In March 2018, the Oxford philosopher Amia Srinivasan wrote a provocative essay for the London Review of Books asking, “Does anyone have the right to sex?” Three years later, the essay forms the backbone of a bold new collection that probes the complexity of sex as private and political act, moving beyond the simplicity of yes and no and the hashtags of #girlboss feminism. Srinivasan joins the podcast to discuss the ideas that animate The Right to Sex, whether it’s pornography and freedom, rape and racial injustice, punishment and accountability, or pleasure and power.

Go beyond the episode:

• Amia Srinivasan’s The Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century
• Read the essay that started it all: “Does anyone have the right to sex?”
• Relatedly, her essay on pronouns: “He, She, One, They, Ho, Hus, Hum, Ita”
• How many other philosophers have been profiled by Vogue?
• Smarty Pants is no stranger to feminism: listen to our episodes on feminist book collecting, rock criticism, war, science, and religion
• Listen to historian Scott Stern on the origins of criminalizing sex work, and read his essay, “Sex Workers of the World United”

Tune in every week to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek.

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