Sex

Sprout Pharmaceutical is again asking for FDA approval for flibanserin, a pill that they say will help women experiencing low levels of sexual desire. In a New York Times op-ed, sex educator Emily Nagoski is skeptical: But the biggest problem with the drug — and with the F.D.A.’s consideration of it — is that its backers are attempting to treat something that isn’t a … [Read more...] about Who Should Control Women’s Sexual Desire?

One of the lessons I've learned from reading Maggie McNeill's Honest Courtesan blog for the last couple of years is that opponents of sex work will try to make even the most routine business practices sound evil. I just finished a three-part think piece about some aspects of that, and already Maggie has pointed me to another.I remember years ago reading some feminist … [Read more...] about Everything Seems Evil When You Add Sex To It

Over on the Twitter, retired call-girl Maggie McNeill is urging some of us bloggers to join her campaign to make every Friday the Thirteenth a day to speak up for the rights sex workers. She think's it's especially important to get support from outside the sex work community: A number of advocates are working to respond to the lies, propaganda and misinformation wherever … [Read more...] about Speak Up For Sex Workers

It's probably a sign that there's something wrong with me, but somehow I find this video charming. It's composed entirely of just-before-things-get-naughty scenes from porno movies. I guess that knowing what happens next produces a certain tension with the innocent music and images. Warning: In and of itself, it's safe for work, but technically these are scenes of porn stars in … [Read more...] about And Now For Some (Almost) Porn

This is the third and final post in a series of responses (starting here) to an opinion piece by Melissa Farley and Norma Ramos arguing that the customers of prostitutes are sexual predators and should be punished as such. The article made me angry, and I'm trying to explain why. The equation of slavery and prostitution appears several places in the piece I'm … [Read more...] about Prosecuting Johns – Part 3: Respecting Women