Episode 5: Apryl Williams on Race & Internet Dating and Moriah Ella Mason on Gender & Intimacy in Stripping
Nov 24, 2017
In Episode 5, we interview Apryl Williams (@AprylW) and Moriah Ella Mason (moriahellamason.com).
We also talk about sex workers being stopped at international borders, and issues of sexual harassment in VR.
We start by discussing Jessie’s recent Cyborgology (@cyborgology) post about sex work, social media, and border crossing. We then go on to talk about issues of sexual assault in VR, with attention to Tom Woodley’s Future of Sex (@Futureofsex) article.
Next we interview Apryl Williams, a sociology professor who focuses on race, media, and culture. She talks to us about race and internet dating. Specifically, she talks about the way in which the algorithmic matching on sites like Tinder and OKCupid demonstrate implicit racial bias, and how this bias impacts the romantic lives of people of color.
She also tells us about a new research project she is starting to collect dating stories of online dating from women of color, a project she will call "Alt Right, Swipe Left."
Finally, we chat Moriah Ella Mason. Ella is a queer polyamorous Jew, a survivor, a former sex worker, and an interdisciplinary artist, bodyworker, and educator. We talk to her about her one woman show, Sex Werque, where she explores how we perform eroticism and consume intimacy, both in the club and at home. We also discuss gender construction, performance, art, and more.
