Recently, the students in CSIS 300: Introduction to Critical Studies in Sexuality had the opportunity to hear from 3 former CSIS 300 students about kink misconceptions. Panelists Lara Ben Zvi, Mason O’Connor and Ariana Revnic discussed kink misconceptions with the objective of de-digitizing kink in the age of the internet and re-centering lived experience knowledge sources.
In their own work and in the classroom, they explored representation, normativity and queer pedagogy, the ethics of consent, as well as BDSM representations in media. Using a primarily open Q&A format, the three panelists engaged the class in lively discussion about what academic research in this field can look like, how pleasure activism goes beyond the academic, and the importance of grounding these studies with the personal. More about the Critical Studies in Sexuality (CSIS) students who led this conversation is available below.
From left to right: Lara Ben Zvi, Mason O’Connor, and Ariana Revnic
Mason O’Connor (she/her/hers) is a queer undergraduate student majoring in Anthropology and minoring in Critical Studies in Sexuality. Her academic interests centre around tracing the historical relationship between feminism and sexual taboos including BDSM, sex work, and pornography. She is currently working in sexual health education and seeks to further comprehensive and inclusive curriculum that foregrounds discussion of consent and media literacy.
Ariana Revnic (she/her/hers) is completing her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Critical Studies in Sexuality. Her research interests include pleasure politics, kink, negotiation of intimate practices, and sexual well-being across the lifespan. She attributes the inspiration for her current projects to the works of adrienne maree brown, Mx. Sly, and Quill Kukla, where she brings critical sexuality studies to psychological understandings of sex, intimacy, and community. Outside academics, you’ll find her documenting rural abandon with her partner or going to live events with friends.
Lara Ben Zvi (she/her/hers, he/him/his) is a trans, aroace, undergraduate student majoring in Gender Race Social Justice and minoring in Critical Studies in Sexuality. His work centers around body politics, agency, utopia, and temporality. She is incredibly inspired by asexual, trans, crip, and BDSM theories and frameworks in her academic pursuits. Outside of academics, you can find him working on jigsaw puzzles with his cat, or bookbinding a new journal because people aren’t the only things she binds.
