January 19, 2010
Winners of the 2009 Sexies Announced
Contact: Susan Wright, 917-848-6544 or Miriam Axel-Lute
The board and judges of the Sex-Positive Journalism Awards are proud to announce the winners of the 2009 Sexies. Selected from about 100 entries (not counting multiple nominations of the same piece!) submitted by both writers and readers, the winning entries cover subjects from teen pregnancy to conjugal visits, vaginal plastic surgery to prudish responses to public art. The winning articles come from all across the United States and Canada, and represent a range of genres, from news to advice columns.
What they all have in common, however, is that they succeed in embodying the Sexies criteria for sex-positive journalism far better than the vast majority of their counterparts, helping to improve the quality of dialogue around sex and create a more well-informed reading public. "Without clear-eyed, informed journalism about sexuality, the public runs the risk of seeing sex-related issues through a murky scrim of ignorance and biased attitudes. The Sexies help show the media—and the citizenry—how it can and should be done," says Carol Queen of the Center for Sex and Culture.
The first-place winners are:
- Mainstream News Sources (Newspapers/National News Magazines/TV Station Print Affiliates): “Plastic Surgery Below the Belt,” Laura Fitzpatrick, Time Magazine
- News/Features (Alt-Weeklies, Monthlies): “Growing Up Gloucester,” Rachel Baker, Boston Magazine
- Columns: Carnal Knowledge, JoAnn Wypijewski, The Nation
- Opinion: Tie: “A Poverty of Solutions,” Judith Levine, 7 Days and “The Great Porn Misunderstanding,” Michael Bader, Alternet
A list of all the winners, with links to online versions of their stories where available, and comments from the judges, can be viewed here. All entries were read by at least two members of the Sexies judges panel, including at least one with a journalism background.
The judges were: writer, speaker, educator and activist Carol Queen, PhD; journalist Kai Wright; journalist and 2008 Sexies winner Debbie Nathan; journalist Liza Featherstone; journalist and radio host Doug Henwood; journalist and 2008 Sexies winner Amanda Robb; sex educator and columnist for The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction, Debby Herbenick, PhD, MPH; and writer, editor, and blogger Rachel Kramer Bussel. (For full bios see our judges page.)
Copies of those winning stories not available online can be provided to the media upon request.
First place winners will receive a plaque and modest cash award. Further details about award events will be forthcoming.
The Sexies are the brainchild of journalist Miriam Axel-Lute, and were brought about in collaboration with writers, readers, and an advisory board of members of The Center for Sex & Culture, the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, the Coalition for Positive Sexuality, and journalist Doug Henwood.
The Sexies board thanks all the writers and readers who sent in entries, and encourages all of the writers who entered or were nominated to keep up their crucial work. Submissions for the 2010 Sexies (for articles published in 2009) are open and they will be accepted through June 2010 here.
The Sexies would also like to thank our corporate sponsors, Babeland (founding sponsor), UltraVirgo Creative, and all of our individual donors. It's not too late to become part of that sex-positive number: Support us here.
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