Awards are, almost exclusively, a waste of space handed out as ego gratifiers to the attention needy, but if we do have to have them, then the Sexual Freedom Awards seem more worthwhile than most. Formerly the Erotic Awards and Erotic Oscars, this long-running ceremony started at a time when sexual freedom was under even more strain than it is today, and help celebrate those who fight back against the forces of oppression and repression.
The awards are a somewhat stripped back version of what they used to be at their height, when they garnered a certain amount of mainstream attention and had a ceremony that lasted almost as long as the actual Oscars. Your Reprobate editor was twice a nominee – for Writer of the Year and Website of the Year (not this one, in case you were wondering), but I’m unlikely to pull the runners-up hat trick as those categories are now notable by their absence. The nine current categories are:
- Activist of the Year
- Ally of the Year
- Event of the Year
- Performance of the Year
- Pioneer of the Year
- Publicist of the Year
- Sex Worker of the Year
- Somatic Sexologist of the Year
- Striptease Artist of the Year
The public can nominate anyone they choose (though nominees have to confirm their agreement) – there are certain restrictions relating to past winners and so on, but in general you are free to suggest anyone you wish. You do have to explain why, however…
If you’d like to nominate or find out more, visit the awards website.
