Insert Sexy Title Here: Moving Toward a Sex-Positive Criminology

Abstract

Literature on sexuality in criminological contexts exists, yet much of it is sex-negative, employs a “deviance frame,” and regards many sex acts as dangerous or destructive. Although research that could be considered sex-positive has been undertaken, an explicitly sex-positive theoretical and practical framework for feminist criminology has not yet been advanced. In this article, we propose “thick desire” as a way to envision an intersectional sex-positive feminist criminology that aligns with the principles of a positive sexuality approach to research and praxis. We explore the issue of criminalization of teen sexting to begin to integrate these principles.