Media
MEDIA ATTENTION
The Globe and Mail May 14, 2005 As far as the British Columbia government is concerned, sex, politics and liquor don't mix. Vancouver. By Peter Tupper
When the newly organized Sex Party applied for a permit for a fundraising event, the B.C. Liquor Control and Licensing Branch turned it down.
The Sex Party was launched in April by John Ince, an attorney, the author of The Politics of Lust and co-owner of the Art of Loving adult store and gallery in Vancouver. He says it is the world's first political party dedicated to sexual issues, with a platform of improving sex education in schools and reforming the laws regarding sex work and freedom of expression.
Mr. Ince could hardly have asked for a better example of what he critiques when the liquor agency denied his party's request for a licence for SAVY (Sex Art Vote Yes!), held on Thursday at the Video In studios. The problem was that the fundraising event featured three couples making love as part of an erotic art installation, as well as nude-photography demonstrations and speeches by party candidates.
The art exhibits qualify as "adult-oriented presentations" under government regulations, and are legal as long as they are announced as such and cover charges are identified, Mr. Ince argued. "The art presented has been carefully selected to express political themes. It is part and parcel of our political discourse," he wrote to the liquor agency.
The agency responded that the performances came under regulations regarding strippers and exotic dancers, which prohibit "live, realistic or simulated sex acts" and performers touching each other or being touched by the audience.
After learning that there was no means of appeal, Mr. Ince went ahead with a dry event and a full slate of performances.
On May 4, the Sex Party filed a petition in the B.C. Supreme Court challenging the agency's decision. The next week, the B.C. Civil Liberties Association announced its support.
It's precisely the kind of legal battle the Sex Party is about, Mr. Ince said. He sees it as a symptom of a lack of clear guidelines in the liquor licensing branch, without which there is "enormous subjectivity in the way regulations are enforced. . . . When the law is ambiguous, it transfers legislative power to enforcers."
The result is arbitrary regulation, permitting one event and prohibiting another, he said.
For example, less than a week before SAVY, Mr. Ince was the keynote speaker at the Sex Conference in Vancouver's Maritime Labour Centre. The weekend event featured educational seminars, a burlesque show, a bondage-play party, a "cuddle room" and a licensed bar.
Reive Doig, a partner in BIO Event Productions, which organized the conference, said he obtained a special occasion licence in 20 minutes at a liquor store.
Mr. Doig described the burlesque and masquerade dance parts of the event when he applied, but he didn't mention the bondage play or cuddle areas. "I didn't think of that as part of the entertainment. So really, the issue didn't arise."
A spokeswoman for the B.C. Liquor Control and Licensing declined to comment, saying it would be inappropriate to discuss a matter before the courts.
Mr. Ince has challenged British Columbia's laws before. In 2003, the police threatened to close down a performance of Public Sex, Art and Democracy at his gallery, which involved a couple having oral sex in front of an audience.
His store also carries educational adult videos and DVDs without the approval sticker from the B.C. Film Classification Office.
On Tuesday, Mr. Ince and two other Sex Party members will have their names on the ballots, but that's really a sideline to the party's main business, which is raising awareness about society's difficulty with speaking about sex.
Peter Tupper is a Vancouver writer.
Metro
By JEFF HODSON With only four days remaining before Tuesday 's provincial election,most political parties are on guard against skeletons escaping their closets.
But the B.C. Sex Party isn 't one of them.
The political party that aims for "sex positive "future hopes to pry open those closets and shed some sun- light on everybody 's dirty laundry and expose the big taboo: sex.
"It 's a commonplace, mundane act," said
"I want to make the voyeur, and by extension the media, reflect upon its own fascination with the subject." Bowcott says his piece re- flects the act of looking. It 's meant to make people question what they are watching.
The piece is also the highlighted event - touted as "three of
John Ince, leader of the B.C. Sex Party, said SAVY 's aims re threefold: to raise funds; to showcase
"We 're bringing people together in the sex positive movement to gather, party and establish new political force," Ince said.
He plans to hold more police-free SAVY events after the election in
"Effectively there is not real democracy when sex is an issue in
In addition to Bowcott 's Eye,Voyeur Agapornis, SAVY also featured performance and erotic art, nude photography, group massage and a forbidden film festival.
Jesse Upton and Mark Christenson performed in Dirty Laundry an art show that invited spectators to paint and touch the pair. The show was part of the Sex Party "Sex-Art-Vote-Yes" fundraiser held last night at the Video In Studios on
Dose May 13, 2005 BC Sex Party trying to seduce voters
Politically-minded Vancouverites got to take in a different type of campaign event last night - one with couples having sex on display. The BC Sex Party kicked off its first fundraising event - Sex, Art, Vote, Yes
(SAVY) - with an orgy full of risqué activities and events.
One installation included local couples having sex. Other campaign activities included interactive erotica, group massage, sensual eating, spin-the-bottle and watching dirty movies. They even referred to the election as the "erection."
"We believe we can get our message out without boring people to tears," explained Jesse Wright, party spokesperson. "It's about celebrating sexuality." The event brochure describes the evening as "historic" and advised people on attire and protocol: "Not for prudes" and "clothing optional."
Despite efforts by the Sex Party and the BC Civil Liberties Association, supporters had to celebrate sober.
The event was deemed too raunchy for booze and denied a liquor license.
LifeSiteNews.com May 18, 2005 BC’s Sex Party Platform – Sex in Schools and Legalize Prostitution – Strangely Familiar (Note from The Sex Party: LifeSiteNews is the voice of a sex-negative group.)
“Now there’s one for the department of redundancy department. Did I miss something? Haven’t we already got one of those?” quipped popular Ottawa Citizen columnist, David Warren.
The Sex Party’s website offers the electorate of BC the kind of platform planks that would make a Pl
David Warren suggested to LifeSiteNews.com, “Here’s a novel idea, why don’t we start a party for moral people and call it the “Married-People-Making-Babies-to-Save-the-Canada-Pension Party”? Now that might be of some practical use.”
The British system of Parliamentary democracy has traditionally spawned joke parties. Since the time of Samuel Johnson, sophomoric jabs have been made by pranksters with enough time and money to set themselves up as official parties to mock and deride the political process. In the recent British election, the voters looked to the Dungeons, Death and Taxes Party and the Church of the Militant Elvis for comic relief of their election-day blues. The Sex Party follows the tradition and proposes changing Victoria Day; a national holiday named for a woman who they say epitomized sexual repression, to “Eros Day.”
It is to be noted, however, how closely the policies of the Sex Party of BC are modeled on those already being implemented by the more respectable parties that regularly win elections and by the non-governmental organizations they support such as Pl
The party fully supports, for example, one of the Liberal Party’s pet projects to legalize prostitution and organize state-regulated bordellos. In fact, apart from their forthright style of presentation, the Sex Party’s platform is merely a reiteration of the policies regarding abortion, homosexuality, life and family, of most major parties in
News Agency AFP Monday, 16 May , 2005, 21:32 New party seeks sexual revolution in
A new political party campaigning for a sexual revolution in a Canadian election on Tuesday is testing even the well-known tolerance of the people of
The Sex Party has been campaigning in the provincial election for a "sex-positive culture", promising to teach children to have sexual activity "in a gradual and disciplined way" and to repeal what it calls sex-negative laws such as banning public nudity.
The campaign has attracted intense media spotlight by taking potshots at institutions such as
The Sex Party would create "Eros Day" to replace a provincial holiday in honour of Queen
Some voters are offended. "I was flabbergasted and utterly disgusted," wrote one critic on the party's web site.
"You want to teach children how to masturbate, and you want to encourage sex workers, and you want to get nurses to help older folk have sex. Not even in a movie have I heard of such degrading, gross and vulgar sexually related ideals."
While the provinces two main parties slug it out over more conventional issues, the Sex Party is not alone in fighting unconventional political battles.
There were as many journalists as supporters at a recent Sex Party party fund-raiser. In a large rented room with Persian carpets and plush couches, the audience viewed couples having sex, erotic art and provocative performance artists.
A woman calling herself Kamiliya wore a black Muslim Burkha, with only her eyes uncovered and her nudity evident beneath the Burhkas see-through material, which she called "a symbol of all society which tries to hide sexuality. The more you try to hide sexuality, it shows."
Kamiliya insisted, "I have a lot of respect for Muslims", but said her see-through Burkha illustrated sexual shame worldwide.
Nearby, a man and a woman scantily dressed in white cotton underwear offered people paint trays in which to dip their hands and then fondle them. It was part of an art exhibit called "Dirty Laundry", explained Mark Christenson, standing in boxers, undershirt and sports shoes as he waited for people to grope him.
Christenson admitted qualms about such action with strangers. "I don't know these people. It's kind of creepy."
Party leader John Ince, a lawyer and co-owner of a sex shop in
Ince uses legal tactics as well as publicity to get his points across. He is suing the province's liquor agency over a dispute about serving alcohol at fund-raisers featuring sex, and when Canada's postal service refused to deliver sexually-explicit posters, the Sex Party trumpeted, "Canada Post censors political expression".
Few, however, take the party seriously. "It makes for interesting street theatre, and it makes people aware there's an election on," laughed Norman Ruff, a political science professor at the
www.news1130.com May 12, 2005 - 11:25 pm Sex party holds a fundraiser with live sex
By: Claudia Kwan
Don't be surprised if you don't know too much about them, but the Sex Party is running three candidates in the provincial election. Their goal is to get people to be more open about sex and sexuality. The main act at their fundraiser was a live sex show on Thursday evening, with four couples doing the deed on a few carpets surrounded by 125 people. It's supposed to be a beautiful celebration of intimacy between the couples. The media did not get to see the event because reporters were only invited to a pre-show and then shooed out.
Macleans Magazine
May 12, 2005
Party hearty
B.C. voters have a broad, and odd, array of choices
KEN MacQUEEN
Most political organizations -- earnest, cautious, dull -- give the word "party" a bad name. This can't be said of those in
B.C. is home of the Work Less Party of British Columbia and the Sex Party -- natural allies, one might think -- as well as an individualistic entity known as the Party Of Citizens Who Have Decided To Think For Themselves And Be Their Own Politicians, or POCWHDTTFTABTOP for short. There's the B.C. Marijuana Party, which is growing perilously close to mainstream, and two separatist parties: the Western Canada Concept Party of B.C. and the Bloc British Columbia Party. There's the People of British Columbia Millionaires Party, which would sell B.C. to a willing buyer for $1 million per registered voter. There's an Idealists Party, too. But, then, aren't they all?
Most fringe parties aren't running candidates in all or even most of the 79 ridings, but each is fired by a distinct vision for a better B.C. That was expressed by the Marijuana party with the sparking of hundreds of doobies at a toke-in on the lawn of the
Without advertising budgets, getting out the message calls for creativity. The Work Less party -- which advocates a 32-hour workweek as an antidote to unemployment, stress and rampant consumerism -- staged a "sleep-in" on the legislature lawn. Party workers, if that's the proper term, hand out speeding tickets to racing pedestrians. "Obviously," says Denise Brennan, 27, a self-described recovering workaholic and one of 11 candidates, "there is little hope of being elected."
Winning is rarely the point. Making a point is the point. John Ince, leader of the Sex Party, which is fielding three Vancouver-based candidates, says the organization would fold if mainstream parties adopt his "sex-positive" agenda. Don't hold your breath. The platform includes a designated area for nudists at public parks and beaches larger than a hectare, and no enforcement of laws governing sex workers. The party's May 12 fundraiser -- which will include erotic art exhibits, a nude photo shoot and a couple having sex behind a screen -- was deemed too racy for a provincial liquor licence. Just another example of "sex negativity," says Ince, a lawyer and co-owner of an upscale
If B.C. is a haven for single-issue parties, it's because the bar is set so wonderfully low. Prospects must only convince the chief electoral officer that their group's main purpose is to field candidates and at least two must run by the second election after registration.
Polls show "other" parties started this campaign with a mere three per cent of the decided vote, but the fringe is no irrelevant force. Consider it a political farm team, full of heartbreak and hope. The B.C. Green party, the first Greens in
More farfetched, but delicious to contemplate, would be a minority government with the Work Less and Sex parties holding the balance of power. Could happen. It's election time in B.C. Party on.
thetyee.ca Sex Party just wants to drink and…
By Jhenifer
Ince tried and failed to get a liquor permit from BC's Liquor Licensing Branch for the Sex Party's next event, a night of art and entertainment called SAVY. The event features an art installation of three couples making love.
The Liquor Licensing Branch would not comment on the lawsuit.
It turns out the Liquor Licensing Act prohibits live, realistic, or simulated sex acts to be performed at the same event at which alcohol is being served. Strippers and exotic dancers at nightclubs can legally perform under very specific restrictions barring them from behaving this way.
Ince wants the restrictions changed so that performance art featuring sex will be allowed. He thinks it's unfair, for example, that it's legal to serve alcohol at violent events like kickboxing or hockey, but not sex events like SAVY.
"It's ok to show people murdered or starving, but lovemaking is somehow taboo," said Ince. "We don't think that's a legitimate basis for public policy."
For now, SAVY - which stands for Sex-Art-Vote-Yes - will be held May 12 at the Video In on
5 Responses to "Sex Party just wants to drink and…"
1. Working Man Says:
May 7th, 2005 at 10:48 am
Counter revolutionaries are the real enemy, comrade!
2. V. Jara Says:
May 7th, 2005 at 4:44 pm
In
3. Liquor Is Quicker Says:
May 8th, 2005 at 6:29 am
You mean I've been breaking the law in my apartment for all these years? Yikes! Ive been serving drinks as an integral part of such artistic performances, if I do say so myself, for years.
4. Dominique Says:
May 12th, 2005 at 3:44 pm
I am shocked at your party especially that "savy" event! You guys got to be crazy and it scares me to think what kind of world my kids will be growing into when I hear about this. Totally shocking and no I am not old or very religious. I have quite an open mind but this is ridiculous!!!
5. Gina Says:
May 13th, 2005 at 8:58 am
I beleive that this party's only motive it to gain publicity and they have succeeded. I am a young woman, but this election and this particular party makes me not want to have children and raise them in a world of no sensorship!
WestEnder May 11, 2005 WE asked the candidates: How would you help create an urban sanctuary?
John Ince, The Sex Party candidate:
"The Sex Party would favour a series of public spaces in Vancouver Burrard dedicated exclusively to nudists. If you enjoy the sensual pleasures of full-body suntanning on a summer's day in
en.wikipedia.org
Sex Party (
The Sex Party is political party based in
The Sex Party was founded in 2005. Its leader is John Ince, a lawyer, longtime sexual politics activist, and owner of The Art of Loving (http://www.theartofloving.ca/), an "upscale erotic store."
For its first time being represented in the polls for the May 17th, 2005 Provincial election, the Sex Party will have three candidates run in the
Official Sex Party Website (http://www.sexparty.ca)
National Post April 25, 2005
Sex Party leader would like to have mountaineer's physique
John Ince reveals his workout regimen
Siri Agrell
Name and age: John Ince, 52
Where do you live?
Occupation: Leader, The Sex Party; Author, The Politics of Lust.
Height: 6-foot-1Weight: 175 lbs.
How often do you get on the scale? Once a week.
Activity and routine: Cardio-focused: I swim a kilometre every two days, bike 10 km on the seawall in
Was your program set up by a trainer or buddies or did you read a book? All of them. I take fitness advice anywhere I can get it.
Frequency: Daily, with one day off a week.
Goal: To have a high-performance cardio system to maintain health and be happy on multi-day treks with a heavy pack in the coastal mountains.
What do you eat? Weekly diet of raw fish (sashimi) and loads of fruits and veggies.
What is essential for working out? My swim goggles with built-in prescription lens!
Do you listen to music? That's hard to do underwater.
If you could trade physiques with one person, who would it be? Reinhold Messner, the greatest mountain climber of all time.
© National Post 2005
The Globe and Mail Thursday, April 21, 2005
Sex, sloth, anarchy: Fringe has it all
By Jane Armstrong
VANCOUVER -- The B.C. Sex Party thinks public schools should teach youths to enjoy sex and masturbate. The Work Less Party says the North American rat race is shortening our lives and wrecking the environment.
Then there is the Annexation Party of B.C., which posits that
They are the fringe and single-issue parties with platforms ranging from myopic to out there. Apart from B.C.'s front-running Liberal and New Democratic Parties, there are 43 other registered political parties, a record number in the province. In the 2001 election, there were 33 parties.
By contrast,
With the provincial election campaign under way, B.C.'s fringe parties are attempting to grab some of the political spotlight.
On Tuesday, pyjama-clad members of the Work Less Party of B.C., staged a "sleep in" on the steps of the legislature in
While it's a safe bet that B.C. Sex Party Leader John Ince won't be British Columbia's next premier or even opposition leader, observers say B-list parties serve a valuable function, especially during campaign season.
"Some people see them as kind of frivolous," University of
Prof. Ruff said young people often gravitate toward fringe parties, especially if they are drawn to a single issue, such as the Marijuana Party's platform to legalize pot.
Fringe parties have been a fixture of modern election campaigns, either to provide a home for fed-up voters looking to register their disgust or merely to provide comic relief (think: Rhinoceros Party).
However, B.C. appears to have a party to fit every movement: the Green Party, the Natural Law Party, the Western Refederation Party; every belief: the Idealist Party, the Freedom Party; and every anarchist twinge: the Party of Citizens Who Have Decided To Think For Themselves and Be Their Own Politicians.
Opinion varies on why
"There is the local nuttiness that is endemic to B.C.," University of
The fact that B.C.'s rules on registering political parties are among the most lax in the country is another factor.
To register, a party only has to run two candidates in two consecutive provincial elections, said Elections B.C. spokeswoman Jennifer Miller.
In
In
Despite their tongue-in-cheek platforms, some fringe parties have serious messages tucked between the easy gags.
Mr. Ince of the Sex Party said mainstream parties are notoriously skittish about dealing with sex issues -- be it education or prostitution -- because they fear alienating voters.
But Mr. Ince said prostitution is a life-and-death issue for thousands of women.
Mr. Ince cited a quote from the infamous Gary Ridgway, also known as the Green River killer who confessed in 2003 to killing 48 women in
Mr. Ince, a lawyer and writer, said his party plans to raise sex issues at every turn during the campaign.
And while Liberal Leader Gordon Campbell appears to be coasting to a second term, pollsters say there is sufficient public dissatisfaction with the Liberals that some disgruntled voters will vote fringe.
But what's considered fringe east of the
A poll conducted for The Globe and Mail by the Strategic Counsel showed that nearly 50 per cent of respondents said they did not agree that a vote for the Green Party was a wasted vote. Pollster Allan Gregg described the Green Party as a potential "spoiler" in B.C.'s May 17 vote, capable of stealing votes from the governing Liberals and the NDP.
24 Hours
April 15, 2005
Let's talk about...
B.C. Sex Party
By Carly Baillie, 24 Hours,
S-E-X! Now that you're paying attention, that's exactly what the Sex Party, B.C.'s newest political party, wants - to open up conversation around the taboo subject and create a sex-positive society.
"It's easier to exchange body fluids around sex rather than words around sex today," says John Ince, leader of the party and one of two candidates running in the coming election.
The Sex Party's platform includes establishing a school sex education program that both encourages sexuality and teaches masturbation.
"Children are educated about the dangers of sex, but not the pleasures of sex," says Ince.
That is something Vancouver School Board Trustee John Cheng says is "out of line," and that preventing pregnancy and sexual diseases should take precedence over teaching kids to "enjoy sex and get more out of it."
The controversial new party, which has plans to go federal eventually, also wants to make it legal for women to practice sex work in their homes.
Ince says this will go a long way to ending negativity towards prostitutes, referring, in part, to the recent string of serial killings.
The same laws and censorship around sex that hurt society aren't making for a smooth campaign trail either, says Ince.
So far a proposed fundraiser at a licensed bar featuring an "art installation" peep show, in which people would peer into an enclosed area to see a couple making love, has been met with an unsexy "no" from the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch.
Canada Post shot down a mass mailing of a party brochure which featured erotic art.
http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/24hrspoll.htmlWould you support The Sex Party ?
Yes 45%
No 55%
Don't Know 0%
Total Votes for this Question: 11
PuckerUp.com Tristan Taormino
April 13, 2005
The Toronto Star
Sex Party lays out positions - Calls for end to prudish attitudes
Plans nude shows for B.C. voters
Daniel Girard
Even in British Columbia, where down and dirty politics is the norm, this group is sure to raise eyebrows - and maybe even libidos.
The Sex Party had its public unveiling here yesterday, releasing a platform in advance of the May 17 provincial election that calls for an end to society's prudish approach to sexuality. It promises increased sex education in schools, including urging teens to explore their bodies through masturbation, more designated public areas for nudists, liberalization of prostitution laws and less censorship of porn videos and DVDs.
The party, which has two declared candidates and will have more on the ballot by election day, would also change Victoria Day to Eros Day "to celebrate and encourage sex-positive expression" and proclaim Valentine's Day an official holiday.
"It's a new chapter in B.C. political history today," said John Ince, 52, leader of the new party and one of its candidates. "We are the world's first sex-positive political party."
Ince, owner of an upscale
The new party hopes to speak out for erotic artists, sex activists and others who feel society treats sexuality as a dirty word rather than a healthy form of expression. "Most politicians run if sex is the issue," said Ince. "We want to raise it as important."
The Sex Party is also promising unique fundraising events, including an evening featuring erotic art, a nude photo shoot and a live sex performance.
"I'm wholly in support of more sexual awareness in society," said Joanna Holmes, 22, who will make love to her husband while others watch in a performance entitled Sex in a Box. "We have to remove the fear that we have of it
The Westender, April 14, 2005
Let's talk about sex, voters
Social progressives, sex-trade workers and the generally loose have joined together this week - in mind, if not in body - to celebrate the announcement of the B.C. Sex Party, which claims to be "the world's first registered party dedicated exclusively to sex-positive issues." Led by John Ince, a Vancouver-based lawyer, author and sex educator, the Sex Party seeks to establish realistic sex-education programs in schools; fight against the discriminatory measures frequently carried out by local and provincial police, Canada Post and other bureaucracies; and designate parts of public parks and beaches for nudists (no, seriously). The party's inaugural fundraiser, SAVY (Sex - Art - Vote - Yes!), takes place May 12 at Video In Studios (1965
Metro
Let's talk about Sex Party: Wright
By WARREN FREY
Metro Vancouver, August 15, 2005
There's no party like a sex party, especially around election time. The B.C. Sex Party held a news conference yesterday at the Firehall branch of the Vancouver Public Library to introduce the executive of the party and answer questions from curious media.
One of the party's main policies is to eliminate negative attitudes about sex, which secretary Jessie
Wright said they've already run into while gearing up their campaign.
"One media outlet in
Mainstream media, she said, is saturated with sexual images, but they convey feelings of illicitness and shame, instead of showing sex as a natural part of life. Covering genitalia in photographs
and video also served to perpetuate negative feelings about sex, she said.
"Because genitalia are not seen in a normal context, people only see them as sexualized objects, which isn't true," Wright said. The Sex Party also tackled what they call inadequacies in the educational system. "We're teaching children to fear sex. Kids learn about AIDS in Grade 4, but they
don't learn about the sex act until Grade 6. You don't teach them algebra before they can add and subtract," said party vice-president Yvonne Tink.
Wright said that while harm reduction is an important part of sex education, the party would encourage
introducing solo sensuality to students before they are intimate with other people.
"Learning sensuality before intercourse is the key to an optimal first sexual experience," Wright said.
Sex on the brain for party's campaign?
By WARREN FREY
Metro Vancouver , March 13, 2005
There's a hard election ahead, but one political party is rising to the challenge. The Sex Party is among
fringe parties gearing up for the electoral orgy on May 17, when B.C. voters go to the polls. But where most parties promise jobs and prosperity, the Sex Party wants tolerance, education... and nudity.
Party Leader John Ince is famous for his participation in a play that involved a live sex act on stage.
In the past two decades he has been a sex educator, journalist, lawyer and performance artist, as well as presenter of sexuality seminars.
The party will hold a news conference tomorrow at the Vancouver Public Library, where it will introduce the party executive. Besides Ince, there's Yvonne Tink, the party's vice-president and a sex educator, and
The party advocates sexual gradualism in Canadian schools, or encouraging sexual activity in a gradual and disciplined way. If the Sex Party is elected, any public park or beach over one hectare will have a designated area for nudists. The golden years would also glow a little more under its rule. The party would make it easier for long-term care residents to express their sexuality, with sexual care
nurses tending to the unique needs of the aged but frisky.
The Province
B.C. Sex Party all set for major political love-in
- April 14, 2005
The Sex Party, B.C.'s newest political contender, is unveiling its party executive, and who knows what else, at a press conference in Vancouver today.
The Tyee
Sex Party bares platform
http://thetyee.ca/pundit/?p=37
By Tom Hawthorn
The Sex Party has bared its election platform, which includes a call to change Victoria Day to Eros Day.
The May holiday, which honours the birthday of a monarch notorious for her disinterest in matters sexual, would instead celebrate the Greek god of love and passion.
As well, the fledgling party wants to make Valentine‚s Day an official holiday, which would certainly add some spark to the mid-February blahs.
Sex may be fun, but it's darned serious business, too. The party's platform calls for the repeal of laws it says marginalizes sex workers, a situation which left vulnerable street prostitutes, dozens of whom have been murdered over the years.
The party also suggests the broadcast media stop bleeping words, or writing f- in place of fuck.
Among some other eyebrow raisers: All public parks and beaches larger than one hectare should have an area designated for nudists; longterm-care facilities should facilitate "any desired activity" among residents, including those involving sex professionals; and, a teen should be taught in school "to explore the erotic responsiveness of his or her own body without contact with another person."
One Response to "Sex Party bares platform"
1. BC Mary Says:
April 13th, 2005 at 3:43 pm
"… a monarch notorious for her disinterest in matters sexual … ??" Get yourself back to the History books, young man.
Queen
Some sex party if they don't know the basics.
2. . Wendy Says:
April 17th, 2005 at 6:45 pm
As a prostitute I will definatly be voting for the Sex Party!
More from The Tyee
Thursday April 7, 2005
Fun at the Fringes of Democracy
Among the 46 parties vying for your vote this May 17 are four serious contenders, and a carnival of wannabes and wackadoodles..
By Tom Hawthorn
In the upcoming provincial election, John Ince will be pressing the flesh for The Sex Party. He will also be shaking hands and kissing babes.
Ince calls his newly-formed party the world's first exclusively dedicated to furthering a positive image for sex.
"The traditional parties ignore sexuality. We embrace it," said Ince, who is co-owner of The Art of Loving, a sex boutique and bookstore in
The Sex Party platform, to be unveiled tomorrow, will include a call for an end to the B.C. Film Classification Office, which Ince argues serves as a government-financed "protection racket for the porn industry."
The Sex Party is one of 46 registered to contest the May 17 election. Four parties - the governing BC Liberals, opposition New Democrats, Greens and the new Democratic Reform B.C., called Doctor BeeCee for its acronym - will take the vast majority of votes. (Election Central will examine each of these in the coming days.)
The remaining parties - call 'em micros, minis, one-man bands - offer the voter such an array of choices as to be a fringe festival of democracy. You've got appeals to your protest vote, your screw-'em-all vote, and parties led by single-issue obsessives or mad-as-a-hatter wackadoodles.
Some bravely predict they'll soon be installing new drapes for their offices at the Legislature in
Whatever his fantasies - rich as they undoubtedly are - Ince of the Sex Party does not expect to be adding the letters MLA after his name any time soon. His quest to become an Honourable Member will begin in either Vancouver-Burrard, which includes the
The Sex Party's fundraising plans are likely to generate more controversy, as Ince will be issuing tax receipts for events somewhat more exotic than those usually found on the rubber-chicken circuit. The fundraisers, called SAVY (SexArtVoteYes!) celebrations, are gatherings in which erotic art is coupled with performances the party acknowledges are "edge-pushing and explicit."
"There will be places where the audience can colour and create art out of their own genital organs," Ince said. He also promises a couple will make love within an art installation, an echo of a performance piece in the summer of 2003 in which the climax included a couple engaged in mutual oral sex.
Politics has always had its share of blowhards; now, it will have blowjobs, too. At least the Sex Party gives us politicians who screw each other instead of the public. Unfortunately, the party's slogan is flaccid: "Politics for a Sex-Positive Future."
CKNW AM 980
... THEY'RE CALLED THE 'SEX PARTY' AND WE'LL BE SPEAKING TO THEIR LEADER ABOUT THEIR STEAMY MANDATE. THE FEDS HAVE ANNOUNCED HOW THEY'LL BE SPENDING 10 ...
www.cknw.com/shows/The_World_Today_show.cfm - 36k - 13 Apr 2005
New provincial political party hopes to 'arouse' interestApr, 11 2005 - 8:00 PM
VANCOUVER(CKNW/AM980) -- Who says politics can't be titillating?There's a new provincial party out there making its outing this week, and it has nothing but sex on its mind.Amid Elections B.C.'s list of registered parties is the Sex Party - declaring itself to be the world's first.Its leader is John Ince, who gained attention a couple of years ago for his involvement in a play that included a live sex act on stage.Its platform includes a sexual education program that goes somewhat beyond the usual 'birds and the bees' lesson.It also calls for public parks and beaches to have areas reserved for nudists.As well, long term care homes would be required to make it easier for its residents to be amorous.
CanWest News Service - Sex party offers interesting positions on B.C. issues
April 13, 2005
© The Daily News (Nanaimo) 2005
OTTAWA -- A rookie political party is angling for the sex vote in next month's British Columbia election with a platform that includes beefed up sex ed in schools, a sex research centre and a "Sex-Positive Press Council'' to expose censorship in the media.
All are among the ideas to be laid out this week when the Sex Party makes its official debut, offering what its website describes as "politics for a sex-positive future.''
Sex Party Leader John Ince, the 52-year-old operator of
Ince, author of The Politics of Lust, was previously in the spotlight in 2004 over his plans to stage a play depicting an act of oral sex, staged at his store. A statement on the news conference said the party will run candidates in the provincial election, host fundraising events with live-sex art installations, "sue B.C bureaucrats for interfering in our election campaign,'' and take action against Canada Post officials over allegations by the party that they refused the party's election brochures.
The party suggests that a representative of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association was to attend the news conference. However, no association officials were available for comment.
Although Ince had little to say Tuesday, the party's website is up and running, and provides a hint of the party's positions.
The party's platform calls for changes to the education system, repealing "sex-negative'' laws and regulations and supporting a "sex-positive'' community. Valentine's Day would also be declared an official holiday if the Sex Party wins enough seats to form a government on May. 17.
The party is looking for cash and candidates to run in all of B.C.'s 79 ridings under the leadership of Ince.
Kelowna Daily Courier
Partying, sex, drugs on ballot May 17 By RON SEYMOUR
The Okanagan SaturdayIf you were thinking of setting up a new political party to fight next month's election, you're too lateThe deadline for registering new parties passed on Friday, according to B.C. ElectionsHowever, there's no shortage of political parties in B.C., with 45 of them registered, and you should be able to find one to support, whatever your inclinations. There are parties that promote
http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/archive/2005/04/02/stories/7648_full.php4?latest_date=2005/04/02
Northern Voice
Now here's something we can all get behind, or on top of, or whatever you prefer.
Meet The Sex Party of
Never mind keeping these fine folks in
http://www.northernvoice.ca/aggregator?from=40
http://www.doubleagent.com/article.php?a=537
The Sex Party Will Make Anyone Enjoy Politics By: The AgencyDated: 16:12 on 04/15/2005
A Canadian group, dubbing themselves, The Sex Party, aims to develop a sex-positive culture. Their strategy is to run candidates in elections, with the first being the B.C. election to be held on May 17, 2005.This group is the world's first registered political party dedicated exclusively to all issues related to positive sex.Their main fundraising and community-building vehicle is a social gathering called SexArtVoteYes!, or SAVY for short. These celebrations are a way for them to display erotic art, do both edge-pushing and explicit erotic performance art, listen to erotic poets and comedians, and also dialogues about sex and politics in our personal lives and culture. The first of these such events is schedule to take place May 12th.The Sex Party is looking for a few good men, and of course women, too. If you want to showcase your art, volunteer, or even run for candidacy, visit their website at www.thesexparty.ca for more information.
piquenewsmagazine
http://piquenewsmagazine.com/pique/index.php?cat=C_LTE&content=lte+1215
A case for proportional representation
As we head into the next provincial election political parties are proving that campaign trails are the best source of situational comedy available. The Liberals are pumping out laughable lies, the NDP produce implausible puns and the Greens concoct biodegradable bull. But, as side-splitting as their acts are, the real funnies are the fringe parties' websites.
Here are a few of my favourites:
The B.C. Party site (www.bcparty.com) can best be described as a fifth grader's attempt at web design while experimenting with recreational drugs.
The Annexation Party of B.C.'s site (www.
The British Columbia Citizens Alliance Now site (www.bccitizensalliancenow.com) looks like it was designed by George Bush Junior. I fully expected to hear duelling banjos and barking dogs playing as their red, white and blue forever theme blasted my eyes.
The Reform B.C. site (www.reformbc.net) remarkably mimics the British Columbia Citizens Alliance Now site - or vice versa.
The British Columbia Social Credit site (www.bcsocialcredit.bc.ca) even provides "references"!
The B.C. Marijuana party site (www.bcmarijuanaparty.com) cleverly suggests how to incorporate pot into every political and social issue. Probably funded by eyedrop, snack and fast food corporations, its mandate should be "Forget About It."
The People of British Columbia Millionaires Party sounds great, but unfortunately, can't afford a website.
The Work Less Party (www.worklessparty.org) design solidly reflects its core values and had me ready to order their "Alarm Clocks Kill Dreams" campaign buttons.
My favourite site?
Hands down, it's the The Sex Party (www.thesexparty.ca). Central to their strategy is to run candidates in elections. Wow, what a novel idea! This is a must visit site for sure. Why let politicians do to us what we can already do to each other?
With the B.C. Liberals copying the former NDP strategy of buying votes with pre-election cash infusions, why waste your vote on those who can't be taken seriously when you can vote for those who shouldn't be? Vote in a government of clowns - after all, isn't it all about voting for a "party"?
Will Lewis
Sexuality.Org
http://www.sexuality.org/vancouver.html
Politics
... Amid Elections BC's new list of registered parties is the Sex Party. Its leader
is ... April 13, 2005
SeanIncognito
http://seanincognito.blogspot.com/
imagine their policy conventions
Where else but on the
New provincial political party hopes to 'arouse' interest
There's a new provincial party out there making its outing this week, and it has nothing but sex on its mind.
Amid Elections B.C.'s list of registered parties is the Sex Party - declaring itself to be the world's first.
Its leader is John Ince, who gained attention a couple of years ago for his involvement in a play that included a live sex act on stage.
Its platform includes a sexual education program that goes somewhat beyond the usual 'birds and the bees' lesson.
It also calls for public parks and beaches to have areas reserved for nudists.
As well, long term care homes would be required to make it easier for its residents to be amorous.
I'd like to see the Sex Party elect a few MLA's, if only so British Columbians could take some pleasure in getting screwed by the politicians.
Seriously though, why not a Sex Party? Other than that it probably won't bother with a realistic slate of campaign planks, it would be nice to have a good old-fashioned protest party again in Canada - like the late, lamented Rhinos.
KP said...
Well I can see what any Sex Party leader might say when it comes time to delay introduction of any bills.
"Not tonight, I have a headache"
(intentional tie in to your new blog which you can now shameleslly plug with a link to the first entry)
B.C. Sex Party all set for major political love-in
The Province - April 14, 2005
The Sex Party, B.C.'s newest political contender, is unveiling its party executive, and who knows what else, at a press conference in Vancouver today.
B.C.'s Sex Party to lay bare its platform
Joel Baglole -
British
Sex Party lays out poll platform
Calgary Herald - April 13, 2005
A rookie political party is angling for the sex vote in next month's British Columbia election with a platform that includes beefed up sex ed in schools, a sex research centre and a "Sex-Positive Press Council" to expose censorship in the media.
http://www.tashian.com/carl/archives/2004/02/the_sex_party.html
February 27, 2004
the sex party
Someone had the idea last night to create a new political party: the sex party. Use sex to make local, state, federal, and international disputes dissolve in a sea of passion. So many coutries are already in bed with each other in the metaphorical sense, why not take it all the way?
Gives new meaning to International Relations.
Other party ideas that came up:
the sports party (everything can be resolved-- with a series of soccer games)
the gambling party (let a coin toss decide our nation's most controversial issues)