Sex positive: Feminism, queer theory, and the politics of transgression

From the feminist 'sex wars' of the 1980s to the queer theory and politics of the 1990s, debates about the politics of sexuality have been at the fore front of contemporary theoretical, social, and political demands. This arti cle seeks to intervene in these debates by challenging the terms through wh ich they have been defined. Investigating the importance of 'sex positivity ' and transgression as conceptual features of feminist and queer discourses , this essay calls for a new focus on the political and material effects of pro-sexuality.