
As the world watches (and in many cases scoffs) as American actress Alyssa Milano calls for a sex strike over abortion laws in Georgia, they might like to do their research before they dismiss her approach to forcing change.
A sex strike is not a new phenomena, and in many cases throughout history, it has actually worked.
Of course, the conversation in 2019 is more about the morality of using a woman’s body as a tool for change, but in Colombia it has redefined women’s activism in the country and paved the way for real positive change.
The Quicky dives into the history of sex strikes. Post continues after podcast.
In 2006, a group of women started the strike of the ‘crossed legs’ to put a stop to gang violence.
The women were wives and girlfriends of the gang leaders and with the support of their mayor’s office, they sent their partners a clear message: give up guns, or give up sex.
The city had done surveys and found out many gang members were in it not for the money, but because of the power and sexual seduction they thought it granted them.
“We want them to know that violence is not sexy,” Jennifer Bayer, 18, told The Guardian at the time.
She said the men had laughed about the strike when they started, but they soon realised the women weren’t backing down.
Pereira where the strike was being held, had Colombia’s highest murder rate. But within a few years, Colombia saw its steepest decline in the murder rate down 26 percent in 2010.