Separating feminist and misogynist depictions of sex. (Photo: Associated Press)

WHAT IS 'FEMINIST PORN"? "For a porn film or website to be considered “feminist,” Good for Her recognizes three important criteria, at least one of which the publication must meet: a woman must have been involved in the production, writing, or direction of the work; or the work must convey genuine female pleasure; or the piece must expand the boundaries of sexual representation and challenge mainstream porn stereotypes," Toronto sex shop Good For Her had decided in its annual Feminist Porn Awards. Only one of those? The bar, it is low.

AFTER THE JUMP: Is rape fantasy A-OK on-screen? Equality Maryland gets new blood; the first meeting between trans activists and White House staff is off-the-record:

FEMINIST PORN FOR MEN: "we do see a lot of men looking for something different from mainstream porn—they’re not interested in the 'Pole A into Slot B' kind of porn," awards leader Alison Lee says. "They’re looking for something with a little bit of heart. "Feminist porn is not necessarily directed by women or only aimed at women. But what feminist porn does do is take women into account as viewers. So even if they’re not the sole audience, I think that one of the things that is considered is whether it’s something they think that women might enjoy."

EQUALITY OHIO pinch-hits for a troubled Equality Maryland.

NANCY GOLDSTEIN on the shadowy first-ever meeting between White House staff and trans activists: "It would be easier to evaluate Friday’s meeting if the public had access to certain basic facts. Like which activists and leaders were invited, or which staffers actually attended. Or what was on the agenda. Or whether it was a 'listening' meeting, where members of the administration simply gather to hear a group’s concerns, or an 'action' meeting that lays out steps toward change. Or what anyone said, or decided. About anything.  . . . Attendees contacted for comment either did not return repeated calls, or did not go on the record. That’s not surprising. When it takes the White House over two centuries to finally ask someone out one-on-one, it’s unlikely they’ll do anything to jeopardize their chances for a second date. . . . Still, this kind of opacity doesn’t play well coming from an administration that hawks its commitment to transparency. Nor does it allay fears that the White House’s invite will turn out to have been more symbol ('We’re listening') than substance ('And now we’re actually going to do something')."

HOMELESSNESS IN D.C. on the rise.

RAPE FANTASY's role in pop culture: "I do agree with you that there are two kinds of depictions of sexual violence that we see in popular culture; there’s the terrifying, scary rape and the eroticized, titillating rape (or, to paraphrase Whoopi Goldberg, the rape rape and the sexy rape)," Lux Alptraum writes. "As you mentioned, the sexy scene is more likely to be viewed as problematic, largely because, I guess, we’re worried it might convince people that rape is, somehow, a good thing. While I get that point, I’m not particularly comfortable with saying that people shouldn’t create eroticized depictions of sexual violence–as I said above, that’s something that I enjoy as a fantasy, and why shouldn’t I have the right to see my fantasy enacted in pop culture?"