Alyssa Milano calls for "sex strike"

In response to the Georgia abortion law (this thread is not about that law, but rather, about the sex strike in response) - actress Alyssa Milano called for a “sex strike” in response.
It quickly led to criticism, though - some people pointed out that this ‘sex strike’ implies that sex is something only enjoyed by men and not by women and promotes the notion that sex is something women ‘give’ unhappily and men ‘take’ happily. That, and also, that the majority of men who would be affected by such a ‘sex strike’ probably have little power to do anything about the Georgia abortion law anyway.

Edit: Also, I can only imagine that a sex strike would do immense damage to a marriage or relationship. Once a partner decides to bring politics into the bedroom (“I’m not having sex with you until Legislative Bill HB-481 is overturned”) that sex life is surely ruined and any trust or intimacy destroyed.

Milano should watch out. After all, we men are in the fifth decade of our “withholding our feelings” strike and women show no signs of caving in to our demands.

a lot of married women have been on a sex strike for years with a few periods of non strikes. :slight_smile:

Is the converse also true? By supporting HB-481, hasn’t one party brought the bedroom into politics?

It’s an old concept.

That’s not quite the same - unless someone is denying their partner sex until/unless they support HB-481. You’re talking macro vs. micro.

I’d say tweak it to “no penetrative sex” because there’s no form of birth control that’s 100% effective and who needs to take the risk?

I’m against the weaponization of vaginas.

Many years ago the very attractive wife of a Major League baseball player declared that if she ever found out her husband was cheating on her she would have sex with all of his teammates. Most people were bemused, but I found it rather disturbing.

The player’s wife, like many other women, instinctively knew the anger and hurt she could inflict by using her sexuality in a way no man can. It triggers an animal like response in men. It’s the type of behavior that is tolerated in western societies but nonetheless destructive.

I’m against the politicization of uteruses, myself. I don’t see a problem with any Georgia man who supports the new law being treated the way the law treats Georgia women, i.e. “since you weren’t able to keep it in your pants, now you have to take responsibility.”

Better make sure the government denies women full control of them, as anti-choice politicians are trying to do, right?

You’re using a different point of comparison than I am. My point is that the denial of sex because of HB-481 may be bringing politics into the bedroom, but the existence of HB-481 already has brought the bedroom into politics. Why is it seen as ok to bring the bedroom into politics in this way and expect that nothing in the bedroom would change as a result? :confused:

And then to try and cry “no fair” over that change? :dubious:

Is she assuming that all women are pro-choice and all men are pro-life? In fact, both sexes are very nearly evenly split. Nationally, men are 47% pro-choice and 49% pro-life. Women are 48% pro-choice and 47% pro-life.

cite: 'Pro-Choice' or 'Pro-Life' Demographic Table

That was another criticism of Milano on Facebook - that very likely, the men who would be affected by such a sex strike would be liberal or feminist men who were opposed to the Georgia law anyway (since people tend to marry or date those of similar political views.)

tl;dr: It’s the poor, old/middle-aged, dumb in the Midwest and Bible Belt. Them again.

Mylano is an actress whose decline is far behind who saw an opportunity to raise her notoriety and social status within her social circle by tweeting this non-sense.

Wouldn’t it be hilarious if they all refused her advances?

I find it disturbing that she apparently assumed they’d all be willing to have sex with her.

And what do you mean, ‘in a way no man can’? Why would a man not be capable of trying to take revenge on an unfaithful spouse by having sex with a number of other people? I’d be astonished if this hasn’t happened.

Seriously? You’re gonna go with the golddigger label? :dubious:

ETA: I forgot to note the gratuitous misspelling of her name… classy.

It’s based on a fear of something LAZombie can’t control. Imagine, women asserting boundaries and agency in a relationship; Will they stop at nothing to achieve equality?

There’s a few hundred Thelma Lou posts needing a tsktsking…

Seriously though, who takes their sex advice from some nutty Hollywood type? I mean, I suppose those in Hollywood are accustomed to the transactional nature of ‘relations’ but I hope that the rest of the nation aren’t quite that calculating when it comes to intimacy.