Our autonomy can be compromised by limitations in our capacities, or by the power relationships within which we are embedded. If we insist that real consent requires full autonomy, then virtually no sex will turn out to be consensual. I argue that under conditions of compromised autonomy, consent must be socially and interpersonally scaffolded. To understand consent as an ethically crucial but nonideal concept, we need to think about how it is related to other requirements for ethical sex, such as the ability to exit a situation, trust, safety, broader social support, epistemic standing in the community, and more.
A Nonideal Theory of Sexual Consent
Our autonomy can be compromised by limitations in our capacities, or by the power relationships within which we are embedded. If we insist that real consent requires full autonomy, then virtually no sex will turn out to be consensual. I argue that under conditions of compromised autonomy, consent must be socially and interpersonally scaffolded. To understand consent as an ethically crucial but nonideal concept, we need to think about how it is related to other requirements for ethical sex, such as the ability to exit a situation, trust, safety, broader social support, epistemic standing in the community, and more.
The School of Consent-Based Business
Discover a deeply human way of doing business on the internet
Communities of Not
On the strange hostility that grows in communities built around abstinence.
A Queer and Feminist Defense of Being Anonymous Online
From the earliest days of digital communities, online abuse has been connected to anonymity. While concerns around the impact of anonymity, particularly for women, people of color and LGBTQ folks, is legitimate, this paper argues that a flat rejection of digital anonymity is problematic, foreclosing certain forms of queer and feminist praxis. To make this case, I turn to the platform politics of Craigslist. Using Craigslist as a case study, I discuss the persistent stigma attached to online anonymity, before addressing specific tactics of online anonymity associated with queer and feminist values of privacy and mutual aid. Drawing on accounts of Craigslist users who saw anonymity as a protective form of control over their personal information, I outline ways in which anonymity is not solely an enabler for misogyny and homophobia, and can instead (or rather, also) be a subversive tool for self-expression and intimacy.
A Queer and Feminist Defense of Being Anonymous Online
From the earliest days of digital communities, online abuse has been connected to anonymity. While concerns around the impact of anonymity, particularly for women, people of color and LGBTQ folks, is legitimate, this paper argues that a flat rejection of digital anonymity is problematic, foreclosing certain forms of queer and feminist praxis. To make this case, I turn to the platform politics of Craigslist. Using Craigslist as a case study, I discuss the persistent stigma attached to online anonymity, before addressing specific tactics of online anonymity associated with queer and feminist values of privacy and mutual aid. Drawing on accounts of Craigslist users who saw anonymity as a protective form of control over their personal information, I outline ways in which anonymity is not solely an enabler for misogyny and homophobia, and can instead (or rather, also) be a subversive tool for self-expression and intimacy.
Moderating With Humans, For Humans - Trust Issues
Moderating With Humans, For Humans - Trust Issues
Bringing Sexy Back
Internet surveillance has killed eroticism. We need privacy to reclaim it.
Opinion | Is It Time for a New Sexual Revolution?
One that actually brings men and women together.
(PDF) The Architecture of Consent: A Comprehensive Analysis of Antonio Gramsci's Theory of Cultural Hegemony, Intellectual Leadership, and Modern Power Structures
PDF | On Apr 28, 2026, Douglas C Youvan published The Architecture of Consent: A Comprehensive Analysis of Antonio Gramsci's Theory of Cultural Hegemony, Intellectual Leadership, and Modern Power Structures | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate
Comment on “Banning the purchase of sex increases cases of rape: evidence from Sweden”
Journal of Population Economics -
Ace: What Asexuality Reveals about Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen
An engaging exploration of what it means to be asexual in a world that’s obsessed with sexual att...
My atconf talk "Consent Before Cryptography" is up! 20 minutes on why building a social future people opt-into is building the future that will win. From FaceMash to the Germ Protocol, I think we're moving in the right direction. ✅ atmosphereconf.org/event/LZxV6dv
ATmosphereConf 2026
atmosphereconf.orgThe forced global adoption of puritanistic American cultural norms vis sexuality and nudity via app store/payment processor rules is one of the least-discussed free speech issues of the last decade and this lack of attention is going to hurt online expression so much in the years to come.
♍ Bee 🐝
I think also we cannot ignore the potential social and cultural ramifications of normalizing the demonification of anything adult or sexual The whole system is stacked against any sort of movement in the other direction and it's not something the porn industry can handle alone at this point
