42 minute read
Naked fourteeners and It’s a difficult metric to measure, but when it comes to butts, Peachypeaks probably has one of the most famous rears in Colorado. She’s also a serious mountaineer, even if she climbs things in the nude
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Peachypeaks talks the naked truth about nudist mountaineering in Colorado » Baring it all on fourteeners on Instagram has amassed this user a steep following [ travel]
It’s a difficult metric to measure, but when it comes to butts, Peachypeaks probably has one of the most famous rears in Colorado. She’s also a serious mountaineer.
The Denver-based woman’s main Instagram account (@peachypeaks, naturally) features, at the time of this publication, around 250 photos almost entirely of her backside – usually parked on top of a mountain or with some other scenic vista in the background. And over 131,000 people are following it, some fans going so far as to send her paintings or illustrations recreating her posterior-based por traits. Occasionally her friends, partner, and dog join her. (To preserve her anonymity, she never reveals her face or her name, which is why we’re re ferring to her by her social media handle.)
The derrière depictions started as means of light ening the mood during outdoor adventures.
“I was doing a lot of hikes and stuff outside and sometimes kind of dangerous climbs, and it kind of started more to bring levity to situations,” Peachy peaks said. “It started out with my partner, who was like, ‘Yeah, just, you know, pull your pants down and we’ll take a butt photo,’ and then it kind of became more of a lifestyle over time.”
The turn toward nudism was not without prece dent, though.
“I’ve always been really comfortable with nudity,” she said. “I was a swimmer and I don’t know if that made me comfortable, but I’ve always been kind of
Courtesy of Peachypeaks » » Peachypeaks poses near Lake City.
Courtesy of Peachypeaks » » Peachypeaks poses atop a mountain in the Crestones in the Sangre De Cristo range. She has scaled 48 of Colorado’s 58 fourteeners.
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Courtesy of Peachypeaks » » Peachy peaks pauses along the descent from Sunshine Peak and Redcloud Peak, northeast of Silverton.
like a little bit of a wild child. It was only a few years ago that I really was like, ‘Oh, this is like something fun that I really want to be part of my life and normal.’”
The process she goes through to get the ‘Gram often doesn’t involve being naked throughout.
“Most of the time, I’m not able to
Courtesy of Peachypeaks » » Peachypeaks looks down upon Horsetooth Reservoir near Fort Collins. The nudist’s dedication to being naked in nature takes her outside in all seasons.
hike the full hike nude because most of the time I’m in places where there are people. There’s certain times when I’m in National Forest land where it’s pro tected – you can actually be nude – but most of the time, I’m not a place where nudity is acceptable,” she said.
That said, Peachypeaks occasionally finds areas where she can hike naked for long periods of time ... including in our own backyard. While hiking the 17- mile Purgatory Creek Approach to the Chicago Basin, she only saw a handful of people over the four days she spent in the area, and was able to stay nude for miles at a time.
Why does she do it? “I’m not a very spiritual person,” she said. “But I guess that’s where I feel like I’m most spiritual, in a sense – when I’m naked nature. You get to know your body more and also just
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Courtesy of A Tribe Called Geek » » Johnnie Jae, founder of A Tribe Called Geek, says discussing the end of the world is a good way to sneak discussion of mental health into indigenous communities.
FOOD, FILM, ZOMBIES, & BABY YODA » What to expect at Albuquerque’s Indigipop X festival
By Nick Gonzales DGO STAFF WRITER W hen the Indigenous Comic Con first launched in 2016, it followed a pretty standard model for a comic book convention. Fans were able to gather and converse with artists, writers, illustrators, and other creatives. There were panels and performances and places where vendors could sell their geeky wares. The difference, though, was that the convention centered around contemporary Native nerd culture. It was a hit, and around 1,100 people attended.
Over the next few years, the convention expanded, eventually spawning others like it in Denver and Melbourne, Australia. Now, like a Pokemon, the Indigenous Comic Con has reached its next stage of evolution: Indigipop X, happening March 25 through 29 in Albuquerque. If the old event was the indigenous version of a comic con, the new one is the indige nous equivalent of South by Southwest.
Expanding the spotlight
After the first year of the Indigenous Comic Con, organizers began to add more eclectic events while still spotlighting Native representation. For instance, last year’s convention featured both a wrestling event and a fashion show. This year sees the return of the fashion show, the addition of a dance performance, and sections on indigenous futurism and food. “It gives us a chance to welcome in more people and really
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Courtesy of Kimberly Robertson » » The Child, aka Baby Yoda, from the TV show The Mandalorian, is the subject of multiple panels and workshops at this years Indigipop X convention, including ones on beading the character.
explore a number of other areas where Native and indigenous people aren’t quite represented in mainstream pop culture,” Lee Francis, whose company, Native Realities, produces the event, said.
When it comes to food, the organiz ers partnered with Three Sisters Kitchen, a non-profit community food space in Albuquerque, to host three nights of cooking by Native chefs, including Brian Yazzie, who cooks indigenous foods on his YouTube channel.
“They’re going to showcase what they’ve got, they’re going to tell stories. We’re going to tape it, and we’re going to post it online,” Francis said. “Part of that is wanting to, again, not only showcase that there’s Native chefs that are doing really cool native chef stuff – because we know that there’s a ton of Native chefs that are out there, doing incredible cuisine locally, nation ally, internationally – but that part of breaking through the pop culture is that we want to start building.”
While that part of the convention caters to attendees’ senses of taste and smell, most others work with sight and sound, including the festival’s film el ements, which will showcase the work of indigenous youth, Francis said. It’s not all super-serious, though. Navajo comedy duo James & Ernie will also be doing their own Mystery Science The ater 3000-esque riff on a film.
“I guess it’s ‘Native Science Theater 1492,’” Francis said.
A gaming alley will feature games of both the tabletop and video variet ies, and Twitch streamers The Baker Twins will also be on hand to talk about what they do.
Northern exposure
One of Indigipop X’s biggest guests this year is Tahmoh Penikett, whose credits include Supernatural and Al tered Carbon, but who is probably best known for playing Karl “Helo” Aga thon on the 2004 version of Battlestar Galactica.
Penikett belongs to the White River First Nation in Canada’s Yukon Ter ritory and Alaska, and he credits his Dené heritage with pushing him to wards his career as an actor and filmmaker.
He says he was surrounded by fan tastic storytellers growing up, especially his grandmother, who was a wellknown matriarch, elder, teacher, and storyteller, and was celebrated at the Yukon International Storytelling Festi
Courtesy of Native Realities » » Past Indigenous Comic Cons have drawn crowds of over 1,000 people. This year, founder Lee Francis expects closer to 2,000.
val in Whitehorse. That territory in the northwestern part of North America is so harsh and isolated that Penikett’s people didn’t have much contact with Europeans until as recently as 100 years ago. As a result, his grandmother spoke only broken English but could tell stories in the many other languag es she knew.
“She always held the attention of the crowd in a captivating way. She was funny, she was focused, she was proud and strong – and growing up with people like that around, it definitely en couraged me to try and continue that tradition in whatever capacity I could,” he said. “Movies and film is something I’ve always been fascinated by as a small-town Northern boy, and I always imagined that I could be on the on the big screen one day.”
Penikett acknowledges that indig enous representation in the film and television industry is getting better, even if it’s far from where it should be, citing recent events such as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences giving Wes Studi an honorary Oscar last year.
“What I want to see and what I’m trying to do myself is just more indig enous made stories ... at all levels – indigenous storytellers, indigenous creators, indigenous filmmakers at every level,” he said.
Penikett’s mother, Lulla Sierra Johns, is a residential school survivor, and he is currently focusing is adapt ing a short story that she wrote about the experience into a feature length film.
He also has a few movies coming out in the near future, including “The Devil has a Name,” directed by and staring Edward James Olmos (aka Commander William Adama, BSG fans).
Indigenous Futurisms At past Indigenous Comic Cons, there has been only a panel or two devoted to indigenous futurism. This year, there are two days.
What is indigenous futurism? As Lee
Francis describes it, “It’s really about our past, present, and future existence – and when I say the future existence, it’s because within our philosophies, we’re not bound by time. Time is cy clical; time is repeating; time is, you know, it’s always omnipresent. We exist in all times.”
In practical terms, the indigenous futurisms section of the convention provides indigenous people an outlet in which to speculate about what their future will look like. On the dystopian side, Francis said, this can look like a world in which everybody is dead except for the Native folks, who have survived because they’ve been figuring out how to survive throughout their entire history. On the brighter, more classic science fiction side, this can also look like a world in which indigenous ingenuity has elevated everybody else by passing along secrets they’ve held onto.
Indigenous futurism isn’t just about race, though.
“A central component of settler co lonialism has been has been the forced imposition of this hetero patriarchy on our communities, and part of enforc ing that patriarchy means that Native women have been the targets of vio lence, and queer, two spirited, non-gender-conforming Native peoples are the target of violence as well – anything that defies or challenges hetero-patri archal norms,” said Kimberly Robertson, a women’s, gender, and sexuality studies professor from California State University, who will be a guest at the convention.
“I think particularly for indige Courtesy photo » » Actor Tahmoh Penikett, of Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural, and Altered Carbon, will be attending this year’s Indigipop X festival.
Courtesy of Native Realities » » Actor Jonathan Joss, of Parks & Rec and King of the Hill, will be attending this year’s Indigipop X convention alongside a number of other indigenous celebrities.
nous women and queer, non-binary, two-spirited indigenous folks, this is a very important space for us to re-em power and to sort of rewrite these narratives that erase us and exclude us. ... I think certainly when we’re imagining an indigenous future, we are imagining a future that outside of the hetero patriarchy,” Robertson said.
Not all the futuristic hypotheticals at Indigipop X are of a serious nature ... at least at surface level. One of the most popular discussions every year since the first Indigenous Comic Con has been “Surviving the Zombie Apoc alypse,” led by Johnnie Jae, founder of A Tribe Called Geek, a website and podcast dedicated to acknowledging and advancing the visibility of indige nous contributions to pop culture and STEM fields.
“It kind of serves as a two for one special,” Jae says. “It allows us to talk about indigenous survival and resilien cy through a medium that people are very familiar with, which is a zombie apocalypse. They see people’s entire lives being destroyed and then what they have to do to survive and come back from that, and the struggles that it presents. ... I also use it as a way to as a metaphor for mental health advocacy because in a lot of Native communi ties, they don’t want you to say words like suicide or depression or mention these things because they believe by speaking it, you speak it into existence. And so it’s kind of a way for me to talk about survival, mental health advocacy and communication.”
The Year of Baby Yoda
Unless you’ve somehow avoided the internet entirely since mid-November, you’re likely aware how much of a sen sation The Child, colloquially referred to as Baby Yoda, has become. The char acter from Star Wars TV show The Mandalorian has invaded social media, showing up in countless memes.
The Mandalorian, with its West ern-like storytelling and thoughtful portrayal of indigenous groups within the Star Wars universe, has been a hit among real-life indigenous peoples. But a number of Native American fans see their cultures reflected in the diminutive Force-user.
Robertson, a women’s, gender, and sexuality studies professor from Cali fornia State University will be co-hosting (with Jenell Navarro) a couple workshops titled “For the Love of Baby Yoda: Native Bead Artists Making Kin with The Child,” in which participants will have the chance to create bead work representations of the it. She is also putting together a zine collecting some of the ways in which indigenous artists and communities have em braced Baby Yoda.
“There’s already a longer history of Native folks sort of thinking through Star Wars as a place where we can ex press indigeneity. ... at the very basic level, I mean, it’s a story about resist ing imperialism and colonialism,” she said. “In The Mandalorian, Baby Yoda is being hunted by multiple bounty
Courtesy of Native Realities » » The Indigipop X festival, which grew out of the Indigenous Comic Cons, takes place March 25 to 29. The new version of the festival builds upon the previous conventions, add ing fashion, music, food, and other topics.
hunters that are trying to capture him, kidnap him, exploit his knowledge, et cetera – and this is a very familiar story to Native people. Our children are very central to indigenous com munities, but they have been targeted under colonialism, whether it was the boarding school era or whether it was the forced adoptions and the forced removal of indigenous children from their homes. ... We have a long history of children being targeted and forcibly removed from Native cultures in an ef fort to aid in the erasure and the genocide of native peoples.”
Jae will also be conducting a panel called “The Good, The Bad, and the Baby Yoda: Indigenous Representation within the Star Wars Universe,” adds that The Child’s plight mirrors current events.
“Even now in modern times, we’re still having to fight for the Indian Child Welfare Act, which is there to protect our children from being taken from our community,” she said. “So there’s a lot of parts of his story that really resonate.”
Who can go?
One thing about Indigipop X and its predecessors that Lee Francis wants to note is that the convention is for ev eryone.
“A lot of people get this misconcep tion that – because everybody’s really woke these days – whenever ‘indige nous’ comes in the front, everyone’s like, ‘Oh, I don’t think I’m allowed to attend,’” he said. “That’s not the point. The point is to showcase native and indigenous creatives, so everyone is welcome to come on down and see all the cool stuff that we’re doing.”
Indigipop X takes place from March 25 through March 29 at several venues in downtown Albuquerque. The first two days are the Indigenous Futurisms days, while the second three reprise the Indigenous Comic Cons of previous years. For more information and for tickets, visit indigipopx.com.
Papaya Punch is a dangerous, delicious indica strain (and we highly recommend it)
Well, you guys — I leveled up. This week I smoked some weed that caused me to write some of the most unintelligible notes I’ve ever seen. Stoner level complete, I guess.
I’m not kidding, by the way. These notes are an impressive mess of nonsense, but I clearly felt the need to jot them down as my mind delved into the cobwebbed spaces that are rarely accessed. What was the strain that made into a weird brainiac? Well, it’s called Papaya Punch, and it is a real beast.
And by that I mean it was really fun. Papaya Punch is an indica strain created by crossing Purple Punch F and Papaya F. The batch we smoked tested at 29.57% THC, which is an absurd amount for freaking flower. This stuff smells so good, but is so, so dangerous.
Well, only dangerous if you need to use your notes for a review, anyway. It’s hardly dangerous in the traditional sense. In fact, it’s a hell of a lot of fun, and the antics that led up to the nonsense notes are proof.
Here’s what happened. I picked up some of this Papaya Punch from Prohibition Herb, which currently has this strain on the floor for your smoking pleasure. I had planned on smoking it alone, but a friend of mine — you may recognize the name Blaze Ridcully from some of the reviews we’ve written — texted me in a mood beWhere to find Papaya Punch: Prohibition Herb, 1185 Camino del Rio, prohibitionherb.com Details
cause they were dumped (via text) and wanted to come visit. Being the friend that I am, I decided to wait until Blaze got into town to smoke this batch of weed. What better than to smoke out a friend who’d just gotten dumped? Weed heals everything, right?
Right. So, Blaze arrived at my house all ass hurt over the breakup and I whipped out the batch of Papaya Punch as a way to get them to stop whining. Blaze immediately stuck their nose in it, commented on how fruity it smelled, and then we lit up a bowl. One hit in we were both choking like crazy. Two hits in I was laughing like a hyena while coughing, and then laughing even harder as Blaze coughed up a lung, too.
This giggle weed then caused Blaze to start laughing, which was a lot nicer than hearing them whine about being dumped, to be honest. Thank the Papaya Punch gods for that! We spent what felt like an eternity laughing at nothing but the fact that we were coughing and then attempted to catch up.
As you may imagine, catching up went awry, because holy mother of god is this stuff strong. We were both high, high (yah both high) and were having a hard time conversing without taking 20 second pauses between words. Blaze attempted to tell me a story but nothing was coming
Continued on Page 18
Blue Dream: a bandaid for a crappy day This strain is a necessary item for your adult medicine cabinet
“You need to calm down.” If you hear that phrase often — and NOT because you’re friends with someone who won’t stop singing Taylor Swift songs (if you do have friends like that, well, RIP to your sanity) — then you’re probably in need of some Blue Dream, a strain we’re reviewing this week for the Green House Durango.
You may be familiar with Blue Dream, as it’s one of the most sought after strains around, and stoners whisper of it from the mountaintops due to its killer effects, which are known to chill people riiiiight the eff out after a bowl or two and lift up their spirits. This strain sits on the GOAT throne among a few of other West Coast marijuana legends for a number of reasons, not the least of which is related to the serene happiness it offers to those who imbibe on its blue nugs.
Given its popularity, you will not be surprised to hear that its hard as hell to find, but the Green House has it right now so you’re in luck.
We were also in luck, as we got to smoke it and bring this review to you, and let me tell you, it was not an underrated high. I picked up a gram of this thicc blue baby from the dispensary over the weekend, and I popped the lid off right away. Unsurprisingly, the nugs were blue-tinged (hence the name), chunky, and a bit frosty. It smelled like heaven, too, if heaven is made of slightly skunky blueberries (fingers crossed), so I was stoked to light this one up.
One bowl in and all of my troubles, of which there were many because I always wait until the last minute to write, melted away. I am not even kidding, y’all. I could seriously almost feel the self-prescribed drama from waiting til deadline to do my work slide off my body. My face relaxed, my body relaxed, and a smile was plastered across my face shortly after.
And because I have no chill, I lit up a second bowl just for fun. It only compounded on that zen feeling, and I was quickly at the point where I didn’t care about deadlines. My brain felt like it had lightened by a thousand tons. I zoned out, relaxed, and plopped myself in front of the TV to turn off even further. Where to find Blue Dream: The Green House, 730 S. Camino del Rio, thegreenhousecolorado.com/ Details
It was a good idea, not gonna lie, because that combination led me down a path to enlightenment. Well, not enlightenment, but refreshment, I guess. I’d been stressing the hell out about getting all of the things done that I’d put off, but Blue Dream let me turn my brain off enough that it recharged while I sat around and just let myself relax. Once I’d sobered up, I felt recharged and ready to write.
The nice part about it, though, was that while I didn’t feel like writing while I was stoned, I definitely could have. Blue Dream gave me a moderate high, one that felt functional, but I opted out of that part and let myself hang out and be lazy instead.
And that’s precisely what Blue Dream is ... for me, anyway. Every time I smoke this strain it leads to a really chill but functional high, one that lets me opt into working or opt out — my call. It’s a great strain to pull out when work is pissing you off (not that I’m advocating for working while stoned unless you sit in front of a computer and write, mind you) or life is just getting too heavy. Kinda like a band-aid for a shitty day. — DGO Pufnstuf
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out. I tried to be patient, but this weed made time go by so slowly that it felt like every word was dragged out to infinity and I stopped listening.
And that, my friends, is when my brain started to wander and I started to take notes. I knew I had to get the thoughts down quickly, because the high was seeping into my limbs and I knew it was only a matter of time before I couldn’t use them anymore. So, as Blaze draaaaagggggged out each word, I wrote. I just knew what I had to say was so important — so deep — that it had to be jotted down.
Want to know what it was? OK, here goes. My notes say, verbatim:
“What if we all have meters that log our time limits on earth, like a battery. Some of us choose to live full throttle and achieve early. We end up wearing our battery down really young. Others live their lives in a small town and their battery lives can last longer but it’s glitchy.
Oh, and the people who end too early just slipped past quality control. Their battery life malfunctions and the factory sends a replacement with a do-over.”
What. In. The. Actual. Hell. I’m a little horrified, you guys. What in the actual shit was I talking about? But I guess Blaze should be equally horrified, because when I lifted my head from my notes to see what they were doing, I caught them shoving Mott’s Fruit Snacks in their mouth and muttering about how good they were. Again, I’ll take that over breakup whining any day.
So, if you’re looking for a strain that will kick your ass into next year and make you think your body has an invisible battery meter that clocks your time on earth, Papaya Punch is it. Or, if your friend won’t stop whining about heartache and whatever, you may also want to invest in this strain. It’s a baddie, this one, and it turned a night that could have been depressing into one weird, trippy ride.
— DGO Pufnstuf
speans experimented with growing their own seaweed (at 4,400 feet in elevation) and developed a flour and cornstarch substitute for poi.
A few years in, though, Iosepa started to get hit by one calamity after another. The town had deaths from diptheria, pneumonia, and smallpox, and in 1896, several residents con tracted leprosy (a house was built on the edge of town to isolate the lepers). After several crop failures, many of the men began working at nearby mines to make a living – but the town grew nevertheless. By 1915, it had a population of 228 and had welcomed Maori, Portuguese, Samoan, Scottish, and English immigrants. The goal for most of them continued to be to eke out a living somewhere relatively close to center of the LDS Church.
In 1915, though, Smith – by then the president of the church – announced that a temple was to be constructed in La’ie, Hawaii. The church asked the denizens of Iosepa to remain where they were, but also offered to pay for passage back to Hawaii for anyone who needed it. Most of the residents took the church up on the offer and returned from whence they came. By 1917, the town was empty.
Today, only the foundations of the houses, the cemetery, and the fire hydrants of Iosepa remain. On Memo rial Day weekend, however, hundreds of Polynesians, including some de scendants of the Iosepans, gather at the site for an elaborate luau. Visitors are welcome and camping is encour aged. The governing body of the LDS Church has dedicated a monument of a Polynesian warrior at the cemetery and added a pavilion and restrooms for the yearly festival. The ghost town is located on Utah State Route 196, wets of Salt Lake City on Interstate 80.
— Nick Gonzales
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‘The Lodge’ starts off great but doesn’t amount to much » First half of film feels a bit ‘Hereditary’
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When the trailer for Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala’s “The Lodge” first dropped last year, my main takeaway was how spot on the casting of Riley Keough and Alicia Silverstone was. The two actresses could easily pass for relatives in a film – which is what I was hoping for in this feature.
While this turned out to not be the case with the new horror movie “The Lodge,” the casting of these two was definitely intentional and still fitting for the story. Neon Films has been somewhat gaining traction as a possible rival to A24’s own stellar rep for releasing quality independent films, and here we see the former almost challenge the latter.
The beginning of “The Lodge” feels like a knockoff of Ari Aster’s “Hereditary,” which was one of the best horror films of the past de cade. There’s a traumatic death in the family, visual metaphors using a miniature dollhouse, a main character’s past association with a cult, and of course, an eerie and ominous music score. But by the mid-point, it starts to feel like its own thing.
Keough’s Grace is a lone survivor of a no torious religious cult from her childhood and becomes involved with recently divorced fam ily man named Richard (Richard Armitage). His kids, Aiden (Jaeden Martell) and Mia (Lia McHugh) resent Grace for not being their mother, Laura (Silverstone). When Grace, Aiden, and Mia are stuck in the family’s lodge for an extended weekend, things begin to get strange and surreal.
Ironically, the most interesting moments of “The Lodge” are in the first half, when it’s toggling between inspiration and plagiarism of “Hereditary.” I think Franz & Fiala could have had a lot of potential here, especially with their previous horror film, “Goodnight Mommy,” being a hit with critics. Unfortu nately, what should be an effective slow burn in “The Lodge” runs out of steam by the third act. There’s a plot twist that is revealed like an afterthought with hardly any effect, and by the end, the characters aren’t likable enough for us to care about the outcome.
The cast, especially Keough and Martell, are impressive throughout the feature, and the atmosphere is creepy, though a bit redundant. But plot-wise, there are better films already out there with similar themes you can already enjoy.
— Megan Bianco
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Ballantine Communications, Inc. is hiring! Reporter (Durango, CO) - The Durango Herald, Southwest Colorado’s awardwinning newspaper, is hiring a reporter to cover some of the Southwest’s biggest issues: immigration, health care, energy, water and land use, and education. Required: Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Communications, or similar degree and 4+ years proven experience as a reporter. To apply, go to: https://ballantinecommunicationsinc.com/ careers
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Work at Wendy’s where you can get a portion of your pay the day after working. We offer flexible schedules, free meals, and many benefits, including college scholarships and partnerships and insurance benefits. Apply today by Texting WCS to 242424 or apply online at nowhiring. com/WCS Outside Digital Sales Representative: BCI is hiring! The likely candidate will have a solid understanding of all our digital-marketing products or services offered by the company and how these services meet the client’s needs. Responsibilities will be focused on outside sales approximately 90% of the time. If you are self-driven, able to work independently, and have proven ability to sell digital media products and services—we’re looking for someone like you to join the BCI team! Required: Bachelor’s degree in Business or related field, and 3+ years proven ability in digital sales. Apply at: https:// ballantinecommunicationsinc. com/careers New Year Special! 8x12 starting at $1850 • 10x12 starting at $2400. All sheds built on site to fit your needs!! No tax or delivery fee. 970-317-4999 ironwoodoutbuildings.com Hurry and beat the snow!
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There is space in our culture for sexual downtime We just have to acknowledge and accept it
How can someone be a sexual being without engaging in sex? In my recent work to debunk myths about heterosexual, cisgender men and their relationship to sex, one of the larger perpetuated myths is that men are “always” sex ready and here’s a pill if that’s not working. My response was nope. Nope. Nope! A man’s worth is not defined by their sexual prowess and there should be space in our culture for sexual downtime.
This led me to asexuality and celibacy. An exploration of living with limited sexual activity or without any sexual activity at all. Yes, both of these concepts are victim to negative views and derision. This, of course, is the space I like to spend time in because shining a light with knowledge is the best tool to combat negativity!
Much of our culture is driven by sex. Sexy images. Penetrative sex. Phallic dominance. Be beautiful to have sex with other beautiful people. Take a pill to stay sexually active — this only applies to penis owners, I’m afraid. It is easy to see where the derision for a person identifying as asexual or choosing to be celibate is fostered.
Sexual desire is not a static state of being and for many folks it ebbs and flows throughout their lives. Some folks engage in a robust sexual life for years but before that they were celibate. Some folks identify as asexual after years of being in a sexual relationship. The point here is that there is no right or wrong way to be a sexual being and you alone know what works best for you.
Time for definitions
Asexuality is never, occasionally, or only with a specific person engaging in sexual behaviors. Asexuality is a continuum of behaviors much like other sexualities and the individual gets to determine where they land on that continuum. We are seeing more acceptance for asexuality because current generations don’t really give a fuck about other people’s sex lives. Celibacy is a conscious choice that a person makes to not engage in sexual activity in any way. Very often celibacy is rooted in a religious choice, however, there are many people who choose celibacy for non-religious reasons. Celibacy can be any length of time, decided by the individual and the choice to re-engage in sexual behavior may occur at any point during the committed time of celibacy. • Survivor of abuse and/or rape The purpose of this list is to create understanding of what may be any number of reasons why a person identifies one way or another. This doesn’t mean this list is complete or comprehensive and it is a place to start for awareness. It is much harder to judge someone’s identity or choice for celibacy when you learn they might have a reason. Reminder: Folks who identify as asexual or who folks who choose to be celibate DO NOT need a reason or excuse.
It is not as if asexuality is brand new because millennials believe in it. We just had different names for it: Prude. Frigid. Goody-goody. Old maid. Prig. Spinster. Recluse. Impotent. (Please recognize that these names are derogatory and include a gender bias towards women again excluding men and certainly not inclusive of non-binary folks. Yes, I would like derogatory terms to be gender neutral.)
And celibacy, we know, has been practiced within religious communities for centuries with a much more positive outlook and supportive environment. It is only recently when non-religious persons choose celibacy that we see a mocking or disrespect for the practice. There is so much emphasis placed on being a sexual being with so few safe spaces to talk about sex that it is not surprising people self-label and huddle together in their sameness. I’m not advocating that you stand on a street corner with a sign around your neck declaring your sexual preferences. Instead I want us to stop judging other people. When someone says that they are asexual and romantically attracted to trans womxn or they are practicing celibacy for the next year, the only respectful answer is
Gentle07/Pixabay
- “Thank you for sharing with me.” If you don’t have any clue what they are talking about, LEARN. Do your own research. Read some books. Find resources (I’m waving my hand in the air and shouting, “I’m a resource!”) and get answers to your questions. Learning is a beautiful gift to give yourself. So often we put the onus on groups that we are not a part of, to teach us. This is lazy and rude.
What happens to the body if it is not engaging in sexual behaviors? Well, I can tell you that the genitals do not atrophied and the body doesn’t become broken or unable to achieve orgasm. So the saying, “If you don’t use it, you lose it,” is bullshit.
There does not need to be a reason or excuse for someone’s asexuality or choice to be celibate, and there are reasons why someone may change how they identify or make a choice to be celibate: • Illness • Loss of a loved one • You learn about asexuality and it clicks for you
• Financial stress • Depression • Because you want to • Physical trauma • You learn about celibacy and it is something you want to try • Safety • Emotional trauma • Homelessness • Self-exploration Making a change
How do you tell current lovers that you are asexual or wanting to be celibate? Be honest and come prepared to answer questions. In this instance you are changing a current sexual state that directly affects your lovers and it is appropriate for you to be able to clarify with them what asexuality is or your choice for celibacy. This does not have to be the end of relationships. All people involved will have to communicate regularly about their needs and how they will be met. Asexuality does not mean that someone is no longer romantically attracted or connected to others. Also, asexuality is a continuum and for some, asexuality isn’t the complete cessation of sexual behavior. In that same vein, celibacy may be chosen for any amount of time, thirty days to thirty years. It is these nuances that lovers work out through communication.
I do encourage folks to keep in mind that sexual and romantic relationships do not have to live in a narrow box dictated by a cultural norm -- two people in a monogamous relationship until they die. Instead relationships can be anything we can imagine and more. It takes consent, acceptance, respect, communication, honesty, and continued work to foster a relationship outside the cultural norm. Don’t miss my free workshop, Consent: A tool for pleasure, on Tuesday, April 7th at the Durango Public Library from 6:30-8pm.
Erin Brandt (she/her/hers) has been a sexologist for 15 years. When she’s not spreading sexual knowledge, Erin can be found learning from her child, hiking with her partner, cuddling with her pitbull, knitting with her cat, dancing with friends, and searching for the nearest hammock and ocean breeze. Want more? Visit www.positivesexed.com
Horoscope
ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Try to take everything in stride these next couple of weeks, because it’s easy to become obsessed about something. Guard against compulsive behavior. (You know who you are.)
TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Something going on behind the scenes will really grip you during this time. Because of this, you are truly distracted and cannot focus on what is really important. Relax.
GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) These next two weeks you are focused on a friend or a member of a group. You might suddenly develop a crush on this person or feel obsessed with them for some reason.
CANCER (June 21 to July 22) You have a choice. You can use your influence or the influence of someone close to
you to help others. Or you can use this same influence to manipulate someone. Take the high road.
LEO (July 23 to Aug. 22) Avoid heated arguments about politics and religion during this time because they will get out of hand. Logic will be out the window. Intense passion will rule everything.
VIRGO (Aug. 23 to Sept. 22) You might be jealous about the wealth of someone else because they have something that you covet. This is a waste of an emotion because, let’s face it, there’s no end to better.
LIBRA (Sept. 23 to Oct. 22) Relations are passionate these next couple of weeks, no question. Not only are personal relationships intense, you also might attract someone to you who is very passionate.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23 to Nov. 21) An encounter with a work colleague is intense during this time. In fact, a work-related romance might develop. Alternatively, you might see a way to improve your health.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 to Dec. 21) Romance is passionate and intense these next few weeks. You might develop a crush on someone — even a stranger. Sports events also will stir up strong feelings! CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 to Jan. 19) You have very definite ideas about improvements that you want to make at home. If others are wise, they will let you have your way.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 to Feb. 18) You will express yourself very clearly at this point because you know what you
Bizarro From Page 11 become comfortable with the way it is. I think our society puts people in a box ... but being comfortable in your own body is a huge way to get past that.”
Speaking of comfort, Peachy peaks doesn’t limit herself to certain seasons – many of her photos feature her baring it all on snowy landscapes in the dead of winter. To a certain extent, this is part of her learning to be comfortable out side. She’s read “What Doesn’t Kill Us” by Scott Carney, in which a journal ist uses Dutch athlete Wim Hof’s methods for enduring extreme cold to test the endurance of his body, and keeps up on developments in the science of resisting cold. But a lot of those chilly cheek-show ing shots are just being momentarily silly. She mostly saves the extended nudity for the summer.
For anyone who is interested in exper imenting with nude mountaineering, she recommends first learning how to be a good and safe person outdoors – being re spectful of nature and knowing what the Ten Essentials are.
As for the nudity: “It’s pretty simple,” she said. “ You just kind of take your clothes off.”
There’s also a degree of social aware ness that a nude mountaineer must master, though, and Peachypeaks suggests perhaps heading to a few naturist places to do so, where there are boundaries and norms to follow when it comes to being naked, but where one also has the option of keeping their clothes on. One of her fa vorite places to disrobe is Valley View Hot Springs, near Moffat. She is partial to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, though she said her favorite range is the San Juans.
Peachypeaks’ current goals include ice climbing in Ouray and completing all of Colorado’s fourteeners. After doing 48, she only has 10 left (two in the San Juans – she’s saving Uncompahgre Peak for last). So far her favorite has been Pyramid Peak, near Aspen, and the picturesque Maroon Bells.
— Nick Gonzales want and you intend to get it. Furthermore, you’re ready to ask for it.
PISCES (Feb. 19 to March 20) If shopping these next couple of weeks, you might feel compelled to buy something. “I have to have it!” This is not the best frame of mind to buy anything. Be smart and save your receipts and the box.
BORN DURING THESE TWO WEEKS You are sensitive to the feelings of those around you and very sympathetic. Because this is a year of teaching and learning, you will learn something that sets you in a new direction, which could be crucial to your success next year. Why not explore meditation, yoga or any discipline that will help you get a better understanding of who you are? Explore something new.
(c) 2019 King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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