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A quadriplegic woman’s journey to sexual happiness
This personal essay was originally published in 2006, but it is so honest and important that it deserves to be highlighted. Getting Around: How I Discovered My Wheelchair Wasn’t a Chastity Belt by Tiffiny Carlson is a poignant piece about a woman growing up and taking charge of her sexuality. Carlson broke her neck when…
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A glimpse at comprehensive sex ed
As most sex ed programs in the U.S. continue to push abstinence, a gutsy teacher from a Quaker prep school in Pennsylvania is showing everyone what comprehensive sex education could look like — and it looks very promising. Al Vernacchio (“Mr. V,” as his students call him) teaches an elective class for seniors entitled “Sexuality and Society”…
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International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers
Today is International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. Originally created by Annie Sprinkle and the Sex Workers Outreach Project USA and first observed in 2003, this day includes memorials, vigils, and activism — and symbolizes a powerful cry for an end to violence and discrimination against sex workers. The importance of…
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Google increases health care coverage for trans employees
Mountain View, California-based corporation and search engine giant Google recently announced a considerable increase in health care coverage for their U.S. transgender employees. Effective immediately, trans employees are now entitled to a full range of procedures and treatment in accordance with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s Standards of Care. This includes transitioning…
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Dissecting the blackboards in porn
What is the internet for, if not uber-specific blogs such as Blackboards in Porn? This deliciously safe-for-work blog takes a photo of a blackboard in a porn scene, along with fully-clothed performers, and analyzes the information for accuracy, issuing a grade from 1-10. Subjects are varied: chemistry, math, music, English, and history have…
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Senior erotica anthology call for submissions
Joan Price, blogger at Better Than I Ever Expected and author of two books about senior sex, is putting together a collection of erotica from writers over the age of 50, with stories featuring characters also over the age of 50. This senior erotica anthology will be published in Spring 2013 by Seal…
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Today is International Fisting Day!
Queer porn revolutionaries Jiz Lee and Courtney Trouble have declared today International Fisting Day — and who are we to argue? Fisting doesn’t get nearly enough attention; in fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find any porn DVD that includes fisting because distributors are afraid of being sent to jail on obscenity charges. The…
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Steve Jobs and the lesbian erotic revolution
It was 1984 when On Our Backs, the first ever women-run erotica magazine — and geared toward a lesbian audience, to boot — debuted. The magazine was groundbreaking in many ways, and it played a major role in the development of sex-positive feminism. What does this have to do with Steve Jobs? Well,…
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Porn myths, debunked
There sure is a lot to discuss when it comes to porn, and no shortage of posts on the internet about it. However, when I came across a porn myth series by Dr. Brooke Magnanti, a forensic scientist, statistician, and former sex worker, I knew it was something special. The five-part series of posts…
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Would you buy a vibrator from a sex toy truck?
Here in Portland, we’re no strangers to food trucks (have you experienced the glory that is Potato Champion?!), but this is something new: a truck that promotes vibrators. For a few days in July, a Trojan “Good Vibrations” truck parked itself in various spots in Manhattan and Brooklyn, drawing in passersby and engaging them in…
