It has been a wild roller coaster ride these past few months. The weekend before the November elections, the facility that houses our campus was raided by vice cops.  All events, including our classes, have been shut down ever since, and now the owner has sold the facility.

What that means is no more live classes for awhile. It puts an end to our planned Internet radio show, which would have included a live studio audience. It also delays our planned library and resource center, the Center for Sexual Expression and Education. Both of these projects were to have debuted early this year and have been in development for over a year.

As you can imagine, we are very disappointed. It is only a temporary setback, though. While we may no longer have a physical campus for the time being, our Virtual Campus is worldwide, accessible to anyone with an Internet connection.

We will shortly introduce our Sex Educators Class Development Kit. Anyone with a video camera, a computer, and sexual knowledge they want to share will be able to create a class and distribute it in our downloadable Virtual Classroom format. They get all the software and everything they need to create the class, along with our expert help. They can sell the class on our site, and our proprietary software includes development tools and copy protection built-in. This will transform the way sex education is taught.

The current issue of Sex in Review includes articles about the campus and how we got shut down, as well as full coverage of the recent Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas.

-Jeff Booth
 

Bad Vibrations from the 11th Circuit

A three judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, ironically on Valentine’s Day, upheld the ridiculous Alabama law prohibiting the sale of sex toys.  Judge Charles Wilson concluded that the state has a “legitimate rational basis for the challenged legislation.” What they upheld was legislation that states it is “unlawful for any person to knowingly distribute any obscene material or any device designed or marketed as useful primarily for the stimulation of human genital organs.” Georgia and Texas have similar laws. The essence of the court’s decision is that states have a right to determine what public morality is, no matter how irrational the decision making process is for determining that morality. If the state decides something is immoral and can be banned, the decision is rational, period. They did not consider the individual right to privacy in this case- only the power of the state to control morality through its control over commerce. They disregarded the Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas as limited to privacy rights in the privacy of your own home and having nothing to do with an issue related to commerce. As has been pointed out in cases regarding contraception, though, a right to contraception is meaningless if the states can ban their purchase. In a Decatur Daily News online poll, 91 percent of respondents were opposed to the law. The matter will likely go on up to the Supreme Court. While the Supreme Court has refused to hear cases on sex toys, most recently with Texas, the growing number of cases may force them to. Courts in Colorado, Kansas, and Louisiana have found sex toy bans unconstitutional, while they have been upheld in Georgia, Mississippi and Texas.

Why the Ban on Sex Toys Decision Could Kill People

There is a way around the prohibition these states and many local communities place on sex toys. You simply reclassify them as novelties only. Technically, that is how most sex toys are now sold. Here’s the rub- if an item is a novelty only and not really for its obvious intended purpose, what can you do if the item is unsafe? Essentially, not much. That is the problem now with the growing concern over phthalates and some of the other materials that some vibrators and dildos are made out of. Some of them may cause cancer. We don’t really know if they are safe, and even if we did, because they are sold as novelties only, there is not much we can do to regulate them. There are a few online companies that try to avoid potentially unhealthy materials, or at least recommend using a condom over the toys, but what consumers really need to know is that sex toys are safe. With idiotic rulings like the 11 Circuit’s, and a phobic view of sexuality, consumers are not just short changed; their health is potentially at risk.

Know Your Circuit Court Judges

William H. Pryor Jr., a.Bush nominee to the 11th Circuit , could not be a part of the Alabama sex toy case because prior to being a Circuit Court judge he was the Attorney General of Alabama who was being sued to overturn the law. Before being confirmed, Pryor compared gay sexuality to "prostitution, adultery, necrophilia, bestiality, possession of child pornography and even incest and pedophilia" in a legal brief he filed with the high court. He was a strong supporter of the Texas sodomy laws that the Supreme Court overturned in Lawrence v Texas. He is a religious extremist and no fan of the separation of church and state. He was the deciding vote just a week prior affirming Florida’s ban on gay adoptions.

Power to the FCC

The FCC has enormous power in allowing mergers and other business issues related to major corporations. Under the leadership of chairman Kevin Martin, those decisions are not always based on what is in the best interest of the public, but sometimes based on his narrow religious beliefs. He is opposed to indecency, although he is disinclined to explain what indecency is. Now the two satellite radio stations want to merge, and the FCC decision may come down to an offer by the satellite companies that Martin may find hard to resist. One of his chief concerns is the unbundling of program so that users choose only the channels they want. Anti-indecency proponents believe that this will eliminate marginal channels that might have indecent content. While that view is questionable, it will certainly eliminate choice. Few of us will pay extra for a channel we only watch from time to time. It will put a lot of channels out of business and dramatically eliminate the number of channels available. Sirius and XM have told Martin that they will consider offering customers individual channel selection. Martin and his ilk at the FCC hope that this would put what they see as indecent channels out of business. What it will really do is narrow choices and increase costs, at least that is what the FCC’s internal study on this issue relating to cable told them. Even worse, a new FCC report suggests that they should be given the power to regulate sex and violence on television and on cable and satellite. It would give them unprecedented power to control everything that we watch, and turn them into the most powerful censors in the U.S.

Power to the Police

Let’s say a cop pulls you over, then makes you jerk him off to get out of a ticket. You have the DNA because of the sperm he ejaculated all over your clothing, the cop even admits it, so it looks like a slam dunk case against the officer, right? Wrong. Not if you are a sex worker, in this case a stripper who works at Captain Cream Cabaret. A jury found that the woman was oversexed and made the officer do it. He got off, and then got off. Prosecutors believe he followed her from the club, knowing full well that most sex workers fear the police and generally will not report sex crimes committed by them, knowing that they are seldom prosecuted and that sex workers are typically blamed for the officer’s misbehavior. Ask almost any prostitute and she’ll tell you tales of being forced into sex by police who know they stand little risk of prosecution. Vixen on the radicalvixen.com site reports a similar case that happened to a dancer friend of hers. In the current case, the officer was even out of his jurisdiction when he pulled her over. This was not even the first time he’s pulled her over. The previous time he even demanded her phone number and had called her at home. He’d been warned by his Police Sergeant to stay away from strippers. He violated procedure when he pulled her over. He even disabled his GPS. The defense focused on her career and essentially called her a Jezebel, and that the poor officer was powerless against her sexual wiles. She was put on trial, and the jury found her guilty of being sexual. It is a common story in our legal system. Fortunately, the police department settled the civil suit out of court, but the officer, while no longer on the force, joined many of his compatriots who have sexually abused women with impunity, just because of what their victims did for a living.

Poor Planning

An increasing number or states are paying anti-abortion religious based groups to counsel women with unplanned pregnancies, while at the same time cutting back funding for organizations such as Planned Parenthood. As a condition of funding, these groups are forbidden from referring women to treatment centers that also offer abortions, and in some cases are not even allowed to discuss contraception. Most won’t anyway. A report by Rep. Henry A Waxman showed that out of 23 counseling centers examined, 20 provided misleading information, including the thoroughly scientifically debunked notion that abortion can lead to breast cancer. The states doing this include Texas, Florida, Missouri, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, in Texas money was taken from Planned Parenthood funding and given to the local Catholic Church, where it pays anti-abortion counselors $1.05 per minute. According to the Times, states will spend at least $13 million this year to dissuade women from having abortions, using money that comes primarily from welfare and family planning budgets. Ultimately, though, more pregnant women with less access to birth control information means greater welfare costs. These counseling centers, unlike Planned Parenthood, do not offer medical services, discourage contraception, and will cost taxpayers much more money in the long run.

Quickies

A pending bill in Hawaii would decriminalize prostitution.

Playboy is releasing the entire 53 year print run of Playboy in digital form, available on DVD.

National Events

Exotic Art Show, February 10th through March 3rd, Phoenix, Arizona
An exhibit featuring erotic art. Different events include Sex Workers Art Show National Tour 2006, the Erotic Poetry & Music Festivus, and the Exotic Rites of Spring Dance.

Fetish Ball 2005, March 16th - 19th, San Francisco
Featuring  the most beautiful models, fabulous DJs, renowned performers, photographers, personalities, and many other glittering stars from the fetish firmament. 

Tantra: The Yoga of Love, March 10th - 12th, Atlanta
An opportunity to slow down and rediscover the pleasures of sensual play and loving communion and learn simple ways to incorporate Tantra Yoga into your lovemaking. Rediscover and amplify your innate erotic potential and achieve enhanced intimacy with your partner if you are coupled and skills for nurturing yourself if you are single.

Miss No Swim Suit Contest, March 11th - 18th, Hedonism Resort, Jamaica
This contest has beautiful women from all over the world competing for the title. The site has great pictures from contests past.

KinkFest, March 24th - 26th, Portland, Oregon
A private event celebrating BDSM, Leather & Fetish diversity. There are educational workshops and discussion groups, BDSM vendor tables, and evening play parties.

Seattle Erotic Art Festival, March 24th - 26th, Seattle

Founded in 2002 by Seattle's Sex Positive Community Center, the show promotes freedom of sexuality, speech and creativity through the erotic expression of fine art. Events include a Dieties of Eros Costume Gala, an auction, and a Performance Art Party. 

Adultcon 10, March 25th - 26th, Los Angeles
A convention featuring adult stars and entertainers. 

Orlando Interlude, April 27 - 30, Orlando, Florida
This Couples Only Event is designed to bring like-minded couples together in an intimate experience. This year's event will be an entire hotel sellout! Expect some wild & crazy pool parties, erotic and sensual theme dances, informative & entertaining seminars, sensational hospitality suites and a fabulous Erotic Market.

Scientists in Japan are injecting fat from a woman’s stomach or thigh that is enriched with stem cells into her breast. They claim it results in very natural feeling breasts that increase by two cup sizes.

Any time you read about sexual social science research, you should be skeptical, especially when very small samples are used. Take, for example, a new study out of the University of New Mexico. The study claims that when couples have similar MHC genes, the woman is more likely to have sex outside the relationship. She will be more sexually attracted to men with more dissimilar MHC genes, and thus, more faithful. The study was based on just 48 couples. While many studies have shown increased sexual attraction to those who are more genetically different and MHC might certainly be a factor, the notion of it being a predictor of sexual faithfulness seems a little absurd. It is a lot more complicated that that. You have to account for attitudes about monogamy and lifestyle choices, compatible sex drives, marital and relationship satisfaction, and the effects of time on relationships. What about swingers (are they all MHC compatible?), or women who have affairs with other women? The study is interesting, but the conclusions seem naïve.

Men who receive combination treatment with hormone therapy plus radiation for local or locally advanced prostate cancer may experience a significant reduction in penile length, according to a report in the January issue of the Journal of Urology. What can you do to help your prostate? Frequent ejaculation helps clear out the system and can lead to a reduced chance of getting prostate cancer.

Thank God you aren't married to Joan Sewell, the author of I'd Rather Eat Chocolate. In her new book, she claims she'd rather do almost anythig other than have sex, and tries to convince readers that she is normal and that is the way most normal married women. Women who think otherwise are just deluding themselves.

She claims that women fake lust, and that all men want more sex than women. Women just give in to sex out of submissiveness, guilt, and fear of being abandoned. I've probably talked to more women with failed marriages where his lower sex drive was the problem than vice versa. Forget about research that shows that lower libido in women can be triggered by hormonal imbalances.

Sex exhausts her. It makes her feel guilty. She admittedly used it to lure in her husband only to cut him off once she had him. She does not like to be given head because she thinks mouths are too germy to be on her vagina, plus she does not like the way it looks. While she claims lower libido in women is just fine and biologically appropriate, it sounds like some of her problems are clearly psychological.

It is amazing how often people like Sewell get published as sex experts. Trying to convince others that your limitations and phobias are the norm is neither healthy or responsible. Those seeking an answer to their lower libido issues won't find much in the way of answers here.

McCain Insane?

While this covers sexual issues, some may find it a bit politically left leaning- so skip it if that sort of thing offends you.

What’s going on with John McCain? He used to be known as a maverick, but lately he seems to be disavowing almost everything he ever believed in to cater to the religious right in his quest to become president. While he said at the time that he “deplored” the Swift Boat tactics used against John Kerry, one of his current top advisors worked on the Swift Boat project. Even though the dirty tricks politics used against him by the Bush team in the 2000 primary involved racist allegations regarding his own adopted child, he just hired Terry Nelson to manage his campaign. Nelson was responsible for the notoriously racist sex tinged ad used against black candidate Rep. Harold Ford Jr. in the last election.

McCain criticized the Christian Right in the past, but this week he’ll be a keynote speaker at the Discovery Institute, an organization fighting to remove non-Biblical science from the classroom and replace it with the more Christian pseudoscience of Intelligent Design, something he now approves of despite a recent landmark court decision stating that Intelligent Design is not scientific. It also believes in Bible based government. McCain now supports prayer in school and the teaching of the Ten Commandments in school (although that “Thou shalt have no God before me” part seems a little tough on non-Christians). He opposes including sexual orientation in hate crime legislation, despite it being an increasing factor in hate crimes. While missing the big vote on the war in the Senate during this past weekend, he spent his time at a rally encouraging young people to just say no to sex, and is a big supporter of the administrations misguided abstinence only programs.  

Other turnabouts include coming out in favor of overturning Roe v Wade, and objecting to gay marriage and supporting the legislation barring it in his home State of Arizona. Did someone leave a pod under his bed? Ironically for the man who will be 72 if elected, a recent Gallup poll found just 2 percentage points difference between those opposing electing someone that old and those opposing electing a gay man as President.

One area where McCain has been consistent is in not being a free speech sort of guy. He just introduced legislation that would treat blogs and social networking sites much like internet service providers and hold them responsible for all activity in comments and user profiles- with fines of up to $300,000. It puts onerous responsibility on any site that allows comments, requiring them to make sure that no one who comments and leaves an email address has been registered as a sex offender. In a bizarre twist, if someone posts child pornography on your site, you must take it offline, report it, and then keep it for 180 days- which makes little sense as under current law mere possession of such images is a crime. It also does not clearly define child pornography. Under current law, it could be a fully clothed picture of a child that seems salacious in the mind of the viewer, and it can include drawings and paintings. Explain to me how you determine how old someone is supposed to be in a drawing- especially of fantasy characters? And yes, people have been prosecuted for such things.

In 2000 McCain authored a bill that would block all obscenity from library computers- without bothering to define exactly what obscenity is or who would decide. He wants Hollywood to self-censor itself and remove sex and violence from films. He wants a Constitutional Amendment against flag burning.

And this is the guy who gets billed as the moderate Republican?