growingpains
ex industry companies and professionals have been hitting the political messages hard this year (see our piece on the “Get Your Booty to the Poll” movement”), merging together their beliefs with their bodies.
Who says politics can’t be sexy?
Enter Interdisciplinary Oakland artist and activist, Favianna Rodriguez, porn star and sex work advocate Lotus Lain, and the prowess of Gordon B Productions; they partnered to bring audiences the story of a young, multiracial couple who are energized to get out the vote— “Putting the ‘O’ in Voting.”
And while we sit in the hot, decidedly unsexy stew of waiting for election results, it feels good to engage in something a little more... hands on.
Similar to Get Your Booty to the Poll, “Putting the ‘O’ in Vote” was created for the purpose of helping to mobilize voters of color to make their voices heard in this year’s historical election.
The short film was deliberate in being diverse and inclusive, from the selection of the performers to the soundtrack by the East LA band, Las Cafeteras.
The piece features Marina Maree and Scotty P, two young adult actors or color who are active in social and political causes.
“I was really excited to feature Marina, a Latina, because I know that the Latinx vote is so critical in this election,” said Executive Producer Favianna Rodriguez. “And I know that there’s still a lot of machismo culture that makes it challenging to talk about sex in a positive light. My goal was to produce a story that would disrupt the status quo in multiple ways.”
Director Gordon B was thrilled to collaborate with a nearly all women of color team on the project. “Adult film to get out the vote? Of course,” he said. “We bring our whole selves into the voting booth, including the parts that orgasm. There are critical sexual health issues at stake with this election. Being politically engaged could and should be a lot more like great sex, there should be respect and honest communication, we should be free to be ourselves, and it should feel fantastic.”
Producer, writer and activist, Lotus Lain shares:
“It's been an honor being a part of this truly unique form of voter engagement through sexual art! I co-wrote this as an ode to what I personally find sexy in a civicly engaged man, while also adding a reference to my own personal heritage in casting Latina actress, Marina Maree, who is Mexican, and pro-dancer, Scotty P, who is Black. Voting is near and dear to my heart as I always keep in mind what our predecessors went through to get us this right. Shout outs to the ancestors!”
Here at PULP, we’re alllllll about the movements that help to integrate our sexual selves into our holistic identities, and that includes civic duty! It’s been a long. Week. Go ahead and reward yourself with a bit of sexy, politically-responsible self pleasure. You deserve it!
