling book Pleasure Activism kicks off with a footnote recommending an orgasm a day to keep the doctor away! Mahatma Gandhi may not have approved (he unilaterally decided in his 30s to be sexually abstinent, much one imagines to his wife’s chagrin, and felt compelled to announce publicly to the newspapers whenever he experienced an involuntary nocturnal emission—imagine if The Times of India needed to include a daily column for that!), but it seems that movements of all kinds may have more success (or at least be more fun) when they are coupled with joy.
In this volume, adrienne assembles a host of voices, ranging from the classic canons (such as Audre Lorde’s essay, “The Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power,” which informs the core framework of D🌏T around how the “sharing of joy by those who are different can help lessen the threat of their difference”) to more contemporary authors, movers, and shakers. Essential reading for how to come together in these ever-more-clouded times.
brown, adrienne maree. Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good. Chico: AK Press, 2019.