Another talk from TED.
TED talk: Tony Porter on men.
in Gender
Male bats perform oral sex on female partners.
From LiveScience:
Male bats perform oral sex on females, apparently to make sex last longer, researchers say.
These findings, the first discovery of male-to-female oral sex in bats, match prior studies revealing that female bats perform fellatio, or oral sex, on male bats.
Scientists analyzed a colony of about 420 Indian flying foxes (Pteropus giganteus) roosting in a single fig tree in southern India, near the village of Nallachampatti. This fruit-eating bat is one of the largest bats in the world.
Over the course of more than 13 months, using binoculars and a video camera, researchers witnessed 57 cases of sex ― oral and intercourse ― usually in the morning.
"Apart from humans, bats also exhibit oral sex as a courtship behavior," said Ganapathy Marimuthu, a bat researcher at Madurai Kamaraj University in India.
Initially, males groomed their penises to go erect before approaching females. When they gently touched females with their wings, females typically moved away, and males followed. [See Video of Bats Having Oral Sex]
When the females stopped moving, the males started licking the females’ vaginas ― the act known as cunnilingus. This foreplay may help arouse and lubricate females, the researchers said.
Read the rest here.
Thursday mail - April 11.
Have any questions or comments related to sex or sexuality? If so, fire away.
A message to the Abolitionists.
Recommended reading from Tits and Sass:
What Antis Can Do To Help, Part One: Aiding Those Still in the Industry
I am a sex worker who hates the sex industry. As an anti-capitalist, I hate all industries. It’s not quite as if I’d prefer another system in place of capitalism. If I had to describe my ideology in positive terms, I’d call it fatalistic socialism, which I define as the belief that socialism would be really nice if we wouldn’t inevitably fuck it up. (Maybe I’m a Voluntary Human Extinctionist.) However, just because I have no solution to the current state of affairs and happen to be a misanthrope of the highest degree, doesn’t mean I can’t keep my hate-boner for capitalism in general and the sex industry in particular.
I’m not alone in my hatred of the sex industry, of course. Sex work abolitionist feminists* (see note below) — or as they are often known, the Antis — are right up there with so many religious zealots, conservatives, liberals, anarchists, and ecofeminists in the anti-sex industry brigade. They’re known as “Antis” because they’re also anti-porn, anti-prostitution, and anti-sex work in general (and typically anti-kink, anti-transgender, and even anti-penetrative sex as well.) A particularly perverse sort of second-wave radical feminists, Antis are a loose collection of mostly white, middle-class, able-bodied women from the Global North, the vast majority of who have never been in the sex industry. Still, they make it their mission to eradicate the industry by “ending demand” for ALL sexual services, so as to free ALL women from coercive male sexuality.
I find plenty of their theoretical points (if not their attendant practical solutions) agreeable to my own ideology. The sex industry is about satisfying male sexual desire at the expense of female sexual desire. Its continued existence is predicated on the economic and sexual exploitation of women, particularly queer women, trans women, poor women, disabled women, and women of color. But, just like I wouldn’t try to tear down capitalism and free all the “wage slaves” by burning down factories and leaving the workers jobless, I’m not going to destroy patriarchy and “save” myself and my fellow sex workers by scaring off—er, re-educating our sources of income. If sex work abolition succeeds, it will liberate millions of women (and men, third gender, and agender folks as well) right into homelessness. Further, in the interim, advocacy for abolition results in the kind of social marginalization and shitty public policies that exacerbate the discrimination and violence we as sex workers face on a daily basis.
Go read the rest here.
Orgasmic chicken.
Racism in pornography.
in Attitudes, Pornography
From Jezebel:
Porn Performers Agree: The Porn Industry Is Racist
Much like the modeling industry, the porn industry deals with surface, exteriors, looks, bodies. And, as it turns out, like modeling, porn is full of racial inequities.
In March, porn star Aurora Snow told the Daily Beast that "on-camera race relations are a complicated topic" in porn's "fantasyland." The myth is that white women who don't have sex with black men on camera earn more. Snow, who is white, was asked, point blank when she got into the business, whether or not she "did interracial." But some agencies only have a small group of performers willing to do interracial.
And as Keli Goff writes for The Root:
In an age in which multiracial families are among the fastest growing in the nation, it is hard to fathom that there is a national industry, $10 billion strong, in which interracial couplings are considered career suicide. It seems that the historical taboo of black men sleeping with white women is one sexual hang-up that even the porn industry is unwilling to get over.
But! Scenes between white men and black women? Very popular. It's just black men that are somehow considered taboo. (Thai porn star Keni Styles once said that women who have worked with him will tell him they don't do interracial; they don't see working with him as interracial sex — that means black guys.)
Goff reports:
Mark Potok, a senior fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, is not particularly surprised that there are those who still frown on sex between black men and white women, telling The Root, "Racism has so much to do with sex, and always has. The first era [Ku Klux] Klan was absolutely obsessed with fear of white women being violated by black men."
When asked about the popularity of other interracial pairings in porn, Potok replied, "It is remarkable how attractive to certain people what looks forbidden is. It is mind-blowing how often we discover the Klan leader with the black transvestite or the neo-Nazi leader with the black girlfriend. It happens very frequently."
Goff interviews black porn performer Misty Stone, who reveals that black women in porn are consistently paid substantially less than white women, no matter the project. And while a white performer can get away with refusing to work with black men, Stone says that as a black woman, "it would not go over well" if she refused to work with a white man.
Goff also talks to Lexington Steele. A former stockbroker, he's one of the most successful black guys in the porn industry — partly because he founded his own company. He tells Goff:
"Quite honestly, adult media is the only major business that allows for the practice of exclusion based upon race."
Sounds like something that's been said about modeling. It's hard not to compare the two, since they're both about fantasies, deal with physical performance, and the participants stand to earn a lot of money. And as long as the folks running both industries have a narrow view of what's desirable, the problem will persist.
Is the Porn Industry Racist? [The Root] Interracial Sex Still Taboo for Many Porn Stars [Daily Beast]
The 2013 Feminist Porn Award winners.
in Pornography
This past weekend was the annual Feminist Porn Awards in Toronto, put on by Good For Her. It's considered the premiere awards show for the feminist porn movement. From the awards show homepage:
Now the longest running celebration of erotica focused on women and marginalized people, The Good For Her Feminist Porn Awards have been celebrating feminist smut for eight sexy years.
**Visit the official website for the Eighth Annual Good For Her Feminist Porn Awards HERE**
But wait, what is feminism doing getting into bed with porn? At Good For Her, we are feminists and we sell and rent porn. In 2006 we decided that it’s not enough to criticize adult films for not adequately representing the diversity of women’s, trans folk's- and in many cases, men’s - sexuality. So we decided to do something about it. As porn star and performance artist Annie Sprinkle famously said, "The answer to bad porn isn't no porn…it’s to try and make better porn!" Good For Her couldn't agree more. We acknowledge that what one person finds "bad porn", another may enjoy. We also believe that erotic fantasy is powerful, and that those who do not identify with the mainstream offerings deserve to put their dreams and desires on film, too. As feminists and sex-positive people, we want to showcase and honour those who are creating erotic media with a feminist sensibility that differs from what porn typically offers.
Good For Her wants porn to be held to a high standard. We all deserve to see artistic expressions that celebrate the diversity of who we are in all our glory, and artists deserve to have their work recognized. For these reasons, and many more, we are honoured to be the presenter and founders of the Annual Good For Her Feminist Porn Awards.
Read the rest of info here.
And the winners for 2013:
Sexiest ShortBiodildo Christian Slaughter
Sexiest ShortKrutch Clark Matthews
Steamiest Straight MovieFriends With Benefits Paul Thomas
Sexiest Star FeatureApril Flores World Carlos Batts
Most Sensual Softcore MovieThe Pleasure Professionals Justine Mii
Smutty Schoolteacher Award for Sex EducationThe Expert Guide to Pegging: Strap-on Anal Sex for Couples Tristan Taormino
Golden Beaver Award for Canadian ContentBecause I Want You To Watch The Madame
Hottest Dyke FilmLesbian Curves Courtney Trouble
2013 Trailblazer Nan Kinney
2013 Indie Porn Icon Julie Simone
Most Tantalizing Trans FilmBilly Castro's Naughty Squirters Billy Castro
Hottest Kink Movie50 Shades of Dylan Ryan Madison Young
Hottest VignetteA Taste of Joy Petra Joy
Steamiest Romantic MovieForbidden Lovers Nica Noelle
Heartthrob Of The Year Christian
Heartthrob Of The Year Jiz Lee
Movie Of The YearInfidelité Ovidie
2013 Honoured Websites (NSFW!)ftmfucker.comWolfHudsonIsBad.comPornographicLove.com
2013 Honourable MentionsConnections: Real Couples, Joyful Sex Ms. Naughty
Amber Gala Vanting, Frank Ly
Consent: Society Lynsey G.
Does pornography deserve its bad rap?
in Attitudes, Pornography
The New York Times recently held a debate on pornography. They put together a panel of people with differing viewpoints who are well-respected in their respective areas of expertise. Here are the debaters:
I realize that time is a very limited resource for most of you, but the essays are mostly short and to the point. Keep in mind that they are not all based on research; the essays are mostly opinion pieces. But, they are worth reading, at the very least, to get an understanding of the various viewpoints people have.
To read the essays, click here.
New research: Porn actresses.
in Pornography, Sex Work
In class, we discussed several of the myths about women who perform in porn. The following traits, among many others, have all been used to describe female porn performers:
- they suffer from chronic low self-esteem
- they are all victims of childhood sexual abuse
- they are drug addicts
- they are below average intelligence
- they are sex addicts/sluts
No research had directly examined these assertions until now.
The abstract from a new study of mainstream pornography actresses in Southern California, published in the Journal of Sex Research :
Pornography Actresses: An Assessment of the Damaged Goods Hypothesis.
The damaged goods hypothesis posits that female performers in the adult entertainment industry have higher rates of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), psychological problems, and drug use compared to the typical woman. The present study compared the self-reports of 177 porn actresses to a sample of women matched on age, ethnicity, and marital status. Comparisons were conducted on sexual behaviors and attitudes, self-esteem, quality of life, and drug use. Porn actresses were more likely to identify as bisexual, first had sex at an earlier age, had more sexual partners, were more concerned about contracting a sexually transmitted disease (STD), and enjoyed sex more than the matched sample, although there were no differences in incidence of CSA. In terms of psychological characteristics, porn actresses had higher levels of self-esteem, positive feelings, social support, sexual satisfaction, and spirituality compared to the matched group. Last, female performers were more likely to have ever used 10 different types of drugs compared to the comparison group. A discriminant function analysis was able to correctly classify 83% of the participants concerning whether they were a porn actress or member of the matched sample. These findings did not provide support for the damaged goods hypothesis.
To read the full study click here (this is only available to UBC students!).
I am a sex worker.
in Sex Work
There's absolutely no doubt that sex work can be vile, cruel, and exploitative. Many women (and men) have ended up sex workers due to desperation, threats of violence, addiction, and lack of money, opportunity, and status. One needs to look no farther than the Downtown Eastside, as posted earlier this week. However, there are those who have chosen to pursue sex work of their own volition. And, despite all the stereotypes, they're much like everybody else. Historically, their voices have rarely been heard, but that's changing.
If the women in the DTES represent one end of the spectrum, women like these would represent the other end of that spectrum.
Despair in the DTES.
in Sex Work
From the National Post, last year:
Years after Pickton’s arrest, the killings have stopped in the Downtown Eastside, the violence has not.
Sam has stepped away from her corner for a quick cigarette. It’s a slow night, mid-week, and she’s willing to talk. “Nobody likes this,” she says. “I’d rather be somewhere else, doing something better with my life.” Sam is a prostitute, one of about 400 who work the so-called low track, an outdoor stroll consisting of a dozen dark alleyways and side streets in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, a neighbourhood filled with junkies, predators and creeps.
They call this survival sex work, and it’s as ugly as it gets. Men come here in vehicles for cheap thrills, and they treat the women — most of them drug addicts, about half of them aboriginal — like dirt. “Bad dates” are angry, aggressive guys who think it’s their right to belittle and threaten the women, hurt them. Or worse.
This is where dozens of women worked before disappearing. It’s where Robert “Willie” Pickton prowled about in a red pick-up truck. Pickton took prostitutes from these streets to his messy pig farm in suburban Port Coquitlam, where he murdered them. Pickton was arrested in 2002 and charged with 26 counts of murder, and convicted of six counts of murder in 2007. The remaining 20 charges were stayed.
What has changed? The killings may have stopped, but the violence has not.
“Things are actually worse,” says Dave Dickson, a former Vancouver police officer who walked a beat in the Downtown Eastside for most of his 28-year career, which began in 1980. Mr. Dickson now works for a social service agency in the neighbourhood and keeps in touch with local sex trade workers, at least one of whom he knows began working at the age of 10.
The rest of the article is recommended reading: link.
Thursday mail - April 4.
Have any questions or comments related to sex or sexuality? If so, fire away.
Time Magazine covers.
How things have changed...
Objectum-Sexuality.
Despite Tyra being completely insufferable, it's worth watching. Skip to 1:00.
Formicophilia and beastiality porn, Japanese style: Genki Genki.
Genki Genki is a style of erotic art/pornography that features women with various creatures, many from the ocean. At the forefront of the scene is a man named Daikichi Amano, who has been recognized worldwide for his work. His images and movies are like nothing you've ever seen before, really. He describes himself as both an artist and a pornographer. You can see samples of his work at his pay-for-access website: link here (extremely NSFW!). He also has an artist website featuring his other work: link here.
Below is a clip of some of his work:
1970s lederhosen porn.
in Pornography
From Speigel Online:
Lowbrow in High Places: When Lederhosen Porn Was King
Four decades ago, the southern German state of Bavaria became the birthplace of a film genre like no other. The alpine meadows were rugged, the men wore lederhosen, the porn was soft -- and Germany was hooked.
"Close your eyes and ears," warns an off-screen voice, "because here comes a sex comedy that's all about bonking and banging." Then Bavarian character Sepp appears on screen. As he assumes a wide-legged stance in an Alpine pasture, a cow gazes awe-struck at the fly of his lederhosen. Thunderbolts shoot out of his tight leather shorts, bulging with excessive man-power.
A woman begins to sing a letter to her husband: "Dear Oscar, I'm doing well and am completely delighted because the mountains here are magnificent and there's a whole lot of f…ilming!" Another woman joins in: "One could really paint it, this Bavarian sky -- no, what I'm holding here in my hand is Sepp's p…aintbrush." Then the Bavarian's fly opens spontaneously and out comes a huge, red … heart bearing the movie's title: "Liebesgrüße aus der Lederhos'n," or "From Lederhosen with Love."
This smutty trailer, which advertised the upcoming premiere of the lederhosen film in German cinemas in March 1973, already made it unmistakably clear what theatergoers could expect: lusty peeping Bavarians tipping back from windows on ladders, jealous wives chasing their husbands with wooden spoons and, of course, hordes of pretty young women streaming into Bavaria from all over the world to be delighted by the region's potent men, wearing their traditional leather get-ups, of course.
Granted, critics panned the film. But Austrian film director Franz Marischka had still created a work of art that most filmmakers can only dream of. In addition to making what was an unbelievable hit in German cinemas, Marischka also founded an entire genre: the lederhosen film. For years to come, soft porn films shot in Alpine settings would be the thing in German theaters. It made Marischka a wealthy man but, in the end, his creation would become his curse.
Read the rest, and see the NSFW photo gallery, here.
Signs from the DOMA/Prop 8 protest.
Currently, the US Supreme Court is hearing a case that could reshape marriage laws across the entire US. The case began in California, where changes to the state constitution made gay marriage legal. These changes were repealed due to majority support for ballot proposition 8 (Prop 8). Prop 8 was challenged in California court, and the case then made its way to the US Supreme Court. Federally, the Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA) restricts marriage to men with women. The Supreme court has the option of overturning DOMA, although they'll likely wimp out and only address the case in California. There have been protests outside the Supreme Court all week by both sides in the battle for marriage equality. Taryn passed along a link from Buzzfeed featuring the 60 best signs from supporters of gay marriage (thanks!). Here are a selection:
See the rest here.
A feminist's take on BDSM.
Over at Jezebel, from an interview with Jessica Wakeman:
The argument that women who enjoy BDSM are "taught" they should be submissive in bed is insulting to me as a feminist: I'm not a little girl who needs other people to tell me what's best for me. I choose to trust the men I "play" with." I know what kind of pornography and erotica turns me on. I know what kind of touch turns me on. I know what kind of words and tone of voice turn me on. In fact, there's sort of a joke in BDSM that submissives are actually the dominant ones because they have ultimate control (like with a safe word). As far as spanking play goes, I've always been the ones telling men to do this to me, to do it harder, to do it softer, and when to stop. I guess you could argue that I've been brainwashed into being kinky, but that would be a reach.
The full interview can be found here.
Corey.
Via Reddit.
Lift and carry.
Macrophilia and sthenolagnia are two atypical sexual preferences that feature, as the objects of desire, tall and strong women, respectively. Some women, especially body builders or ex-body builders, provide sex work-like services related to sthenolagnia, or muscle worship. These services typically involve displays of strength used on the client (i.e., lift and carry). To give you an idea of how this plays out, here are two videos that feature such behaviour: