The sexperts

It's Masters and Johnson vs. Hite as the nation's therapists convene

By Sally Quinn

• Washington Post

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WASHINGTON. The first time Patricia Schiller, 64, saw a porn film was in 1968. And she won't forget it.

"I was sitting in a room with 35 people,” she recalls, flushing a little even now. "There were five women. The rest were men, all sex educators, counselors, therapists. I can remember my hands started getting sweaty, my cheeks reddened, and I thought, "Oh God, if any of these people could see me now I'd die.'

"When the lights went on, the other women looked worse than I did. The women were really upset. The men weren't as uptight. They had all seen films'

before, though they were still at the giggling stage. But I had never seen a porn fiim in my life.

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"I had been to the Crazy Horse in Paris, and I could discuss sex without batting an eye. I was very comfortable with sex, I thought. But watching this movie, I felt like a peeping Tom. Especially during the part about homosexual women."

Today, 10 years later, Pat Schiller, founder and executive director of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) can watch a porn movie, (clinically, a "confrontation film," or, inforfilm") without mally, a "

batting an eye.

And not only that, she approves of them.

And so, at the 11th NationalSex Institute sponsored by AASECT and held at Washington's Mayflower Hotel this past week, there were confrontation films being shown on the second floor continuously during the evening sessions and during various seminars pertaining to visual aids in sex therapy.

And nobody else batted an eye either.

"We leave films up to the individual," Ms. Schiller says.

"The major factor is that it's important to confront our own feelings and to appreciate the fact certain parts of you really need to be talked about and dealt with.

"These films get your reaction to a physical encounter, and then you are able to talk about it and share your feelings with others. But it definitely has to be used in the right place, under the right circumstances with the right supervision. Otherwise it's pure porn."

William Masters and Virginia. Johnson think it's significant that for the last two years, Johnny Carson has not made a single joke about them.

The reason for this, they believe, is that America is growing up:

It was also the first time Masters and Johnson had ever at-

tended an AASECT meeting and the first time they had won the group's annual award.

"This group," Virginia Johnson told them in her acceptance speech, "has finally come of age."

Masters and Johnson know about the struggle for acceptance. They endured scorn in the 20 years since the gynecologist (Masters) and the advertising executive (Johnson) joined forces and began doing research and writing in the field.

Finally, this year, they have finally formulated a code of ethics for the profession. which they feel will enhance its credibility.

In an interview in their suite at the Mayflower between seminars, Masters and Johnson discussed their views on the changing attitudes

country.

about sex in this

They are older now, she, 53; he, 63. He has a slight paunch, is white-haired and balding. (Women kept coming up to him at the convention and asking to pat his head, and he happily obliged.)

He seems content to sit quietly by and let his wife do most of the talking, occasionally interjecting a cogent remark. She, too, is a good deal heavier than she was.

They both seem rather comfortable with themselves, well, like an old married couple rather than sex experts.

In fact, you could say that Masters and Johnson are the first members of the "sex establishment." And they act like it. Ironically, they are both very conservative in their approaches to sex research and disapproving of new,. less orthodox research or methods.

"Up until now, there has been an underlying orgy atmosphere at these kinds of meeting," says Ms. Johnson. "This meeting is unique. A couple of years ago, the chances. of a workshop of so-called healthcare professionals would have been rare. The people who came to these things had not been able to separate their personal needs from the subject.

"All of a sudden, this group is no-nonsense. If they have been having orgies, if they're simply here to meet others, it's not visible."

Ms. Johnson says that this has only been able to happen because of the new ethical guidelines that the real professionals have been working so hard to make happen.

"It immediately gives this organization maturity and credibility. It's had to go through growing pains.”

"And she tells of a conference. they attended last year in Montreal where "many of those who attended insisted on demonstrating their own life-styles and invited the media to observe orgies. It

made everyone in the field aware of how vulnerable we are."

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Neither Masters nor Ms. Johnson is too crazy about the idea of the, demonstration rooms where private concessioners rent space to display sexual merchandise, such as "Linda's love swing," which shows how to make love on a swing, or "Joni's delight,” a sexual device for women. Nor do they particularly care for the demonstrations of porn films.

"We've never used a movie in our lives," says Masters with an edge of disdain in his voice.

"We don't use crutches of any kind," says his wife. "We don't think they are necessary, and we don't like to develop dependency." "We don't, however," says Masters quickly, "object them.

""

to

What they do object to, and rather vehemently, is the fact that Shere Hite, author of the controversial and popular sex book for women, "The Hite Report," was invited to speak at the AASECT convention this year.

They were not the only ones to object. Many of the participants felt that Ms. Hite, not being a professional therapist, did not have the required credentials, and her presence tended to erode the credibility of the organization.

Masters and Johnson were 'particularly disturbed by the fact that

because of a dropout, Ms. Hite was switched from being luncheon speaker "entertainment" to keynote speaker.

They did not go to hear her speak. "I just couldn't bear to listen to a thing like that," says Virginia Johnson. "This is my first public critique of Shere Hite, but I am so incensed at her pseudoscience. This is the era of pop: science, and she is doing a great disservice to the field.

"What she's doing is political showmanship, and you cannot make a science of political opinion. They aren't the same. Hers are kindergarten ideas.

"What hurts," says Ms. Johnson, "is that people who are doing this kind of writing are perpetuating the myths of their own personal experiences. And inviting Shere Hite here just gives her credibility."

Shere Hite arrived about a half-hour late for her opening speech. She appeared in little girl, dyed-blond, frizzed ringlets, dollfaced makeup and a frou-frou pink ruffled blouse with huge puffy sleeves.

She began by talking about her. book, several years old now, and the thousands of wonderful cards and letters, gratifying responses, success stories which had come out of it.

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