Woodhull Freedom Foundation, also known as Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance, is an American non-profit organization founded in 2003 that advocates for sexual freedom as a fundamental human right. The organization is based in Washington, D.C., United States. Named after an influential member of the American woman's

suffrage Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in representative democracy, public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally i ...

movement, Victoria Woodhull, its focus includes analyzing groups and individuals that seek to perpetuate a culture of sexual repression. Sexual Freedom Day, officially recognized in 2011 in Washington, DC, and held every September 23, celebrates the birthday of Victoria Woodhull. The Woodhull Freedom Foundation (WFF) has held the Sexual Freedom Summit annually since 2010. Organization members have included LGBT activist Jeffrey Montgomery, former chairwoman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights Mary Frances Berry, writer Eric Rofes, lawyer

Lawrence G. Walters Lawrence G. Walters (born 11 November 1963) is an American First Amendment attorney and anti-censorship advocate. He is the head of the Walters Law Group, focusing on First Amendment and Internet law, and has served as an Adjunct Professor of ...

, and activist Dan Massey. In the furtherance of activities relating to its goals, the organization has allied itself with groups including the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance, the

Tully Center for Free Speech The Tully Center for Free Speech is a research institution dedicated to the study, protection, and promotion of free speech in the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. It also brings in ...

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, National Coalition Against Censorship, the Heartland Institute, National Association of Scholars,

American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression The American Booksellers Association (ABA) founded The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) in 1990. The ABFFE is a non-profit organization whose mission is to protect and promote free speech in the United States. ABFFE advi ...

Accuracy in Academia Accuracy in Academia (AIA) is an American organization that seeks to counter what it sees as liberal bias in education. Mission AIA describes itself as a nonprofit watchdog group and think tank that "want schools to return to their traditiona ...

, and the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. An academic paper in the '' Journal of Homosexuality'' characterized the organization as one "that addresses both international and national sexual freedom issues as well as a host of other health and human rights issues."

History

Foundation: 2003

The organization was founded in 2003 with the name Woodhull Freedom Foundation. It began with a focus on global and domestic human rights, specifically looking at sexual freedom. It is named for Victoria Woodhull (18381927), the first woman to own a company on

Wall Street Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...

and to run for President of the United States. Its focus includes examining the stakeholders that maintain a climate of sexual repression. The organization releases an annual report in September on "Sexual Freedom Day" called the "State of Sexual Freedom", which describes goals towards increasing sexual freedom. Woodhull's public relations representative Jeffrey Montgomery told the '' Washington Blade'' that their goals intersected with human rights: "Woodhull is the organization at the intersection of all sexual freedom issues because of the common core value of fundamental human rights. ... Without sexual freedom all personal freedoms are at risk." Woodhull tracks laws and regulations pertaining to sexual activity in the United States.

Early activities: 2004–2009

In 2004, Woodhull joined with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in devoting resources towards analyzing old regulations used to harass LGBT people. The purpose of the study was to analyze existing regulations in the United States with regards to sexual activity, and simultaneously to foster ties between those against sexual repression and LGBT organizations. In 2005, Woodhull again coordinated with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in order to organize an event known as "Red, White and Leather for Independence Day", in which over 30 leather bars in 17 cities took part. Writer Eric Rofes served on the board of Woodhull before passing away in 2006. In 2007, its Sexual Freedom Day was commemorated with a discussion group examining the idea of sexual freedom as a segment of human rights. Sexual Freedom Day took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the first event of its kind on October 6, 2007 and included "a fund raiser featuring the Peek-a-Boo Revue and DJ Johanna Constantine and DJ Roots and Groove." 2011 Vicki Sexual Freedom Award recipients

2011 Vicki Sexual Freedom Award recipients

In July 2008, when the American Family Foundation called for a McDonald's boycott after the fast food restaurant said it would join the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, Woodhull's executive director announced a "buycott" asking those interested in supporting the restaurant to purchase additional meals. Woodhull joined with the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups in 2009 on an amici curiae brief before the U.S. Supreme Court in the case, '' Federal Communications Commission v. Fox Television Stations''.alternate link
/ref> On November 29, 2009, the Cleveland Leather Awareness Weekend (CLAW) organized a leather dance reception in San Diego, California, so as to raise money for charitable purposes to assist the activities of Woodhull.

Recent work: 2010–present

The organization gave its 2010 Victoria Woodhull Sexual Freedom Award on September 23 of that year to Kushaba Moses Mworeko, an individual from Uganda who sought asylum in the United States due to his sexual orientation. Author Hardy Haberman was a board member of Woodhull in 2011. On November 17, 2011, Woodhull worked with the DC Trans Coalition, the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance, Gender Rights Maryland, Get Equal DC, Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive (HIPS), the Rainbow Response Coalition, and Transgender Health Empowerment to form a coalition sponsoring a "Transgender Day of Action" in Washington, D.C., that highlights examples of mistreatment of transgender people by law enforcement. The event served as a precursor to the Transgender Day of Remembrance which followed on November 20. In January 2012, the organization joined with other groups including the Tully Center for Free Speech at

, National Coalition Against Censorship, the Heartland Institute, National Association of Scholars, Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom, Feminists for Free Expression,

, and the American Council of Trustees and Alumni to send a letter asking the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights to use the precedent of the 1999 ''Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education'' case to apply a definition of

harassment Harassment covers a wide range of behaviors of offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behavior that demeans, humiliates or embarrasses a person, and it is characteristically identified by its unlikelihood in terms of social and moral ...

for academic institutions (so as not to harm

freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...

). In 2012, Buck Angel served on the organization's Board of Directors of the organization, and sexologist

Megan Andelloux Megan Andelloux is a certified sexologist and sexuality educator, accredited through The American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) and The American College of Sexologists (ACS). Career A former member of th ...

served as an advisory board member.

was the general counsel for Woodhull in 2012. On June 28, 2018, attorneys for Woodhull filed the first legal challenge to the unconstitutional SESTA/FOSTA legislation. According to Ricci Levy, President & CEO of Woodhull, "FOSTA chills sexual speech and harms sex workers. It makes it harder for people to take care of and protect themselves". In August 2019, Woodhull'
Sexual Freedom Summit celebrated
its 10th Anniversary.

Reception

An academic paper by Susan Wright in the '' Journal of Homosexuality'' about those who faced

discrimination Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, relig ...

due to

sadomasochism Sadomasochism ( ) is the giving and receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation. Practitioners of sadomasochism may seek sexual pleasure from their acts. While the terms sadist and masochist refer ...

(SM) described Woodhull as an organization "that addresses both international and national sexual freedom issues as well as a host of other health and human rights issues." Wright noted Woodhull dedicates its focus towards changing regulations and existing laws.

Vicki Sexual Freedom Awards

2022 * Shanna Katz Kattarri * Al Vernacchio 2020 * Cyndee Clay * Joan Price 2019 * Kate Kendell *

Nadine Smith Nadine Smith is an LGBT activist and has been the executive director of Equality Florida since its inception in 1997 and serves as a legislative lobbyist, living in Tallahassee during session. In 1986, Smith served on the founding board of th ...

2018 * Caroline Bettinger-López * Mia Mingus 2017 * Willie J. Parker, MD, MPH, MSc * Loretta J. Ross 2016 *

Kenyon Farrow Kenyon Farrow (born November 13, 1974) is an American writer, activist, director, and educator focused on progressive racial and economic justice issues related to the LGBTQ community. He served as the executive director of Queers for Economic ...

* Carol Leigh * Dr.Scout 2015 *

John D'Emilio John D'Emilio (born 1948) is a professor emeritus of history and of women's and gender studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He taught at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He earned his B.A. from Columbia College and Ph ...

* Diego Miguel Sanchez * Monica Raye Simpson 2014 * Carol Queen *

Cory Silverberg Cory Silverberg is a Canadian sex educator, author, public speaker, blogger and founding member of Come As You Are. Silverberg is Jewish, and grew up in a "middle class liberal Canadian home in the '70s." A certified sex educator and former ...

* Pam Spaulding 2013 * Nobel Peace Prize nominee Mandy Carter * Heather Corinna * Matt Foreman 2012 * Amber Hollibaugh * Jeffrey Montgomery * Dr. Esther Perel 2011 *

Ajamu Baraka Ajamu Sibeko Baraka ( ; born October 25, 1953) is an American political activist. In 2016, he was the Green Party nominee for Vice President of the United States on the ballot in 45 states and received 1,457,216 votes (1.07% of the popular vote). ...

* First Amendment attorney Robert (Bob) Corn-Revere * Carmen Vasquez 2010 * Deborah Taj * Bina Aspen * Martine Rothblatt * Kushaba "Moses" Mworenko * Susan Wright

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Freedom of speech, LGBT, Human sexuality, United States Sexuality in the United States Civil liberties in the United States Privacy organizations Human rights organizations based in the United States Charities based in Washington, D.C.