You know you've got an exciting event when a 10-minute poem directed at a hamburger isn't the clear-cut main attraction.
Denver activism group Feminism & Co. had that luxury at a special event it held at MCA Denver Nov. 12. Feminism & Co. hosted lecturers and performers on three topics under the heading "Threesomes."
While Boulder performer Michelle Ellsworth's soliloquy to a meat patty drew big laughs from the crowd, she was preceded by CU Boulder film professor Melinda Barlow discussing women's triangulated relationships in film and three speakers from Denver's polyamory community.
Polyamory is the practice of engaging in multiple intimate relationships at the same time.
The evening was scheduled as a special event for the annual meeting of the National Women's Studies Association, which was Nov. 11-14.
Two of the event's attendees, both instructors in women's studies at Bowling Green University in Ohio, said the evening's topics weren't offensive or weird at all.
"I'm cool with it," said Angie Fitzpatrick of polyamory.
"We're interested in sex," Rachel Dean-Ruzicka said, nodding intently. "And not sex like gender."
Same with all three sets of presenters. Creepiest by far was Ellsworth, whose poem and dance performance really was directed to a McDonald's hamburger she held onstage. The poem, laden with puns and semi-serious rage, both sexualized and demonized the sandwich.
In the poem, the narrator craves hamburgers but won't eat one; her partner, meanwhile, sneaks them constantly, which drives them apart. She blames the burger--"I hope you're happy, Happy Meal"—but eventually the sandwich wins out.
In her comments after the performance, Ellsworth said she's been performing dances about hamburgers for 15 years. She also acknowledged the sexual nature of her "threesome."
"Somehow, for me, food and sex just sit right next to each other," she said.
"I love her," attendee Lesley Johnson said of Ellsworth. "She was hilarious."
For the presenters before Ellsworth, the connection to "threesomes" was a lot more direct. Robin Trask and Jesus Garcia of national non-profit Loving More, along with Dani Kaiz, presented on polyamory. The three emphasized the long-term nature of their relationships with others.
"Swinging is about eye candy or body candy," Garcia said. "Polyamory is more about going beyond the candy and having a full meal."
Unlike Ellsworth, the polyamory presentation offered an optimistic view of threesomes. Working through the issues that come with polyamory, Trask said, can be a positive experience. "It's really a matter of consciously negotiating things," she said.
"It has to be communicated," said Kaiz of jealousy and sharing issues. "It has to be talked about."
Starting the evening, Barlow presented themes from the film Thirteen to illustrate how women's relationships in film often develop in negative ways.
She noted how often triangulated relationships--in Thirteen, among a mother, daughter, and daughter's classmate--create tension and drive women apart in movies.
Attendee Catherine Keffer said Barlow's presentation reinforced some of her beliefs about media's tendency to create gender roles. "I don't allow media to enter her life as much as possible for that reason," Keffer said, referring to her young daughter.
Gillian Silverman, co-director of Feminism & Co., said the group's goal is to begin conversations.
"We talk about creating a public space to address issues of importance to women," she said.
She said the Threesomes event illustrated how speakers from different areas can provide commentary that fits together.
"We try to put in dialogue these various entities that wouldn't usually be sharing a stage," Silverman said.
Ultimately, Silverman's goal won out over the pessimism of some of the presenters: This was definitely an enjoyable threesome.
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