A commenter in the Feministe thread about sex-positive feminism was looking for some books that better elucidates what being sex positive is about -- and there are a lot of misconceptions and a lot of bad information out there. I'm not even sure what it means myself aside from not shaming people for their sexual behavior, and I like I said (though I know this probably isn't a popular opinion), I don't think someone's sexuality needs to be parsed through a feminist lens. Anyway, these are some books I've found helpful (Granted, I came aware of sex-positive feminism through queer theory, and there is quite a bit of overlap.)
Carol Queen - PoMosSexuals (ed.) and Real Live Nude Girl
Carol Queen is one of the first writers I read to talk about the intersection between gender and sexuality. PoMoSexuals delves more into that. The second book I recommend with some trepidation, but I really like the intro chapter "The Queer in Me."
Dossie Easton - The Ethical Slut
I need to re-read this one (the sole library copy is mysteriously missing, but this is a good "starter text" on sex-positivity.
Patrick Califia - Sex Changes: Transgender Politics, Speaking to Power; The Politics of Queer Sex , and Public Sex: The Politics of Radical Sex
I like Patrick Califia, though some of his writing is pretty controversial and definitely not everyone's cup of tea. I still think these three books are worth the read if you can find them.
Merri Lee Jonhson (ed.) Jane Sexes It Up
Like most collections, the essays here are pretty hit or miss, but it was one of the first books I read that introduced me to the concept of sex positive feminism, or at least, that sex and feminism didn't have to be enemies. (Sorry, I had a lot of bad second-wave feminist training.)
I realize none of these are particularly academic, which is sort of a problem if you're looking for dense, academic tomes (I generally don't, though I don't shy away from them either.) Gayle Rubin's work is good for that if you can score a copy of this collection , but unless you live in a city with a good library system (or can afford to books -- I'm heavily reliant on my library), the choices are slim or limited to essay collections. I happen to like personal essay collections, so I don't have much to complain about.
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