“Sex Wars: The Musical” workshop at Camp Betty

Sex Wars: The Musical or… Which Side Story (work-in-progress performance/ rehearsal/ audition/ history lesson) In the 1980s and 90s, lesbian communities grappled with a whole heap of arguments around sex and power. What is feminist sex? Does pornography cause rape? And what about consensual violence, where did that fit in? As sex-positive lesbians faced off against radical feminists and anti-pornography activists things got vicious and new lines were drawn: which side are you on? The Lesbian Sex Mafia! Dastardly alliances with Christians! Daggy leather vests! Now what better material could you have for a musical? Drawing on writings from those involved in the sex wars in the US, England and Australia the writers want to bring to life those heady days and investigate the legacies of the time – in song!

At the “Sex Wars – The Musical” workshop at Cloud City in Melbourne for Camp Betty (a weekend of radical sex and politics) Tanya and Esther introduced key debates of the time and the major players. We were given an exclusive sneak preview of the musical – this is a clip of Sammy singing “Nancy” her composition and impromptu performance.