Annie Sprinkle, Ecosexuality and Sexecology

Ecosexuality is a loose cultural and activist idea that treats the natural world as a partner to be cherished and even desired, not only a resource to be used. People who take up the label express it through art, protest, ceremony or personal philosophy. Annie Sprinkle, an American performer, artist and sexologist, is one of its best-known voices.

A university lecture in Toronto, announced under the title Ecosexy, gives a compact view of how the subject was presented to a public audience. The announcement is the source for what follows.

The speaker

Sprinkle started in sex work and adult film, then moved toward performance art, photography, workshops and teaching. She was part of the sex-positive feminist movement that took shape in the 1980s, and she has long spoken for sex workers' rights and access to health care. She later earned a doctorate in human sexuality. Her theatre pieces and visual art have toured internationally, and her work is studied in university courses.

The announcement noted several earlier Toronto visits, among them a stage performance at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre.

What sexecology covers

The lecture was a slide presentation about sexecology, a coined word for the overlap between sexology and ecology. Listed topics included erotic environmentalism, so-called green porn and nature-related fetishes, all presented in a light-hearted way for a university audience.

The key rhetorical move was a swap of metaphors, from Earth as mother to Earth as lover. Supporters of this framing argue that affection and pleasure can motivate care for the environment in ways guilt and fear do not.

Reactions to the idea

Responses to ecosexual ideas vary widely. Admirers regard them as humorous, inclusive attempts to broaden the environmental movement and make it more fun and diverse. Sceptics see publicity stunts, or doubt that attraction to landscape can sensibly be compared with a sexual orientation. Scholars of performance and queer ecology have treated the movement as an example of art activism that uses provocation to start conversation.

Format of the event

The talk took place in an afternoon slot in a university lecture room. Admission was free and the public was welcome. It is described here as a past event, and the announcement is used only to illustrate the topic.