Sex News: Jeff Bezos sextortion, NYT’s porn fail, Oculus porn kits, premature female orgasm, sex toy encryption guide

We’re back on track after a WordPress update snafu — the new editor and all the update conflicts are so bad I don’t even want to use WP anymore. What a mess!

One of the worst articles I’ve read about porn was published in the NYT this weekend: “They Fixed Pornography” is so poorly researched, sex-work negative, and its headline is so arrogant, it’s got a lot of people deeply annoyed — including me. There’s no excuse for this kind of “just arrived” journalism on porn issues anymore. Anyway, here is a way, way better article on the topic NYT attempted to cover — and I believe it’s what the NYT’s article tried and failed to accomplish:

• “2018 was a year of massive change and growth for ManyVids, a premier adult video clip site with a fast-growing community focused on success through sex-positivity and fair treatment for adult performers … The company tackled numerous topics of concern to performers, ranging from bullying to consent to mental health, on-set abuse and more, issuing public statements in support of performers including Honey Gold, Nikki Benz and all adult entertainers who speak out against harassment, hate speech, abusive conduct and more. In addition to protecting the interests of performers, ManyVids also takes the protection of children online seriously …”
  * Bella French: Masterful CEO and Champion of Sex Workers (XBIZ)

• “As the CEO of feminist porn company Pink & White Productions, Houston has pushed the boundaries of this overwhelmingly straight male arena by creating porn with casts diverse in terms of sexual orientation, gender expression, and ethnic background … Now, exploring new ways of funding is a part of any independent filmmaker’s toolbox (including independent porn makers), and Shine Louise Houston is ahead of the curve.”
  * How A Feminist Porn Company is Reshaping the Rules of Crowdfunding (Mediashift)

• In which National Enquirer are sextortionists: “In the AMI letters I’m making public, you will see the precise details of their extortionate proposal: They will publish the personal photos unless Gavin de Becker and I make the specific false public statement to the press that we “have no knowledge or basis for suggesting that AMI’s coverage was politically motivated or influenced by political forces.” If we do not agree to affirmatively publicize that specific lie, they say they’ll publish the photos …”
  * No thank you, Mr. Pecker (Jeff Bezos – Medium)
  See also: Mistress’ Brother Leaked Bezos’ Racy Texts to Enquirer, Sources Say (Daily Beast)
  More: Actor Terry Crews says National Enquirer publisher tried to ‘silence’ him (Business Insider)

• “Adult publisher Badoink has started to sell Oculus Go VR headsets pre-loaded with adult content with a program it calls Porn in a Box … The X-rated Oculus Go headsets sell for $300, which is $100 more than what the base Oculus Go model costs at retail. For that surcharge, buyers get access to dozens of clips from the company’s BadoinkVR, BabeVR, VRCosplayX, and 18VR franchises.”
  * You Can Now Buy an Oculus Go VR Headset Pre-Loaded With Porn (Variety)

• “… It’s this shame that photographer Laura Dodsworth is aiming to overcome with her latest project, Womanhood. In a book and accompanying film for Channel 4, she tells the stories of 100 women and gender non-conforming people through portraits of their vulvas. ”
  * Me and my vulva: 100 women reveal all (Guardian)

• “As the Internet of Things expands, the most intimate devices are coming online. Sex toys and beds now connect to the internet. These devices collect, store, and often share our personal data … So today, Mozilla is releasing a Valentine’s Day supplement to *Privacy Not Included, our annual holiday shopping guide.”
  * Does Your Sex Toy Use Encryption? (The Mozilla Blog)

• “Full finished walk-out basement w/bilco doors, includes a gym or 5th bedroom and also is a private adult sexual oasis. It can be converted back to a typical suburban basement. Home currently is being offered as an Air B & B rental … $750 a night on weekdays & $2000 a night on the weekends for private parties or entertainment.”
  * ’50 Shades Of Maple Glen’: Pennsylvania Home For Sale Comes Complete With ‘Private Adult Sexual Oasis’ (Geekologie)

• Here we go again with the people who deny climate change claiming that evangelical propaganda is science. “Politicians in Arizona are calling for pornography to be declared a public health crisis – saying porn “perpetuates a sexually toxic environment” … Democrat Pamela Powers Hannley, who is sponsoring a different bill which focuses on medically accurate sex education, said: “If we really want to look at this, we should start with education.””
  * Arizona considering declaring porn a ‘public health crisis’ (Independent)

• “… the University of Chicago’s 2005 National Health and Social Life Survey found that 10 percent of women reported orgasming too quickly. Another 2016 study in the Journal of Adolescent Health reported that 3.9 percent of women ages 16–21 had struggled with premature orgasm over the past year.”
  * Not So Fast: Women Who Have Premature Orgasms Explain How They Deal (Vice)

• “Continuing to work through a pregnancy doesn’t usually need to be defended, but Holloway is a sex worker. She understood that the very fact of doing her job while gestating a human would expose her to criticism, judgment, and condemnation … I visited Holloway at her home in Oakland, California to talk about pregnancy fetishes, mommy role-play, and the stigma of doing sex work while pregnant.”
  * The Stigma of Doing Sex Work While Pregnant (Jezebel)

• “…This is the landscape that discussions on why sex work is, in fact, work are set in. They are clouded by people’s own experiences of sex and how it should be had. It is dominated by women, whose labour is often overlooked and undervalued. And considering sex workers’ rights means examining the intersection of various stigmas that shine a bright light on many nasty biases and injustices present in modern society.”
  * The Work in Sex Work (Kit Bauer – Medium)

• “As someone who has covered sexuality and sexual health quite a bit down the years, the news this week regarding the new emoji list struck a chord …”
  * ‘Men like me with small penises suffer from low self-esteem – so why is there now an emoji to bully us?’ (Telegraph)

Main post photo via Nereyda Bird by Wilson Philippe & Vanessa Hollander HQ Photo Shoot.