3.5 DESIRE FOR THE FUTURE Radical Hope in Passion and Pleasure Amber Hollibaugh Amber Hollibaugh acknowledges the dangers that sexuality has often posedfor women, but argues that we should give equal attention to pleasure. More controversially she suggests that there is a need to develop a feminist language of sexual pleasure that recognises that power in sex can be a source ofpleasure. Each of us wears it differently depending on our race, class, sexual preference and community, but from birth we have all been taught our lessons well. Sexuality is dangerous. It is frightening, unexplored, and threatening. The ways that women enter a discussion of sexuality are different from each other. The histories and experiences are different; the ways we express those differences (and define them politically) are extremely varied. Many of us became feminists because of our feelings about sex: because we were dykes or we weren't; because we wanted to do it or we didn't; because we were afraid we liked sex too much or that we didn't enjoy it enough; because we had never been told that desire was something for ourselves before it was an enticement for a partner; because defining our own sexual direction as women was a radical notion. But in all our talking about sex, we have continuously focused on that part of our sexuality where we were victims. \ m us into From A. Hollibaugh, 'Desire for the future: radical hope in passion and pleasure', in C.S. Vance (ed.), Pleasure and Danger Exploring Female Sexuality, Hammersmith: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 1989.