Vue Point

Bringin' sexy back (hey!)

| Commenting on this story is closed.

An admission: as we put together this week’s paper, our third annual Sex, Lust and Love issue, the staff here at Vue Weekly realized we were engaging in far more editorial discussions (okay, arguments) than we have over any issue in recent memory.

To be honest, this strikes me as a little ludicrous: as an alternative newsweekly, we routinely tackle political and ethical topics that ought to be far more controversial than something as universal and pervasive as sex. Why is it that when we are defending the civil rights of criminals, championing non-traditional families, questioning the prohibition of recreational drugs and agitating for more visibility and acceptance of the queer community—all supposedly “hot button” issues we address on a regular basis—we rarely hesitate even momentarily, while meanwhile we find ourselves fretting about whether the images and stories included in this issue are suitably appropriate or tasteful or non-exploitative?

It occurs to me that perhaps this is as good a defence as any for what is presented on the following pages. The role of independent and alternative media is to challenge the status quo, to push the boundaries and illuminate the edges that traditional corporate media will not—and, for various reasons, largely cannot—address.

One of those reasons is, of course, a desire to not offend or upset readers, a concern we share. We acknowledge that a lot of people have absolutely no desire to see images or read articles as frank and as graphic as some of the material in this issue, so to them we certainly offer a warning about what lies ahead and encourage appropriate discretion. However we are also pretty confident that a much greater percentage of our readership will find this edition of Vue entertaining, thought provoking and even a little educational, from the (admittedly insightful) irreverence of our third annual sex survey to reports about topics as varied as aphrodisiacs and sex addiction, from the Islamic tradition of temporary marriage to some tips for al fresco nookie.

We are, as always, incredibly curious to hear anything our readers have to say about any part of Vue, so don’t hesitate to get in touch. Anyone choosing to enjoy this issue of Vue will certainly see and read things they would never encounter in a major, chain-owned daily, but that’s, well, kind of the point—just like it is every week. V

Vue Point

Bringin' sexy back (hey!)

Most recent comments