In the West African country of Gabon, men are being called on to go on a sex strike if a woman does not win the country's presidential election. Male opposition leader Samuel Ntoutoume Ndzeng believes that the country needs a female leader, so he's making the pretty progressive suggestion that the country's male population should "sleep with their clothes on" if a man wins.
Refusing sex has proved to be a useful method of non-violent resistance, although it's typically women who threaten to withhold sex as a powerful tool of persuasion. Most recently, women in Kenya organized a week-long sex strike in April 2009 aimed at infighting politicians, even promising to repay prostitutes for lost wages. (One Kenyan man was not so happy with this strike, suing the organizers for causing his wife to withhold sex from him.) All this political sex withholding echoes the Greek play Lysistrata, a comedy about one woman's crusade to end the Peloponnesian War by initiating a sex strike.
Is there a cause you would withhold sex for?
Church
See by Chloe
Finesse
I don't think a week without sex is going to do much. Why don't they try until they fix their situation. And I think that the wife of the politicians should be the one to do it because they won't care if other men are not having sex and they are.
1I agree that a week isn't a big deal. Hell, I do that when my boyfriend goes away for work, and no one's changing the world because of it. Call me when they take a real stand and maybe I'll listen.
2I just don't see how men refusing to have sex is goin to really do anything. Maybe I'm missing something.
3SEX
4If there is no bacon then there is no sex!
5I would do it if I knew it would accomplish something.
6I don't think me witholding sex from my husband is going to change politics so I wouldn't do it. He pretty much agrees with me politics wise and I know he would probably support the cause without having to withold sex.
I don't see how a sex strike done by men is going to accomplish anything unless the country's income is based on sex-related trades (prostitution, strip clubs, etc.) and I very highly doubt that is the case.
totygoliquez - my first thought to your comment about politician wives was that they probably aren't sleeping with just their wives anyways! Man - what a sour view I have of politicians!
7MEN on a sex strike, please dont make me laugh that's going to work
8I would never withhold sex, unless we're out of birth control.
9Lysistrata does not document a sex strike that helped end the Peloponnesian War, Tres - it was a comedy written towards the end of it meant to show how stupid the war was and is thought by some to actually be a stab at fighting for women's rights in ancient Greece (particularly Athens, considering it made women from Sparta look like idiots). The total destruction of the Athenian Navy and Athens' subsequent surrender in 405 BC is what ended the war.
That said, it would be so awesome if Lysistrata were true! I studied it in college, and it's got to be my favorite ancient play, partly because it is so no-holds-barred and delights in being raunchy. The Victorian era cleaned-up versions are totally hilarious if you've read the real thing; for instance, when in the Victorian version the women say "we will lounge in our well-manicured lawns", in the real one the women say they will lay around with trimmed pubic hair in see-through dresses to taunt their husbands during the sex strike! XD
I say if it works for them, why not? Witholding sex may be their way of pointing out to the infighting politicians that at least half the population is not amused with their idiocy, and that women are people too. I'm all for that!
10This is something that is awesome. Equality. LOL. Seriously, I belive that a worthy cause is anything to give up sex for: to end a war, equality, force the government to actually care about the country (going far I know), but still. Anything that can be a positive benefit.
11men on a sex strike
no way that will last. i give it until the strike was announced.
12Make love not war. Or in this case don't make love.........??? Its counterproductive. What will happen then? The population votes a woman into office to end sexual frustration? No comprendo.
13I've gone on a sex strike... for about 5 minutes til the bf got dressed & went out for condoms
it worked!
14Post New Comment
Please share your opinion with our community, but make sure it is on topic and follows our Community Rules. We moderate comments and prohibit personal attacks, threats, spam, lewd images, or the promotion of your personal website.