Judith Levine
Encyclopedia
Judith Levine is an American author
, journalist, civil libertarian and co-founder of the National Writers Union
, a trade union
of contract
and freelance writers, and No More Nice Girls
, a group dedicated to promoting abortion rights through street theater. She is a board member of the National Center for Reason and Justice
and the Vermont
chapter of the ACLU.
Levine has written on sex, gender, aging, consumerism, and culture for dozens of national magazines and newspapers, including Harper's, The New York Times
, Vogue
, AARP: The Magazine, and salon.com
. Her column "Poli Psy" in the Vermont weekly Seven Days
was named Best Political Column in 2006 by the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies
. She also has written columns for New York Woman
and oxygen.com.
Levine is best known for her 2002 book Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children From Sex
, in which she suggests liberalization of age-of-consent laws in the United States and the conception of minors as sexual
beings, which Levine argues is extant in Western Europe
. Levine argues for weakening most United States laws governing possession of child pornography
, the access of abortion
s to minors, and conduct classified as statutory rape
. Conservative
commentators have heavily criticized her work; its publication by the University of Minnesota Press
caused controversy in the Minnesota state legislature
. The book was also widely praised by advocates of liberalization and educators. It won the 2002 Los Angeles Times Book Prize and was named by SIECUS, the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States
, as one of history's most influential books about sexuality.
Levine is also the author of My Enemy, My Love: Women, Men, and the Dilemmas of Gender, in which she analyzes traditional gender role
s and the relationship between misogyny
and feminism
; Do You Remember Me?: A Father, A Daughter, and a Search for the Self, a memoir of her father's affliction with Alzheimer's disease
and a critique of the medicalization of aging; and Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping, a witty journal in which she examines consumerism
and anti-consumerist
movements. Not Buying It has been translated into five languages.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, journalist, civil libertarian and co-founder of the National Writers Union
National Writers Union
National Writers Union , founded on November 19, 1981, is the trade union in the United States for freelance and contract writers: journalists, book and short fiction authors, business and technical writers, web content providers, and poets...
, a trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
of contract
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
and freelance writers, and No More Nice Girls
No more nice girls
No More Nice Girls is the third studio album from Hang on the Box. It was released on September 27, 2007 in China.-Track listing:- Personnel :*Wang Yue – Vocals*Yang Fan – Guitar*Yilina – Bass*Shen Jing – Drums-References:**...
, a group dedicated to promoting abortion rights through street theater. She is a board member of the National Center for Reason and Justice
National Center for Reason and Justice
The National Center for Reason and Justice is a United States national non-profit organization disseminating information to the public about claims of injustice in the current criminal justice system and facilitating financial and legal assistance for people the organization considers likely to...
and the Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
chapter of the ACLU.
Levine has written on sex, gender, aging, consumerism, and culture for dozens of national magazines and newspapers, including Harper's, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
, AARP: The Magazine, and salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
. Her column "Poli Psy" in the Vermont weekly Seven Days
Seven Days
Seven Days is a science fiction television series based on the premise of time travel. It was produced by UPN from 1998 to 2001.The television channel Sleuth started syndicating all of the episodes as of August 2, 2009....
was named Best Political Column in 2006 by the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies
Association of Alternative Newsweeklies
The Association of Alternative Newsmedia is a diverse group of covering every major metropolitan area and other less-populated regions of North America. AAN members have a combined weekly circulation of over 6.5 million as well as a print readership of nearly 17 million active, educated and...
. She also has written columns for New York Woman
New York Woman
New York Woman was a magazine that blended features on fashion and the arts, literary and humorous essays, and consumer-oriented services pieces such as reviews of restaurants, shops, or films. Its target audience was intelligent women living in the New York Metropolitan area. It was launched as a...
and oxygen.com.
Levine is best known for her 2002 book Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children From Sex
Harmful to Minors
Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children From Sex is a 2002 book by Judith Levine...
, in which she suggests liberalization of age-of-consent laws in the United States and the conception of minors as sexual
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
beings, which Levine argues is extant in Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
. Levine argues for weakening most United States laws governing possession of child pornography
Child pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
, the access of abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
s to minors, and conduct classified as statutory rape
Statutory rape
The phrase statutory rape is a term used in some legal jurisdictions to describe sexual activities where one participant is below the age required to legally consent to the behavior...
. Conservative
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
commentators have heavily criticized her work; its publication by the University of Minnesota Press
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
caused controversy in the Minnesota state legislature
Minnesota Legislature
The Minnesota Legislature is the legislative branch of government in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is a bicameral legislature located at the Minnesota Capitol in Saint Paul and it consists of two houses: the lower Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate...
. The book was also widely praised by advocates of liberalization and educators. It won the 2002 Los Angeles Times Book Prize and was named by SIECUS, the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States
Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States
The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States is a lobbying organization and advocacy group dedicated to sex and sexuality education, sexual health, and sexual rights...
, as one of history's most influential books about sexuality.
Levine is also the author of My Enemy, My Love: Women, Men, and the Dilemmas of Gender, in which she analyzes traditional gender role
Gender role
Gender roles refer to the set of social and behavioral norms that are considered to be socially appropriate for individuals of a specific sex in the context of a specific culture, which differ widely between cultures and over time...
s and the relationship between misogyny
Misogyny
Misogyny is the hatred or dislike of women or girls. Philogyny, meaning fondness, love or admiration towards women, is the antonym of misogyny. The term misandry is the term for men that is parallel to misogyny...
and feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
; Do You Remember Me?: A Father, A Daughter, and a Search for the Self, a memoir of her father's affliction with Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
and a critique of the medicalization of aging; and Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping, a witty journal in which she examines consumerism
Consumerism
Consumerism is a social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts. The term is often associated with criticisms of consumption starting with Thorstein Veblen...
and anti-consumerist
Anti-consumerism
Anti-consumerism refers to the socio-political movement against the equating of personal happiness with consumption and the purchase of material possessions...
movements. Not Buying It has been translated into five languages.
External links
- JudithLevine.com, Official site
- Radio interviews by Doug HenwoodDoug HenwoodDoug Henwood is an American journalist who writes frequently about economic affairs. He publishes a newsletter, Left Business Observer, that analyzes economics and politics from a left-wing perspective, and is a contributing editor at The Nation.- Early years :Henwood was born in Teaneck, New...
(links to MP3MP3MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
and streaming audio files):- On Not Buying It, March 23, 2006.
- On Do You Remember Me?, July 22, 2004.
- On Harmful to Minors, May 30, 2002.