Those of you who know what Burning man is (here’s a link for those who don’t) probably have positive mental images of the festival – after all, it’s an intentional community based on art, freedom of expression, and radical inclusion and participation. However, sexual assault does happen at burns, and so it’s good to be aware that the possibility exists. I highly recommend this essay on rape at Burning Man by Clarisse Thorn. She discusses an assault, the community response, and some of the legal and cultural issue affecting consent and vulnerability. Not all of us will go to Burning Man, but we all should have conversations about how to create safe environments and spot abusers. Continue Reading →
Sex In the News
Recent posts
The Politics Of Regulating Guns And Regulating Sexuality
Buckle up, folks, I’m going to draw a number of parallels and ask you to put on your metaphorical thinking-caps while reading this post. Maybe you don’t automatically think “vaginas!” when you’re tuning into the gun debate in America, but I do, and I think you should consider doing the same. Here’s why. Continue Reading →
Denmark’s Sperm Bike
Talk about genitals in the wild! I recently stumbled upon an article that added another bullet point to my long list of reasons to live in a Scandinavian country. The Nordisk Cryobank, a European sperm bank, decided to get creative in transporting donor samples. Naturally, they chose a bike- but this isn’t just any bike.
The “sperm bike” is not only a green form of transportation, but it serves as a wonderful form of advertisement for the Cryobank. Continue Reading →
Why Firing A Sexy Employee Reflects Implicit Sexism
By now, the news that an Iowa court upheld a (male) dentist firing his (female) assistant for being too sexy has made the rounds. It doesn’t seem to matter whether the employee has been flirtatious or dressed inappropriately; the employer’s comfort level was the main factor in the decision. Other bloggers have tackled why this is a problem, pointing out, for instance, that this ruling sends a negative message by objectifying women (which is not technically illegal) – so maybe the law should change. Perhaps a new law preventing employers not just from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender, but also discrimination based on the employer’s feelings of sexual attraction (or lack thereof) would help. However, I believe that this case reflects an unconscious level of sexism that many Americans don’t even question, which is what we really need to be discussing in order to change things for the better. Continue Reading →
What To Eat Before Sex
I read an article from Cosmopolitan on “8 Foods To Avoid Before Sex”, and while I agree that some of the foods may not make you feel at your sexiest I think people should eat what makes them feel sexy. Food is tasty – so try out a variety of foods and figure out what makes you feel your best. Most of the foods on Cosmo’s avoid list are there because they can cause bloating (such as beans and broccoli). Cheese made it on to the list, which reminded me of a good friend who is lactose intolerant. If she pops a Lactaid before she enjoys some dairy, she is perfectly fine – no bloating or other stomach distress. Continue Reading →
Communication Fails: www.HeTexted.com
Last week, I stumbled upon HeTexted.com, a website devoted to “interpreting” cryptic text messages from men. Here’s how it works: a user sends in a text message, includes their own comments giving necessary background information, and leaves the decision up to the internet. Anyone in the blogosphere can vote in one of three ways regarding the sender’s intentions: either he’s into you, he’s not into you, or the verdict is still out. Sound familiar? My first instinct was to hate it, to repost the link with some snarky comment about the novel idea of actually asking your partner what they meant. My second instinct was to hate it more, wondering why these people couldn’t just ask their friends what they thought rather than airing all their dirty laundry on the internet. Continue Reading →
Gender Theorists Are The Enemy (According To The Pope)
In a recent speech, Pope Benedict XVI asserted that heterosexual marriage is a sacrament of creation, and that because gender theorists seek to disrupt marriage and similar institutions, they pose a danger to humanity. Riiiight. Here come the gender theorists, who will DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU HOLD DEAR. I would instead argue that the pope should be taken to task for giving his blessing to Ugandan legislation that institutes a death penalty for homosexuality. Who’s doling out the harm, here? Continue Reading →
Hasbro to Produce “Gender-Neutral” Easy-Bake Oven
McKenna Pope, a 13 year-old girl from New Jersey, is a bad-ass. After searching for an Easy-Bake oven for her younger brother for Christmas and discovering that the Hasbro product only comes in pink and purple, Pope decided to make a change. She headed over to Change.org (you know, the people behind those daily emails with inflammatory headlines that you can’t quite figure out how to unsubscribe from) and started an online petition, which received over 40,000 signatures. Hasbro recently announced that they would be releasing an Easy-Bake oven in “gender-neutral” colors (black, silver, and blue), and have promised to include boys as well as girls in their advertisements. This is great news! Continue Reading →
Challenging Rape Culture In India (Trigger Warning)
A 23-year old medical student was gang-raped on a public bus in Delhi, India, leading to nation-wide protests. Protesters point out the pervasive rape culture in India, such that rape is horrifyingly common and the legal consequences are few. Many protesters are hopeful about both cultural and legal reforms, using this latest incident as a means of opening a public dialogue about a troubling problem. I’m hopeful on their behalf, too. Continue Reading →
Holiday Giving? Think Again About The Salvation Army!
Love it or hate it, the holiday season is here. That means (along with being bombarded by Christmas music every time you’re out) being forced to choose between dodging and acknowledging the people who are out asking for money in front of stores. Even if the idea of giving to charity appeals to you, think carefully about where your money might be going. One of the most prominent charities, with their distinctive red buckets and bell-ringing, is the Salvation Army. However, one of their media relations directors said outright that gays deserve death. Continue Reading →