When Catherine heard about Nytfestivalen, she exclaimed “I want to be part of this!”. And of course, we were delighted she would come from Amsterdam just to be part of our festival! Don’t miss her lecture Owning Sex Positivity through Compassion on Saturday.
– What does positive sexuality mean to you?
You can see positive sexuality over lunch when friends are unafraid to raise their voices about a chain of orgasms, a new fetish they are exploring, or when someone asks for advice without shame and advice is given in a non-judgemental way with a three-step guide and a “call me later to tell me how it went”. Positive sexuality is the revolt against all the education we have received about disease, pregnancy and risk. We fight against those who have placed and forwarded the notion that sexual expression exists only in two gender boxes and two options of heterosexuality and monogamy. We sex positive crusaders break through the borders of these boxes with a compassionate and inviting spirit that says, “Come play and explore what love and fun looks like outside these confines. Its the new — and original — normal.”
– What are you passionate to convey about sexual pleasure?
I believe people often define their sexual pleasure as a relation to another person(s). We are not taught nor encouraged how to feel and share pleasure of one’s body. We are not taught to be empowered in our own personal journey of sexual pleasure with ourselves, and we certainly are not allowed to speak openly about what power it brings to know oneself. I believe that once we are unafraid to speak to our children about sexual independence, communication and the strength it brings, perhaps we can then create a new breed of adults that know how to get pleasure, ask for pleasure, and enjoy pleasure with or without another person.
– Why do we need Nytfestivalen?
We need Nytfestivalen to rally and gain more numbers of people to see through our glasses that sexuality and sexual expression is natural and normal, not risky, taboo or “pillow talk”. For the professionals attending, we need Nyfestivalen to refill our bodies and minds with beautiful stories, new discoveries and the enthusiasm that will take us to the next meeting. We are few and far between and as crusaders of sex positivity, we need to rejoice and come together to be inspired to move forward towards revolution.
