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W E D N E S D A Y

The post-ideological identity wars have led to some lively battles, often on the feminist front. Do-me feminists, radical feminists, Third World feminists, conservative feminists—all have received media attention and a steady stream of book contracts. Perhaps the biggest source of friction among these writers is pornography: Feminists have helped pass anti-porn laws in Canada that have led to bans on literature that’s merely transgressive, not obscene, and conservatives have used these laws to target gay literature in particular. Of course, defining “obscene” in the first place is the real problem. Canadian writer Wendy McElroy goes even further in her new book XXX: A Woman’s Right to Pornography, which defends porn as a social and political good. She will no doubt elaborate at a book forum on “Gender Feminists: The New Censors” at noon at the Cato Institute’s Hayek Auditorium, 1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW. FREE. For reservations call (202) 789-5229; McElroy discusses her book at 6:30 p.m. at Lammas Women’s Books, 1426 21st St. NW. FREE. (202) 775-8218. (John Cloud)