• Musings

    Embracing the sexual needs of Little People

    Dr. Marylou Naccarato

    Dr. Marylou Naccarato is doing something pretty groundbreaking: she’s talking about sex as a Little Person. According to a recent profile in The Atlantic, Naccarato is the first in her field to focus specifically on the sexual needs of Little People — physical, emotional, and psychosocial. Naccarato, who has a type of dwarfism called…

  • Musings

    A remote-controlled vibrator for modern times

    OhMiBod blueMotion, photo from Nerve

    For years, the world has been waiting for a remote-controlled vibrator that works over long distances. Most remote-controlled toys have a range of 10-40 feet. The new OhMiBod blueMotion has a range of “wherever you get cell phone reception.” If this sounds implausible, early tests show that the vibe can even be controlled from…

  • Musings

    The internal condom gets new life

    © Giles Revell

    Despite having been on the market for over 20 years, an air of mystery continues to surround the internal condom. Worn internally during sex, this nitrile pouch with a flexible ring at each end can be 95% effective at preventing pregnancy and STIs, yet it remains difficult to find in stores and accounts for only 1.6% of condoms distributed…

  • Musings

    The not-so-secret lives of erotica writers

    In some ways, erotica authors are just like the rest of the population. But not in every way. Ebook recommendation website The Fussy Librarian recently surveyed 103 authors of erotic romance novels, with some interesting results.  The vast majority of respondents were heterosexual married women aged 24-54. The average age that they lost their virginity was…

  • Musings

    Tracking the history of American sex ed films

    America’s first sex ed movie was called Damaged Goods. Screened in theaters in 1914, it followed the sad life of a man who contracted syphilis from a sex worker and subsequently committed suicide. Unsurprisingly, the characters in early sex ed films were stereotypes. Men — whom the films were aimed at — were like…

  • Musings

    Honorary degrees for legendary pornstars

    This week in San Francisco, four groundbreaking women will be awarded honorary Doctor of Human Sexuality degrees from the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality (IASHS). Jane Hamilton (aka Veronica Hart), Candida Royalle, Veronica Vera, and Gloria Leonard (now deceased) are former “Golden Age” porn performers as well as pioneers in the adult industry.…

  • Musings

    Watching Trans Grrrls, her armor melts away

    Chelsea Poe and Maxine Holloway in Trans Grrrls

    Amy Dentata is a writer, game designer, and performer who touches on topics including trauma recovery, mental illness, sexuality, and transgender issues on her website and elsewhere. Recently she wrote something amazing on PinkLabel.tv: “Fumbling Towards Humanity: How Trans Grrrls Helped Me Open Up to My Partner.” We knew Courtney Trouble’s Trans Grrrls was a very…

  • Musings

    How Oh Joy Sex Toy came to be (awesome)

    Oh Joy Sex Toy featuring the LELO Ina 2

    It’s been just over a year since Portland artist Erika Moen launched Oh Joy Sex Toy, and to say it has been a roaring success would be putting it lightly. This playful, hilarious, and informative sex-themed comic has become very popular, and the work that it has done as a sex education resource is probably immeasurable. Bite-sized sex…

  • Musings

    These products are not just for sex, folks

    Why is there a vibrator strapped to this tortoise’s underbelly? Because: vibration helps with constipation. Poor tortoises tend to eat the tiny, indigestible pebbles at the bottom of their tanks, which can get stuck in the intestinal tract and cause a blockage. Previously, the solution to this problem was surgery, but in 2011,…

  • Musings

    A little kink, a lot of confidence

    “Sex with a disability is a tough sell,” writes a queer woman named Carrie, “but not (just) for the reasons people assume. In my experience, the hardest part isn’t convincing someone else you’re desirable — it’s convincing yourself that your body is worth pleasing.” For her, one small act of kink gave her more…