Sex front

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Sexfront , even sex front and sex front , is a 1970 published book on sex education by Günter Amendt , in collaboration with Bernhard Korrell and Alfred von Meysenbug (Illustrator).

History of origin

The sex education literature that existed up to that point saw itself as preparation of adolescents for marriage , in which sexuality served procreation. The focus was on biological and hygienic aspects.

Sex education was one of the neuralgic issues of social change in the late 1960s. Günter Amendt, prominent member of the Frankfurt SDS , social scientist and editor of the book Children's Crusade or Does the Revolution Begin in Schools? (1968), was asked by fellow students to write an up-to-date educational book.

Sexfront was explicitly aimed at unmarried young people, and the sexual moral message was: What is allowed is what happens by mutual agreement of partners with equal rights.

Amendt reached an agreement with Jörg Schröder , the publisher of the March publishing house, to bring the book onto the market at a low price of five marks, although the publisher was afraid of "paying extra".

style

For the first time, Sexfront uses a youth-friendly, unrestrained language that is ironized at the same time. The illustrations are based on comics and pop art. Among other things, the book took up a campaign launched by the German Sports Association in 1970 and had the mascot Trimmy demand with a clearly visible erection: "Get in shape: Fuck again!"

reception

By 1973, the März-Verlag had sold 150,000 copies , then a further 150,000 copies at Two Thousand and One and 100,000 copies under Rowohlt's license.

Sexfront aroused sharp criticism from the conservative side. However, the Federal Testing Office for writings harmful to minors rejected an indexing application.

With regard to the “ danger to young people ” from the sex front , the Hamburg educationalist Friedrich Koch wrote in 1971: “You can stand up to Amendt's approach as you like: His book surpasses most of the information that has been contributed by brochure writers on the relationship between the sexes. In doing so, his ethical approach seems to us to go further than many an individualistic-elitist conception of clerical provenance. After all, it is difficult to imagine that after reading this, a reader would fall into compulsive brooding and suicidal tendencies, which after indoctrination by church-oriented authors does not always seem to be adequately guaranteed. "

Natias Neutert expressly praised Amendt's political vision: “Amendt does not persist in sex education: like every clever educator, he goes all out. He drew the political roots of all the problems raised, e.g. B. from (so-called) 'women's fate' to women's emancipation - I recommend SEXFRONT because it does not speak to the masses of readers, but to their interests. "

expenditure

  • Sexfront, 160 pages with images, März-Verlag, Frankfurt 1970
  • Sex-Front, Zweiausendeins, Frankfurt 1975
  • Sex-Front, revised edition, 172 pages, March at Zweiausendeins, Frankfurt 1978
  • Sex-Front, 145 pages, Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 1982
  • Sex-Front, 165 pages, expanded new edition, Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1989

literature

  • Jan-Frederik Bandel, Barbara Kalender , Jörg Schröder: Always radical, never consistent. The March publishing house - extended publishing, postmodern literature and business art. Philo Fine Arts, Hamburg 2011, ISBN 978-3-86572-665-0 , pp. 44–48.
  • Christine Weder: 'Sex Front' or The Ironic Art of Enlightenment: Sexuality as Pop Art. In: Intimate Relationships. Aesthetics and theories of sexuality around 1968. Wallstein, Göttingen 2016, ISBN 978-3-8353-1947-9 , pp. 121–147.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Proof of the first edition in the catalog of the German National Library
  2. ↑ Voßkamp / Weingart eds., Visible and Sayable , DuMont 2005
  3. ↑ a b c taz.Blog by Barbara Kalender and Jörg Schröder
  4. ↑ Heinz Hunger : "The Sexual Knowledge of Youth". Herder Library; Vol. 381, Freiburg 1970.
  5. ↑ Torsten Gass-Bolm: “Das Gymnasium 1945–1980. Educational Reform and Social Change in West Germany ". Göttingen 2005.
  6. ↑ Detlef Siegfried : "Rock 'n' Roll makes it for you". In: Pop. Culture and Criticism Issue 1, Fall 2012, pp. 126–133.
  7. ↑ Ulrike Heider : Birds are beautiful. Rotbuch Verlag, Berlin 2014.
  8. ↑ Bettina Kahrer: Social and cultural change in sexuality. A discourse analysis of selected advisory literature for young people (1968-2012). Diploma thesis, University of Vienna 2013, p. 92.
  9. ↑ Christine Weder: Intimate Relationships. Wallstein, Göttingen 2016, p. 123 f.
  10. ↑ Friedrich Koch : Linguistic aspects of sex education . In: Education and Upbringing , No. 1/1971, p. 29 ff. Here: p. 36.
  11. ↑ Natias Neutert : Gaining pleasure for everyone . In: Hamburger Morgenpost , February 3, 1971.