Betty Dodson with Carlin Ross

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Excerpt from Betty Dodson: My Sexual Revolution

In 1968, my primary relationship with Grant changed. There was no big scene, just a mutual agreement to have new primary lovers and remain sexual friends- a friendship that would span five decades. Grant's new lover, Nicole Rameau, was Swiss and the most gorgeous blonde he'd ever dated. He had his tall, willowy blonde, and I had the tallest, darkest, most handsome prince of all. Adam Kadir was black and beautiful, half Eastern Indian and African American. I carefully explained we would both have the freedom to enjoy sex with other people without jeopardizing our primary affair. Listening to my ideas about non possessive love and sex, he agreed to everything. I thought it was strange he didn't question anything, but what guy would turn down a deal like this? A relationship that included sexual variety was what all men wanted, right? Wrong! I was about to learn men wanted a monogamous woman while they had affairs.

After I read the article below by Anne Koedt in 1970, I was thrilled and made a cold call hoping to meet and discuss how we could collaborate. Although Anne was suspicious of me over the phone, once she was sure of my feminist credentials, she set up an appointment. During our visit, she explained that after receiving so much hate mail and a death threat as a result of her article, she was going to disappear. She had just begun a new relationship with a man she loved and didn't want to jeopardize their future with feminist politics. I picked up where she left off to carry the clitoral banner.  I'm thrilled to be republishing Anne's piece here:

Many people believe that setting aside one day a year to make a phone call or take Mom out to dinner is sufficient acknowledgement and thanks for a job well done, or done to the best of her ability. Although there is no work more important than raising a child, we still take motherhood for granted. However, women (and a few men) who are caring for infants or preschoolers know it's a 24/7 never ending job that's a labor of love. (The photo is the Dodson kids, Billy, Dickie, Rowan and Betty).

My mother always knew she wanted a big family while I never played with dolls and didn't want to have children. Instead, I was going to be an artist. Eventually I would realize "mothering" takes place on many levels including birthing creative projects. One of the most challenging creative efforts was my feminist commitment to help women discover their orgasmic potential by liberating masturbation.

My first memory of doing business with sex was age fourteen. The villain in the story was a friend of my parents named Clark Edwins- a man I intensely hated. For years he'd been dropping by our house at all hours unannounced with a bottle of bourbon and a dozen KC sirloin steaks. My parents were always glad to see him. They'd sit in the kitchen drinking, talking, smoking cigarettes and singing Barbershop Harmony late into the night. The pay off was when we'd all have steak for dinner the following evening.

On this particular day, my girlfriend Erlene came home with me after school to do homework together. As we walked into the kitchen there was my mom, Aunt Ester, Jane the next-door neighbor, and Clark. They were drinking and laughing- feeling no pain. Seizing the moment I asked Mother if we could have a drink too. She made us two Presbyterians: mostly ginger ale with a splash of bourbon and lots of ice. As we were sipping our grown-up drinks, Clark came over to fix himself another one and spied Erlene's little titties.