Increasingly, women are being told they need a medical boost to fully enjoy sex.
Leading researchers at the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria will explore issues raised by Orgasm Inc, the hit documentary by Liz Canner about the drive for profits and the medicalization of sex.
Event: Orgasm Inc. film screening and panel discussion
Date/Time: Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012, 7 p.m. -9 p.m.
Location: Royal Bank Cinema, Chan Centre, UBC
For a map and closest parking, visit http://maps.ubc.ca?130
EDITORS: The following participants are available for comment prior to the event. Please arrange media interviews with Cindy Masaro at 604.376.6723, cindy.masaro@gmail.com
Prof. Joy Johnson, UBC School of Nursing
Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Institute of Gender and Health
“The film Orgasm Inc. underscores the importance of ensuring that the identification of disorders and their corresponding treatments are based on the best research evidence and not simply motivated by profits.”
Asst. Prof. Lori Brotto, UBC Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
“Approximately 30 per cent of women experience sexual difficulties that are distressing. Despite the fact that there are no Health Canada-approved medications, physicians’ “off-label” prescribing practices are a huge problem given the unknown, long-term impact of these unregulated drugs.
“Some critics believe that pharmaceutical companies are behind this trend towards pushing viagra-like medications, by making women believe that they suffer from a medical disease known as ‘Female Sexual Dysfunction’.”
Asst. Prof. Thea Cacchioni, Women’s Studies, University of Victoria
[An expert witness for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on proposed drugs to treat “hypo-active sexual desire disorder” in women.]
“The search for the ‘pink Viagra’ is not the only way that science and medicine have intervened in sexuality. We have seen this with medical theorizing on sexual orientation and with the rising trend of vaginal cosmetic surgeries such as labiaplasty and vaginal “rejuvenation.”
View a trailer of Orgasm Inc. at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUY-iTf2T1A
To register for the event, visit: http://bit.ly/xU2ckA