Betty Dodson with Carlin Ross

Better Orgasms. Better World.

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Times they are a changing.  This week BBC executives decided that the word – most abhorrent to women – ie CUNT has lost much of its "shock value" and is tolerable for radio and television.

An executive who cleared it for daytime transmission on flagship Radio 4 even said it would "delight" many of its audience, who would "love it". And before you get your panties in a bunch said executive is a woman.

Of course, they're facing a decency challenge but it reminds me of Betty's "cunt" moment at NOW's Sexuality Conference in 1973.

Betty was showing her famous vulva slideshow. Here's an excerpt from her essay "The Split Beaver Slideshow for Feminists:

"For the big meeting on Sunday afternoon, I came up with a marvelously intellectual title for my slideshow: "Creating a Female Genital Aesthetic." Standing stage left, I began talking about the importance of women getting to know and like their genitals while projecting six‑foot images of feminist clits center stage. At first a hush came over the audience of over a thousand women. But when I used the term "Classical Cunt," I heard a tittering of laughter, followed by a loud hissing noise coming from the left side of the auditorium. When I showed the "Baroque cunt" a large woman stood up with her hands on her hips and bellowed, "We object to your using THAT WORD! We've heard enough of that kind of talk from men."

"Here we go again," I thought, remembering Pauline's complaint about lesbian hecklers. Looking directly at my critic, I said in my firmest dyke voice, "I'm sorry the word offends you but saying it happens to turn me on so I intend to keep using it." Amidst a rippling of dissent among her friends, she sat back down as I projected the next slide: The "Art Deco Cunt."

After a hundred visual and verbal cunts, there was a long, enthusiastic standing ovation, including the lesbian contingent. The slides were a roaring success! Standing on the stage, I trembled with excitement, hearing the women clapping, shouting, and whistling. Wave after wave of joy washed over me as I had an emotional orgasm with the entire audience. At the time, I thought the Women s movement was well on its way to becoming "cunt positive." Sadly I would be proven dead wrong."

Feminists may be lagging behind but maybe the culture is becoming "cunt positive". If we can find the humor and delight in a word that used to anger most of us, maybe we're almost there.  Personally, I love the word "cunt"....especially in the bedroom.