Joseph Beth Bookstore and Women Shutting Up

This past Sunday, the Post-Gazette featured the story of Jan Beatty and Joseph-Beth Bookstore, a flagship shop over at the Southside Works. Beatty, a highly regarded Pittsburgh based poet, has recently released a new poetry collection "Red Sugar" which includes some sexually explicit poems. I haven't read the collection so I cannot clarify exactly what that means.

However, Joseph-Beth wanted to invite Beatty to give a reading at her store. With a few "caveats" such as the store selecting the poems to be read, turning off the sound system or even a simple book signing without a reading.

Joseph-Beth is afraid of offending little pitchers. Or, let's be honest, offending their credit card bearing parents. They aren't so afraid that it keeps them from booking David Sedaris, who is no pansy when it comes to ribald and raunch. Or porn-star Ron Jeremy.

But, after all, they are men. I mean that's what I'm seeing here ... a little anti-Vagina Monologues backlash in the guide of private censorship.

Let me be precise. I am well-aware that Joseph-Beth has the right to discriminate against whomever they please in terms of setting up book readings. They can invite the porn star, but tell the female poet that her words don't warrant a microphone or that she should shut up and sit quietly signing her books. That's their right.

But let us not here make the misstep of parsing censorship. This isn't about protecting children from naughty words and sex. This is about protecting grown adults from their own distorted ability to embrace sexuality as a healthy part of our lives. They don't want the grown ups to freak out when little Susie overhears the words labia or nubile or whatever else she might possibly say. The kids aren't going to pay attention, assuming their parents are doing a reasonably good job of keeping them occupied and focused on their own books.

Let us also not forget that Jan Beatty is a well-regarded poet who has probably given many readings. In spite of that, Joseph-Beth doesn't trust Beatty to make good decisions about what materials to read in a family friendly bookstore. They trusted a male porn star, but they aren't trusting a female academic with a litany of professional credits.

So it clearly isn't about sex. It is about women and sex. Or women's views on sex. Or women's experiences of sex. That's what need to be kept hushed up. That is what might offend. Women's sexuality might hurt Joseph-Beth's bottom line. Women as sexual objects in male oriented pornography, well that probably brought in some new customers, after all.

Kudos to Jan Beatty for sticking to her ovaries and refusing to bow in the face of censorship.