Andrea Rita Dworkin was an American radical feminist and writer best known for her criticism of pornography – a cause dear to my heart (please see my paragraph at the end of this blog). Andrea argued that pornography was linked to rape and other forms of violence against women. After suffering abuse from her first husband (whom she left in 1971), she was introduced to radical feminist literature by feminist Ricki Abrams, and began writing Woman Hating, eventually publishing 10 books on feminism.
Andrea was born in Camden, New Jersey on 26th September 1946. Her father was a schoolteacher and socialist, whom she credited with inspiring her passion for social justice. Her mother’s belief in legal birth control and abortion inspired her later activism. She had a happy childhood until the age of 9, when an unknown man molested her in a cinema. Shortly afterwards the family moved from the city to the suburbs, which she hated and likened to living in a penal colony.
After living and writing poetry and prose in Crete for a while, Andrea studied literature at Bennington College and participated in campaigns for contraception on campus, for the legalisation of abortion, and against the Vietnam war. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Literature in 1968.
In New York Andrea worked as an anti-war organiser, and participated in demonstrations for lesbian rights and against apartheid in South Africa. She joined a feminist consciousness-raising group and soon became involved in radical feminist organising, and gained notoriety as a speaker for events organised by local feminist groups.
After an abusive first marriage, Andrea met feminist writer and activist John Stoltenberg in 1974 when they both walked out on a poetry reading in Greenwich Village over misogynist material. They became close friends and eventually lived together, although both publicly identifying themselves as gay. They were married in 1998.
In 1976 Andrea, together with other leading feminists, formed a radical feminist anti-pornography group. Members of this group would eventually go on to found Women Against Pornography in 1979. In 1978 she joined 3000 women in a march through the red light district of San Francisco. She published Pornography: Men Possessing Women in 1981, in which she argues that pornography is implicated in violence against women through the abuse of the women who star in the films, and in social consequences by encouraging men to eroticise the domination, humiliation and abuse of women. Together with radical feminist Catherine MacKinnon, Andrea discussed civil rights litigation as a possible approach to combating pornography. With encouragement from community activists, the Minneapolis city government hired Andrea and Catherine to draft an anti-pornography civil rights ordinance, but this was eventually vetoed by the mayor.
On January 22nd 1986 Andrea testified before the Attorney General’s Commission on Pornography (the Meese Commission). The Meese Commission successfully demanded that convenience store chains remove men’s magazines from their shelves. This spread nationally before eventually being quashed with a First Amendment admonishment against prior restraint by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
Andrea was demonised by pornographers and liberals, whom she held in equal contempt. With her health failing, she continued her anti-pornography writing and campaigning until her death aged 58 from acute myocarditis on April 9th 2005.
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If anybody is in doubt as to the effect of pornography on a marriage, they can check out my debut novel ‘The Porn Detective’, which is partly based on my own first-hand experience of being a reluctant porn detective for 30 years. Happily all our troubles are now resolved, but women need to be aware of the effects of this insidious, addictive cancer, which when I researched into porn addiction to try and help my husband I found out that it is the hardest habit of them all to kick, due to the one fact that looking at pornography works on the reward centre in the brain and makes the watcher feel extremely happy/ good. I also found out that the brain takes 18 months to recover from a porn addiction.
Bernadette said:
Thank you Stevie for bringing this important issue out for discussion and making us aware of Andrea Dworkin’s life and work. I live minutes from Camden and I am only a few years younger than Andrea and had never heard of her. Also, it will be interesting to read your book to learn another able of the problem that pornography causes.
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks Bernadette. Of course quite a bit of the book is made up, but some of my past life is in there, but only I know what that is!
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Annette said:
Reblogged this on Annette's place and commented:
A must read and reblog to raise awareness to the cause this feminist rallied to fight against. Excellent post and read bloggers comment in end paragraph.
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Stevie Turner said:
Thank you for the re-blog, Annette and for your comment.
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Annette said:
Wonderful job writing this!
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Annette said:
I believe in this cause. I have been a victim of abuse, molestation, and sexual assault. I do believe that we should start with cleaning up our homes so to speak. Just as you said that you researched and helped your husband. Well, more people need to address these issues in their homes or places they live. Towns, cities, States, regions and such. Raise awareness. Thank you for addressing a cause that is such a “Taboo” to talk about. Great post!
Best regards, Annette
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Stevie Turner said:
I think more people are addicted to this stuff than we know. It’s terrible; an addiction that affects not only the victim, but also their immediate family.
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Annette said:
I agree!
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ellenbest24 said:
My best beloved or stink as I call him frequently was once a black clad gun carrying elite Policeman,. Many times, hours or days he would have to watch “Stuff” on fast forward for court papers… ten minutes twenty three seconds of necrophilia at point 0372 video tape three (That sort of thing ). He as you can imagine watched so much depravity that if anyone said to him, you get addicted by T.V. or exposure to sexual violence, he would disagree. Out of the team and himself, that were exposed and worked on this “Stuff” not one of them would entertain the thought of willingly watching a moment of “Stuff” voluntarily.
Thank you for making people think.
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks for your comment. It affects those of an addictive nature the most. It took me 30 years to find out that my husband had an addictive personality. We had a few terrible years, but thankfully it’s all behind us now.
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ellenbest24 said:
How horrible for you both, but things that come too easy aren’t worth keeping my Dad used to say. You two must have worked hard to be where you are, a pair of keepers and good luck to you both Have a great Easter or Rabbits ears weekend. X
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Stevie Turner said:
We were worth fighting for. My husband is basically a kind, generous man who has the misfortune to have been born with an addictive personality, which he didn’t realise. He knows now!
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franklparker said:
Reblogged this on Frank Parker's author site and commented:
This helps clarify some of my confusion about porn as expressed in this post: http://franklparker.com/2015/07/01/paedophiles-blame-my-generation/
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks for the re-blog Frank. There’s no way we can ever wipe the internet free of porn…if only we could!
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