Positive Versus Prohibitive: Why Sex Positive Spaces are Beginning to Experience Backlash

The notion of "Sex Positivity" is one that we are all familiar with: it encourages an accepting, celebratory attitude toward sex and sexuality. There are times, however, when sex positive spaces can turn sour for their participants. Some feel pressured, while others feel ignored, and with these mounting concerns going largely unaddressed, there is a real need to band together, combat this "elephant in the room" and keep our spaces and ideals safe and welcoming for all.

How To Guide: Pleasing Cam Girls (And Not Just With Money)

Every time I'm on cam, there are people who make me want to tear my hair out. There are also people who I would so love to high-five, as well. Want to have your cam girl love you? Here is a list of what to do, and, of course, what not to do!

A boost of confidence

Being shy in the bedroom can sometimes feel like you're just plain boring; even if you have an amazing imagination, you are too reserved to share. Here are some tips on how to spice things up, and how not to feel like you're putting yourself out there to get embarrassed and let down.

These Feet Were Made For... Jerking?

You've used your hands, your breasts, your mouth, and he keeps on coming back for more. Now it's time to let your feet do the talking.

Take your Sex Toys to Work Day

It often has been the case that my non-vanilla-ness has lead to people looking at me in another light, and not in a good way. I thought this would be the case every time I brought it up in conversation, and had almost resigned myself to be considered a pervert every time. As luck would have it, though, things changed quite dramatically a few weeks back, when an unexpected conversation lead to my sex toys taking an unexpected trip to my workplace.

No Need To Hide My Sexuality (And How I Found It Out)!

Recent events in my life pretty much threw my sexuality out for my family and friends to see. In the end, things didn't turn out how I assumed that they would.

Sub-Space: How it felt for me.

If you're kinky, you may have heard of sub-space, or a sort of euphoric state that subs occasionally cross into during a scene. When I first found my kinky side, I thought just being part of a scene was causing me to dip into sub-space, but then I actually fell flat into it, and it was amazing.

Solo Sexuality

When most people think of the term "Solo Sexuality", it probably has a negative connotation to them. I, on the other hand, have always found it fun, interesting, and often an exciting alternative to engaging in sex with someone else. Masturbation has always been one of my favorite pastimes.

Girls and strip clubs.

Many guys think that strip clubs are just for men, and that is very untrue. There are strip clubs for women, as well, and here is the interesting part: some women enjoy going to a strip club with their partners and buying them a dance.

Exploring Hentai

There is so much porn, both on and off the internet. Why would anyone choose to look at drawings over real people? With a guilt free conscience, knowing that there are no reluctantly recruited actors, and no awkward feelings about watching strangers get down and dirty, many people choose hentai as an alternative. Plus, kinks and fetishes have no restrictions in hentai!

"Thinking-Off" (The Thought Induced Orgasm)

Since the 1970s, the connection between thought and orgasms has been a hot topic (Masters & Johnson)...Mental orgasms, Energy Orgasms, Thinking Off, Thought-gasms, Thought-induced orgasms. I am sure many of you have seen the show “Strange Sex” on TLC, specifically the episode about Thinking Off, but has anyone really thought about it? In this article I highlight my own experiences with thought-gasms, that they are in fact real, and what exactly you might want to know about them.

Porn For the Rest of Us: Top 5 Reasons to Read Fanfiction

The phrase “porn for women” is thrown around a lot these days, sometimes mockingly accompanied by a photo of a man doing the dishes, but you might be surprised to learn that there is a massive community of porn – real, explicit, kinky, delicious porn – created by women, for women. I'm talking about fanfiction.

The “O” Isn’t Always All

I’m a huge fan of orgasms. Huge. Hell, I’m a damn groupie. I’ll pursue orgasms like deadheads used to follow the Grateful Dead—and then Phish after Jerry Garcia died. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who likes the “big O” more than me (though admittedly, you’ll find plenty of people who like them just as much as me).

Sex and Depression

Over my time, I've heard a lot of people talking about how sex and help when you are depressed. Being one who like sex and hates feeling depressed, this very much intrigued me and I wanted to find out more. How does depression affect one's sex life? How could sex possibly help one's depression? Is it all really that simple? So, I decided to start some research and find my answers.

Admitting It's Not All About You

Sex is a very personal thing and sometimes we get caught up in our own pleasure. While you may think you're entirely giving in bed, there are still ways to open up and consider your partner more, which in turn will help draw you closer.

The Spirituality of Sex

Do you like sex? Do you like ambiance? If there's one thing we learned from ice-cream sandwiches, it's that good things are always better combined. (Or, well, usually, at any rate. We received quite a different message from jalapeno jelly beans.)

Shrinking The Gender Gap One Taboo At A Time

You’ve probably all seen it by now, the remarkable study that reveals how the more sexually aroused a woman becomes, the more willing she is to swallow her scruples. Well, in case no one had noticed, men are no different.

Light and Sex

Does turning off the lights actually contribute to us being turned on? This article is all about how light affects our bodies, our mood and by extension, our sexual experience.

Why Do They Call It The "Dirty Deed"?

This is one of the many random things on my brain that I'd love to share because it's something we don't really think about although we use it every day.

Sexy to the Undead

As odd as this concept might be. I have actually seen some sexy looking zombies. One was in Return Of The Living Dead. This one girl with a punk hair coloring job got turned into a zombie and in one scene is walking fast through some fog and then attacks a homeless guy.

Did I mention she is pretty much naked?

Understanding Desire and Love in the Brain

In Egyptian mythology, ib or heart portion of the soul was placed on a scale balanced against the Feather of Ma'at. The feather a symbolizing truth, in the judgment of the dead. All of our deeds, sins and contributes laid in the weight of the heart and if heavier then the feather the heart was gobbled by Ammit.

Sex Not Going as Planned? Here are Three Steps to get Back to Pleasure.

It happens to the best of us. You're in the moment, fully enjoying every kiss, stroke, and lick...until you're not. You start thinking about the laundry that needs to get done or that fight we had with whoever or the bills that need to get paid and before you know it, you are just over it. Sex? Not anymore. These three steps are my sure-fire way to move through those moments and back to your pleasure...fast.

Toys Aren't a Determination of Social Acceptability

In celebration of ten years of business, we asked community members to tell us what, if anything, EdenFantasys has done for them. This author attributes his complete change in outlook to our members.

Isolation: It Comes With the Territory

Imagine you’re just meeting someone new. It could be in person at a party, someone you bump into while going about your daily business, on a first date, or it could be on an online dating or social networking site.

Setting the Mood for a Happy Sexual Existence

Things I WISH I’d been told about sex, but wasn’t.

Reading The Sacred Sex Bible

Waking Up Your Inner Word Slut: How To Open Up And Say "Take Me!"

Let’s spend a moment on Oral Sex. We don’t mean the licking, slurping, sucking kind; although we love that kind too! We mean opening up your soft, warm lips and sending luscious vibrations through those little white chords that say, “I want you to fuck me. Slow. Fast. Long. Hard.” And, “Please, make it hurt… just a little.” Want to talk about that? We do.

The Nudie Artist: Burlesque Revived

To be simultaneously funny, sexy, seductive, and shocking is no easy task, but burlesque dancers manage to get a rise out of an audience, one way or another. New York’s Museum of Sex celebrates burlesque, past and present in the their recently opened exhibition "The Nudie Artist: Burlesque Revived," which not only explains the history of burlesque, but how it has become an art form in itself.

Forget the Hearts & Flowers: A Kinkier Guide to Valentine's Day

Not everyone is a “roses-n-chocolates” kind of lover. Some of us are even irked by the idea of a greeting-card-industry “holiday.” But that doesn't have to stop them from making the most of the sexy mood permeating everything from grocery stores to restaurants come February 14. Here are some suggestions for enjoying V-Day for those of us with darker tastes & kinkier vibes (including singles)!

Studs Theatre: Porn-Again Cinema

The reflections of a lone female visitor at West Hollywood's iconic gay male porn-plex.

Erotica by the (e)Book With Jean Marie Stine

Jean Marie Stine is the publisher/CEO of Renaissance eBooks Inc. One of the most successful and longest running eBook publishers (with nearly 1,800 titles currently available), Renaissance's various imprints crank out sci-fi (Futures Past), mysteries (Deer Stalker), and most famously, their Sizzler Editions, from which Stine has garnered a reputation as a publisher of red-hot erotica.

The Naked Reader Twitterotica Contest!

Another week, another hot topic, another 140 characters of steamy micro-erotic excellence. Presenting our weekly winner, runner-up and the outstanding entries for last week’s topic: “The kink that (almost) got away.”

Aural Sex: Giving Good Vocal with Oceania

Things That Go Hump in the Night...Is There Such a Thing as Sex After Death?

Have you ever walked alone into a darkened room and got that anxious, foreboding feeling something shouldn’t be there; something in the shifting shadows just out of sight, something with unknown motive and malevolent intent? Or does imagination just get the better of us sometimes?

The Score (Part Two)

The journey music takes from the time it enters through the ears to when it arrives between the thighs is informed by factors of both culture and physiology. (Yeah, we knew there had to be a reason why only the few and the kinky have sex to the tune of "Jive Talkin'"...)

The Score (Part One)

For once, I’m not writing about getting laid. Kinda.

The Naked Reader Twitterotica Contest Returns!

Another week, another hot topic, another 140 characters of steamy micro-erotic excellence. Presenting the outstanding entries for: “When I come, it's like...”

Pornsmith Variations: An Interview with M. Christian

The Naked Reader Twitterotica Contest!

Another week, another hot topic, another 140 characters of steamy micro-erotic excellence. Presenting our weekly winner, runner-up and the outstanding entries for last week’s topic: “Fire. Steam. Lava. Embers... How hot is hot?”

The Naked Reader Twitterotica Contest!

Another week, another hot topic, another 140 characters of steamy micro-erotic excellence. Presenting our weekly winner, runner-up and the outstanding entries for last week’s topic: “Get Out of Town!”

The Naked Reader: Erotica 101, Part 2

A Beginner’s Guide to Turning On Your Audience and Your Editor

The Naked Reader Twitterotica Contest!

Another week, another hot topic, another 140 characters of steamy micro-erotic excellence. Presenting our weekly winner, runner-up and the outstanding entries for last week’s topic: “Back to Basics.”

The Naked Reader: Erotica 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Sex Writing

The Naked Reader Twitterotica Contest!

Another week, another hot topic, another 140 characters of steamy micro-erotic excellence. Presenting our weekly winner, runner-up and the outstanding entries for last week’s topic: “Embracing the Strange.”

Coming in Colors: The Landscape of African-American Erotica, Part 2

From launching the niche to going mainstream, black writers are finding their market—and it's not necessarily defined by color lines.

The Naked Reader Twitterotica Contest!

Another week, another hot topic, another 140 characters of steamy micro-erotic excellence. Presenting our weekly winner, runner-up and the outstanding entries for last week’s topic: Dénouement.

The Naked Reader: Coming in Colors: The Landscape of African-American Erotica, Part 1

What is erotic? Ask the question of 100 people, 100 different answers volley back like flaming arrows toward a castle under siege. Each is as unique as the stripes on a tiger, some markedly more dangerous, all indisputably valid.

The Naked Reader Twitterotica Contest!

Another week, another hot topic, another 140 characters of steamy micro-erotic excellence. Presenting our weekly winner, runner-up and the outstanding entries for last week’s topic: Simultaneous Sexual Combustion.

The Naked Reader Twitterotica Contest!

One week, 140 characters...and your imagination. Presenting our weekly winner, runner-up and the outstanding entries for last week’s topic: What is the taste of a woman that's most enticing to your tongue?

The Naked Reader Book Club Twitterotica Contest!

One week, 140 characters...and your imagination. Presenting our weekly winner, runner-up and the outstanding entries for last week’s topic: The Flavor of man is like...

Plugged In: Teledildonics

The Naked Reader Book Club Twitterotica Contest!

One week, 140 characters...and your imagination. Presenting our weekly winner, runner-up and the outstanding entries for last week’s topic: "You taste like..."

Going Down in History, Part 2

A dozen years have passed since a curvy intern and the President of the United States launched an infamous sex scandal that left a mark infinitely more indelible on our culture than a telltale DNA stain on a blue dress.

Wishful Kinking: A List of Imaginary Sex Items We’d Like to See…

In a marketplace geared toward the design-conscious consumer—in which you can customize everything from your tits to your license plates—there are still two items that almost always default to black: luggage and kinky sex gear.

The Naked Reader Book Club Twitterotica Contest!

One week, 140 characters...and your imagination. Presenting our weekly winner, runner-up and the outstanding entries for last week’s topic: "I can't believe we just..."

The Naked Reader Book Club Twitterotica Contest!

One week, 140 characters...and your imagination. Presenting our weekly winner, runner-up and the outstanding entries for last week’s topic: "I want you, but I can't tell you."

The Naked Reader Book Club Twitterotica Contest!

One week, 140 characters...and your imagination. Presenting our weekly winner, runner up and the outstanding entries for last week’s topic: The Unknown

Naked Reader Book Club—This is Your Brain on Smut: How the Erotic Impulse Connects the Mind to the Genitals

It might be a graceful phrase from Anais Nin or Pat Califia, sought out or stumbled on, but as with any sexual attraction, once it chooses you, your heartbeat quickens, you’re aware of your breathing, and you become a bit stupid with horniness. That’s what reading erotica does to you—at least good erotica.

The Naked Reader Book Club: Playing the Race Card

Faith No More: When Spiritualists Trade Sex for Healing

There is a thriving trade here in this whimsical Arizona desert town, an otherworldly place of nearly supernatural beauty. Towering crimson cliffs and blood-red buttes stand sentinel over the errant souls who have been seduced by Sedona’s mystical allure, but few know its well-kept secret. Sex for salvation is nothing new, but here it has become a craft.

The Naked Reader Book Club: Ars Erotica, Part 2

From censored to celebrated, erotica emerges from its dark alley and brown-paper-wrapper past to stake its claim on the bookshelves along with classic literature of every genre.

The Naked Reader Book Club Debuts!

SexIs joins celebrated erotica publisher Cleis Press for some spirited reading that's sure to stimulate the body and the mind.

Five Ways to Improve Your Sex Life

I won’t lie: Sex has saved me. From myself especially. From going so deep into the spirals of my own brain which could drive me crazy. But when everything is perfect, there is no mind in sex. There is just feeling; just the body, moving, stretching, pulling, reaching, opening, pulsing, listening, taking, giving; just sensation.

Blood Sugar Sex Magik

Sex magic may be witchcraft’s greatest open secret, and very much real. When I first undertook the writing of this article, I thought it was something I wanted to explore with my partner. As I dug deeper, I realized sex magic is something very powerful, and best left to practitioners with more skills and knowledge than me. Nonetheless, it’s a fascinating topic, and one worth exploring.

Tuesdays with Nina: Sexual Attitudes

Today, Nina dishes on the biggest sexual organ of all...the brain!

Being Manic Got Me Screwed...A Lot

My sex life was completely, 100 percent, definitely no question about it attributed to my high and low moods. So, I stepped away from the computer and told a doctor in real life. I was easily diagnosed as bipolar, in part because of the record setting, in addition to the fact that I was unbalanced and moody. Since, bipolar has been written on my metaphorical psychiatric permanent record.

The Asexual Dynamic

Jay realized he was asexual by the end of high school and came out during college. Like most anyone who falls outside of the sexual norm, he spent a long time wondering what was wrong with him. “I knew I wasn’t experiencing something everyone else was experiencing, but I didn’t know what that meant. There was a pretty strong indication from pop culture that sexuality is a big deal.”

The Road Taken: How I Used to Be a Prude

I used to be a prude, but I didn’t know it. I had what I thought was good sex. My husband then (now ex) and I played around a little bit, did things like “69” and the occasional blindfolding. Seemed shocking and kinky at the time.

Dr. Dick on Demand: The Sex Positive Doctrine

Have you ever wondered about the term sex positive? If you’re like me, you see it all over the place, especially on sex-related sites. I confess I use it way more often than I should. It’s become one of those industry buzzwords that has, over time, become so fuzzy around the edges that to some, it’s now virtually meaningless.

Turning Off the Turn Offs: How to Find Detours around Sexual Roadblocks

The things that turn us on are determined not only by our individual preferences, but by the culture in which we live. The same holds true for those things that effectively turn us off.

The Sexual Revolution Versus the Female Imagination

What happens when rough sex scenarios and feminist sensibilities collide?

Fat Lips & Other Smack Talk: The Language of Fat

No matter how you say it, it seems everyone is talking about body size—either their own or someone else's. Fatspeak is a national obsession. So much talk is meant to belittle that it’s easy to give offense where none was intended. Here's a quick lexicon on Fat Language. Consider this a travel phrase book to the land of Fat where the roads are often dangerous, unmapped and slippery when wet.

SexVoxing: What's at Your Bedside?

Today on SexVoxing: What is in your bedside table drawer or toy basket?

Observations of a Sex-Positive Gypsy

Being a sex-educator isn’t all glamour all the time. And for Sarah Sloane, it’s more about being a sex-positive gypsy, traveling the highways and byways to deliver the good word—sort of like an evangelist, with a strap-on. In her first column, our heroine reflects on life, long-distance sex, and the evils of cheap hotel beds.

Sex Therapy—What Is It and Who Needs It?

I’m often asked about my work as a sex therapist. I’m surprised at how few people have any sense of what we actually do. While I can’t speak for all my fellow therapists, I can tell you a bit about my own practice.

SexVoxing: Now That You Can Laugh About It...

This week on SexVoxing, something a bit more personal...What is the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you during sex?

SexVoxing: Sex for Bookworms

Today on SexVoxing: What book on sexuality do you think should be required reading?

SexVoxing: Techniques to Grow On

Today on SexVoxing, we’re going to take a walk on the wild side of ‘what if’: What tip or technique do you wish your ex had known?

Cerebral Wanderlust: What Men and Women are Really Thinking About

Does a straying mind make you a stray dog? What are you freaks really thinking about in flagrante delicto? If your mind works anywhere close to normal, it’s going to wander—at least occasionally

Capital Bliss: The Other Mind Rights the Story (Luxuria Part Two)

What DO women want, anyway? It's all chemical, baby - and complicated. K. Page Nolker pokes about in the right side of the gray matter and tries to put all the pieces together.

Love, Wanting and Arousal: The Left Brain Lusts for Knowledge (Luxuria Part One)

What DO women want, anyway? It's all chemical, baby - and complicated. K. Page Nolker pokes about in the left side of the gray matter and sees what's what.