Laura Méritt

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Laura Méritt (* 24. September 1960 in Wadern as Barbara Merziger ) is a German political scientist , laughter researcher , feminist linguist , writer and editor and activist in the women's movement . She is a representative of sex positive feminism . In her work she unites all subcultures and is particularly committed to the equality of transgender , transsexual , intersexual , lesbian , bisexual and gay people without excluding heterosexual people. In lectures and workshops she conveys the basics of sex positive feminism , etc. a. through the unconditional inclusion of all sexual practices, such as B. Tantra or BDSM under consensual conditions.

Méritt is one of the founders of the PorYes movement, which advocates feminist criteria in pornography and the pleasurable portrayal of all and especially female sexuality.

Life

Studies and teaching activities

Méritt graduated from the European School in Luxembourg and studied German and political science at the University of Trier. She devoted herself particularly to feminist linguistics with Ingrid Guentherodt and is influenced by Senta Trömel-Plötz , Helga Kotthoff and Luise Pusch . After her first teaching activities at the LIGURA language school in Trier, she worked on scientific projects such as “The language of the rubble women” and lectured at the Free University and the Humboldt University in Berlin in German, cultural studies and education, including sex work .

Méritt received his doctorate in philosophy from the Free University of Berlin in 2005 on the subject of “women's laughter” with the linguist Helmut Richter and the sociologist Gerburg Treusch-Dieter . Since 1998 she has given lectures at various universities and at symposia.

In addition, she has been organizing seminars and workshops since 2000. a. on the subjects of "Everyday Ecstasy", " Female Ejaculation ", "PorYes: Feminist Porn", "Cunt Massage according to Annie Sprinkle ", and " Anal Massage according to Jo Kramer". In 2001 Méritt trained as a mediator at the Institute for Culture of Disputes in Berlin. From 2007 to 2009 she studied at the Hagia, the International Academy for Modern Matriarchy Research , with Heide Göttner-Abendroth .

activities

Méritt was a founding member and performer in the women's cabaret "Die Krampfadern" and the Trier national group of the Greens.

Since the eighties Méritt has been involved in the women's , lesbian and whore movement, as an employee in sex counseling centers and in international AIDS prevention work for the creation and translation of information and educational materials and films as well as in public relations and participation in European and international prostitution -Congresses.

In 1989 Méritt founded the association Nutten & Nüttchen e. V. , which emphasizes the emancipatory aspects of sex work and the qualifications of prostitutes. She initiated the first proclamation of the International Whore Day in Germany on June 2, 1989 in Berlin, which has been celebrated annually since then and is a reminder of the sex workers' strike in Lyon in 1975, the beginning of the whore movement.

Laura Méritt runs Europe's oldest feminist sex shop "Sexclusivitäten" in Berlin-Kreuzberg. Every Friday there are "joy salons" that address sexuality in an activist, theoretical and political way.

In 1993 Méritt and others founded the "Club Rosa", a lesbian escort service for women. In 2008 she gave opening lectures at the exhibition "Sexarbeit" in Hamburg and Bern.

In 2009 she initiated the PorYes Award - Feminist Porn Award Europe, which has been held in Berlin every two years since then. The PorYes Award honors sex-positive productions from different generations and cultures that meet feminist criteria such as consensus, diversity and ethical working conditions. The PorYes Award has been presented in the Hebbel am Ufer (HAU) theater in Berlin since 2017.

In 2014 she was co-curator and namesake of the exhibition Porn That Way at the Schwules Museum Berlin. Laura Méritt's focus was on PorYes and feminist pornography of the sex-positive movement.

In 2015 she was awarded the "Soul of Stonewall Award" for her life's work. Every year, the Berlin CSD eV honors people or organizations with the Soul of Stonewall Award (SoSA; formerly the “moral courage award”) in order to express respect for the diverse commitment to human rights of LGBTTIQ * people.

Laura Méritt writes regularly about sexuality for Missy Magazine.

Fonts

Books

  • Flow of joy. Female ejaculation. Berlin 2015 (English: The Gush of Ecstasy, Berlin 2017)
  • A new look at women's bodies: An illustrated handbook (editor), Orlanda Frauenverlag, Berlin 2012, ISBN 3-936937-93-1
  • Everyday ecstasy , Orlanda Frauenverlag, Berlin 2009, ISBN 3-936937-63-X
  • My lesbian eye I-XVIII (editor), bankruptcy book 1998–2018
  • The laughter of women in conversation about shopping and sexuality (dissertation at Freie Universität Berlin), 2005
  • The laughter of women: manifestations and functions based on an interview analysis , VDM Verlag Dr. Müller , Saarbrücken 2007, ISBN 3-8364-2455-X
  • More than love: Polyamorous relationships (co-editor), Orlanda Frauenverlag, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-936937-32-X
  • Laura's toy box , Querverlag , Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89656-069-7
  • Laura's animosities. The queer lesbian sex dictionary , 1994 bankruptcy book, ISBN 3-88769-089-3
  • Lesbian city map , Berlin 1994
  • Oysters , women's sex magazine (editor), Berlin 1993

items

  • For me, orgasm can only be thought of in the plural. In: Marion Schneider and Linda Troeller: Orgasm. Tübingen: bankruptcy book. 2016
  • PorYes. Feminist pornography. In: Psychoanalysis in contradiction, 54/2015
  • Preface to the German edition: A new generation of porn has arrived: Feminist Porn. In: Tristan Taormino (Ed.): The Feminist Porn Book. Strategies for generating pleasure. Volume 1 , Munich, Louisoder (publisher) 2014
  • Feminist Porn in Europe. In: Tristan Taormino (Ed.): The Feminist Porn Book. The art of conveying pleasure. Volume 2, Munich, Louisoder (publisher) 2014
  • PorYes! Feminist porn and the sex positive movement. In: Martina Schuegraf, Angela Tillmann (eds.) Pornography of society. UVK Constance. 2012. ISBN 978-3-86764-334-4
  • Sex. In: Sonja Eismann; Chris Köver (Ed.): Congratulations you are a girl - instructions for getting along . Beltz & Gelberg, Weinheim / Basel 2013. ISBN 978-3-407-75368-7
  • Selfmade Men. In: Pia Thilmann, Tania Witte & Ben Rewald (Eds.): Drag Kings. With beard glue against patriarchy. Berlin: Querverlag 2007
  • What do "hookers and nutties" actually do? In: Elisabeth von Dücker / Museum of Work (HRSG): Sex work. Prostitution - worlds and myths. Edition Temmen: 2005, ISBN 3-86108-542-9 ( online )
  • The blue dolphin. A feminine look at sex, toys and language. In: Catalogs of the Museum Foundation Post and Telecommunications, Volume 18: Message of Things . Edition Braus, Berlin 2003
  • Whore and lesbian. A lovely couple. In: Stephanie Kuhnen (Ed.): Butch Femme . An erotic culture. Berlin, Querverlag 1997

Movies / Videos

  • Vulva 3.0 Between Tabu and Tuning , a documentary by Claudia Richarz & Ulrike Zimmermann, 2014
  • € urosex , a film commissioned by the European Commission to educate sex workers through European counseling and sexual information centers for women; Guidelines for Safe Work in Prostitution, 2001
  • Don't panic , experimental film about sex work, Von Nutten & Nüttchen e. V. , 1993

literature

  • Julia Korbik: Stand Up. Feminism for beginners and advanced . Berlin: Rogner & Bernhard 2014
  • Our own life: Excursions into the unknown society in which we live , published by Ulrich Beck, Munich 1995.
  • Bernd Lasdin: Everyone is a person. Love and life in all colors. 2004.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. "Porn That Way"
  2. Gay Museum
  3. Missy Magazine. Retrieved on April 25, 2018 (German).