Jaclyn Friedman

{{Infobox person

| name = Jaclyn Friedman

| image = Jaclyn_Friedman_headshot.jpg

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1971}}

| birth_place =

| education = Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

| alma_mater = Wesleyan University, Emerson College

| occupation = Executive Director, EducateUS: Changing Sex Ed for Good

| known_for = Editing Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape

| website = [http://jaclynfriedman.com/ jaclynfriedman.com]

}}

Jaclyn Friedman ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|f|r|iː|d|m|ə|n}}; born 1971) is an American feminist writer and activist known as the co-editor (with Jessica Valenti) of Yes Means Yes: Visions of Sexual Power and a World Without Rape and Believe Me: How Trusting Women Can Change the World, the writer of Unscrewed: Women, Sex, Power and How to Stop Letting the System Screw Us All and What You Really Really Want: The Smart Girl’s Shame-Free Guide To Sex and Safety, the founder and Executive Director of EducateUS, an organization focused on building a movement of voters laser-focused on advancing sex education across the country. She is also a campus speaker on issues of feminism, sexual freedom and anti-rape activism, and the founder and former executive director of Women, Action & The Media.

Background

Friedman graduated from Wesleyan University, and later earned an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College in 2004. She was sexually assaulted on campus while an undergraduate student.{{Cite magazine|url=https://time.com/100150/campus-sexual-assault-jaclyn-friedman/|title='I'm Proud' to See My Alma Mater Investigated For Mishandling Rape|first=Jaclyn|last=Friedman|date=May 15, 2014|magazine=TIME}}{{cite web|last=Pearlman|first=Alex|url=http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/blogs/thenextgreatgeneration/2011/10/jaclyn_friedman_releases_the_h.html|title=Jaclyn Friedman Releases a 21st Century Guide to Your Sex Life|work=Boston.com|date=October 24, 2011}}

She lives in the Boston area.

She is bisexual.{{cite news |url=http://prospect.org/article/look-inside-mens-rights-movement-helped-fuel-california-alleged-killer-elliot-rodger |title=A Look Inside the 'Men's Rights' Movement That Helped Fuel California Alleged Killer Elliot Rodger |work=The American Prospect |last=Friedman |first=Jaclyn |date=October 24, 2013 |accessdate=2017-10-09}}{{cite web|url=https://www.callyourgirlfriend.com/episodes/2019/07/12/adult-sex-ed|title=Call Your Girlfriend- Adult Sex Ed|date=July 12, 2019}}

Women, Action & the Media

Friedman is the founder and former executive director of Women, Action & the Media (WAM!), a North American non-profit focusing on gender justice and media issues.{{cite web|url=http://www.womenactionmedia.org/why-wam/staff/|title=Staff & Board|publisher=Women, Action & the Media|access-date=2013-09-22|archive-date=2013-09-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927013520/http://www.womenactionmedia.org/why-wam/staff/|url-status=dead}} WAM!'s accomplishments included the successful campaigns to pressure Facebook to enforce its terms of service against incitements to violence against women{{cite news|title=Hate Speech on Facebook|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/31/opinion/misogynist-speech-on-facebook.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&_r=3&|work=The New York Times|date=May 30, 2013}} and to pressure Clear Channel to rescind its decision not to run advertisements for South Wind Women's Center, a women's health clinic in Wichita.{{cite web|url=http://www.womenactionmedia.org/facebookaction/open-letter-to-facebook/|title=Open Letter to Facebook|publisher=Women, Action & the Media|access-date=2013-09-22|archive-date=2013-09-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927015025/http://www.womenactionmedia.org/facebookaction/open-letter-to-facebook/|url-status=dead}} WAM! also ran chapters in Boston, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Ottawa, and Vancouver.{{cite web|url=http://www.womenactionmedia.org/|title=WAM! - Women, Action, and the Media|publisher=Women, Action & the Media}}

Other activism

Friedman regularly speaks at college campuses on the subjects of sexuality, sexualization, rape culture, and creating a healthy sexual culture around enthusiastic consent. She also hosts a weekly podcast Unscrewed.{{cite web|url=http://www.jaclynfriedman.com/archives/category/podcast|title=Podcast - Jaclyn Friedman|work=jaclynfriedman.com|access-date=2013-09-22|archive-date=2013-09-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927140225/http://www.jaclynfriedman.com/archives/category/podcast|url-status=dead}}

In 2010 Friedman was selected as a delegate on the Nobel Women's Initiative's peace delegation to Israel and Palestine.{{cite web|url=http://nobelwomensinitiative.org/our-blogs/2010-delegation-to-israel-and-palestine/?ref=289&ref=289|title=2010 Delegation to Israel and Palestine|work=Nobel Women's Initiative|access-date=2013-09-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304190315/http://nobelwomensinitiative.org/our-blogs/2010-delegation-to-israel-and-palestine/?ref=289&ref=289|archive-date=2016-03-04|url-status=dead}} A documentary, Partners for Peace, has been made about the delegation, and Friedman is featured in the film.{{cite web|url=http://www.partnersforpeacefilm.com/about-the-film/|title=About The Film|work=Partners for Peace film|access-date=2013-09-22|archive-date=2013-09-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927113030/http://www.partnersforpeacefilm.com/about-the-film/|url-status=dead}}

In 2019, Friedman was arrested as part of Never Again Action, a group of Jews and allies protesting ICE and the government's treatment of immigrants.{{cite web|url=https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2019/07/04/never-again-migrants-ice-protest-jaclyn-friedman|title=Why My Judaism Compelled Me To Protest the Abuse of Immigrants|work=90.9 WBUR}} In an interview with the Jewish Women's Archive, she identified a Reform Jewish youth group chapter in New Jersey, known as NFTY, as the source of her social justice framework.{{Cite web|last1=June 20|last2=Berkenwald|first2=2011 Leah|title=Meet Jaclyn Friedman: Jewess with attitude|url=https://jwa.org/blog/jaclyn-friedman|access-date=2020-12-18|website=Jewish Women's Archive|language=en}}

Friedman is the 2019-2020 Activist in Residence at Suffolk University.{{cite web|url=http://signsjournal.org/eltahawy/|title=Signs Magazine|work=Love the Sinner and the Sinning|date=3 January 2020 }}

Controversy

In December 2010, Friedman debated Naomi Wolf on Democracy Now! concerning rape allegations against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange,{{cite web|url=http://www.democracynow.org/2010/12/20/naomi_wolf_vs_jaclyn_friedman_a|title=Naomi Wolf vs. Jaclyn Friedman: Feminists Debate the Sexual Allegations Against Julian Assange|work=Democracy Now!|date=December 20, 2010}}{{cite web|url=https://www.scarleteen.com/blog/joey/2010/12/21/julien_assange_rape_apologism_and_the_media|title=Julien Assange, Rape Apologism, and the Media|work=scarleteen.com|date=21 December 2010 }}{{cite web|url=https://studentactivism.net/2010/12/20/naomi-wolf-on-julian-assange/|title=Naomi Wolf Misrepresents the Facts of the Julian Assange Rape Allegations. Again.|work=studentactivisim.net|date=December 20, 2010}} in which Wolf controversially described allegations of stealthing against Assange as representing “model cases of sexual negotiation.”

In 2012, Friedman came under fire for her piece, Unsolicited Advice For Blue Ivy Carter,{{cite web|url=http://www.good.is/posts/unsolicited-advice-for-blue-ivy-carter-growing-up-as-the-girl-of-beyonce-and-jay-z|title=Unsolicited Advice for Blue Ivy Carter: Growing Up as the Girl of Beyonce and Jay-Z|work=GOOD Magazine|date=13 January 2012 }} which was heavily criticized by African-American women for alleged racist overtones.{{cite web|url=http://theangryblackwoman.com/2012/01/12/dear-white-women-who-think-you-mean-well/|title=Dear White Women Who Think You Mean Well, - The Angry Black Woman|work=theangryblackwoman.com|date=13 January 2012 }} Friedman subsequently issued a public apology on her blog, and donated the fee she received for the piece to SisterSong, an activist group that primarily deals with women of color.{{cite web|url=http://www.jaclynfriedman.com/archives/641|title=An Apology.|work=jaclynfriedman.com|access-date=2013-11-01|archive-date=2019-10-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006113419/http://www.jaclynfriedman.com/archives/641|url-status=dead}}

Writing

Yes Means Yes: Visions of Sexual Power and a World Without Rape, an anthology co-edited by Friedman and Jessica Valenti, was published in January 2009.{{cite book|url=https://www.sealpress.com/titles/jaclyn-friedman/yes-means-yes/9781580058995/|title=Yes Means Yes: Visions of Sexual Power and a World Without Rape Back|work=Seal Press|date=3 July 2018 |isbn=9781580058995 |last1=Friedman |first1=Jaclyn |last2=Valenti |first2=Jessica |publisher=Basic Books }} It was selected as one of Publishers Weekly Best 100 Books of 2009,{{cite web|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/awards-and-prizes/article/26073-best-books-of-2009.html|title=Best Books of 2009|work=PublishersWeekly.com}} and is number 11 on Ms. magazine's list of Most Influential Feminist Books of All Time.{{cite web|url=http://msmagazine.com/blog/2011/10/10/ms-readers-100-best-non-fiction-books-of-all-time-the-top-10-and-the-complete-list/|title=Ms. Readers' 100 Best Non-Fiction Books of All Time: The Top 10 and the Complete List!|work=Ms.|date=10 October 2011 }}

In 2011, inspired by the questions that young women asked her while she was on book tour for Yes Means Yes, Friedman published her second book, What You Really Really Want: The Smart Girl’s Shame-Free Guide to Sex and Safety.{{cite book|url=http://www.sealpress.com/book.php?isbn=9781580053440|title=What You Really Really Want|work=Seal Press|date=27 June 2017 |isbn=9781580053440 |last1=Friedman |first1=Jaclyn |publisher=Basic Books }} What You Really Really Want was a finalist for Foreword's Book of the Year award in Women's Issues.{{cite web|url=https://botya.forewordreviews.com/finalists/2011/womens-issues/|title=2011 Finalists in Women's Issues (Adult Nonfiction) — Foreword Reviews' INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards|work=Foreword Reviews}} Salon.com called it "a sex guide for today's girls," and said of Friedman that she "is the sex educator of many parents' nightmares. She’s also just the teacher young women need".{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/2011/10/30/a_sex_guide_for_todays_girls/|title=A sex guide for today's girls|first=Tracy |last=Clark-Flory|work=salon.com|date=30 October 2011 }}

In 2017, Friedman published Unscrewed: Women, Sex, Power, and How to Stop Letting the System Screw Us All.{{cite book|url=https://www.sealpress.com/titles/jaclyn-friedman/unscrewed/9781580056427/|title=Unscrewed:Women, Sex, Power, and How to Stop Letting the System Screw Us All|work=Seal Press|date=27 June 2017 |isbn=9781580056427 |last1=Friedman |first1=Jaclyn |publisher=Basic Books }} Kirkus described Unscrewed as "a potent, convincing manifesto" and the text "lively, emboldening and nonjudgmental".{{cite web|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jaclyn-friedman/unscrewed-friedman//|title=A potent, convincing manifesto on how female sexual equality marches onward despite cultural roadblocks.|work=Kirkus Reviews|access-date=2020-02-20|archive-date=2020-02-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220165313/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jaclyn-friedman/unscrewed-friedman//|url-status=dead}}

In 2020, Friedman and co-editor Jessica Valenti published a second anthology, Believe Me: How Trusting Women Can Change the World.{{cite book|url=https://www.sealpress.com/titles/jessica-valenti/believe-me/9781580058780/|title=Believe Me: How Trusting Women and Change the World|work=Seal Press|date=5 February 2019 |isbn=9781580058780 |last1=Valenti |first1=Jessica |last2=Friedman |first2=Jaclyn |publisher=Basic Books }} Believe Me includes essays by Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Tatiana Maslany, Samantha Irby, Dahlia Lithwick, Loretta Ross, Jamil Smith, Julia Serano, and more. Publishers Weekly wrote: "Consistently well-written and soundly reasoned, these essays persuasively cast the tendency to doubt women as one of America’s greatest social ills. This illuminating call to action deserves a wide readership."{{cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-58005-879-7/|title=Believe Me: How Trusting Women Can Change the World.|work=Publishers Weekly}}

Friedman's writings have been published widely, including in The New York Times,{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/opinion/clinton-trump-third-debate-election-2016/did-we-consent-to-this|title=What We Saw in the Final Debate|first=Jaclyn |last=Friedman|work=The New York Times|date=19 October 2016 }} Glamour{{cite web|url=https://www.glamour.com/story/you-have-the-right-to-be-vanilla-in-bed|title=Your Sexual Rights: You Have the Right to Be Vanilla in Bed|first=Jaclyn |last=Friedman|work=Glamour|date=15 June 2016 }} The Guardian,{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/profile/jaclyn-friedman|title=Jaclyn Friedman|first=Jaclyn |last=Friedman|newspaper=The Guardian}} The American Prospect,{{cite web|url=http://prospect.org/authors/jaclyn-friedman|title=Jaclyn Friedman|work=The American Prospect}}The Washington Post,{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/12/AR2010031201792.html|title=To combat rape on campus, schools should stop keeping it quiet|work=washingtonpost.com}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/18/AR2009091801147.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928010410/http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2009-09-20/opinions/36803406_1_female-fans-fat-girls-tucker-max|url-status=live|archive-date=2013-09-28|title=Jaclyn Friedman -- Tucker Max Has Female Fans. Why?|newspaper=The Washington Post}} The Nation{{cite web|url=http://www.thenation.com/authors/jaclyn-friedman#|title=Jaclyn Friedman - The Nation|work=thenation.com|date=2 April 2010 }} and Salon.{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/writer/jaclyn_friedman/|title=Jaclyn Friedman|work=Salon}}

Media

Friedman has appeared as an expert on many shows, including Nightline,{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/brides-purity-certificate-stirs-premarital-sex-debate-34697830|title=Bride's 'Purity Certificate' Stirs Up Premarital Sex Debate|work=Nightline}} NPR’s 1A,{{cite web|url=https://the1a.org/segments/2017-10-16-breaking-cultures-of-silence-on-sexual-harassment/|title=Breaking Cultures Of Silence On Sexual Harassment|work=NPR 1A}} PBS NewsHour,{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvf3oKshj-U&t=52s|title=Will saying yes to affirmative consent curb sexual assault?|work=PBS}} and Democracy Now. She has also appeared on many leading podcasts such as Dear Sugars{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/10/podcasts/listen-to-dear-sugars-consent-part-1-with-jaclyn-friedman.html|title='Dear Sugars': Consent Part 1 — With Jaclyn Friedman|newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 10, 2018}} and Call Your Girlfriend.