Thus, according to bookstore policy, we should not carry the magazine. This argument obscures the negotiation which is a part of all sexual practices. Once the complexity of sexuality has been sidestepped, it can easily be regulated. Many anarchists share the same position as the current Canadian state. By viewing sexuality as a fixed, definable thing, their arguments unwittingly support authoritarian administrative strategies, such as obscenity legislation.
Some people think that the images in ToL depict violence against women.
The distasteful nature of these representations justifies a political action of refusing to carry the magazine. Representation precedes the political. While the ToL debates may seem to be specific to our situation here in Montre'al, I believe they are exemplary of dominant trends within anarchist politics more generally. It refuses to consider the ways in which these representations, practices, and desires can be articulated in a mutual, consensual environment. A critical perspective on sexual liberation, and I would include anarchist contributions to and definitions thereof, would allow for an investigation of desire, sexuality, and gender.