The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is taking a stand to support the opening of the Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health in Rhode Island. A zoning officer from the city has blocked the business from opening in a Main Street building on the grounds that it violates the building’s zoning use because of its educational nature. But The Providence Journal reports that other educational businesses are located in the building, including a chess club.“The ACLU says the decision raises serious constitutional concerns because the city’s director of administration, Harvey Goulet, was quoted in news reports saying that it is not a business the city is interested in and is not appropriate.” [Read more]
Researchers at Duke University have caused something of a flap after one behavioral economist advertised last month for study subjects. The study, a look into home sex toy parties, sought female students "view sex toys and engage in sexually explicit conversation with other female Duke students," reports The News Observer.Females recruited for the study will be required to answer a few surveys about their sexual attitudes and behaviors, and must then attend a simulated sex-toy party. Participants in the study would receive a gift bag and a discount on sex toys. [Read more]
Everybody remembers their first kiss, that scary but exhilarating early teenage experience. It would be even more memorable if you or your partner landed in jail because of it. Though it sounds far-fetched—ridiculous even, such a scenario could happen if you are a Belgian teenager under the age of 16. While that memorable kiss or some heated petting might land you and/or your partner behind bars, you could, under the right circumstances, lose your virginity at 14 with relative impunity. Yes, you did read that correctly: penetrative intercourse can be legal for minors while kissing and touching can be illegal for those very same Belgian teens. [Read more]
During the semi-finals of the Miss Asia pageant in Hong Kong, several participants were singled out to have their body parts, such as their breasts, scrutinised in minute detail. The segment which drew the most fire was the so-called “breast screen test.” Three of the most well-endowed contestants were asked to stand behind a board that was cut to show only the girls’ chests. With just their bosoms on display, the contestants were critiqued by one of the judges, Miss Chen Fei Jia, a model.Contestant Miss Lin Zhi Jun, whose vital statistics were 351/2 by 26 by 361/2, was judged to have the most appealing figure, while Miss Wang Xi Yao’s breasts deserved praise for “increasing her heart rate.” The contestants were then asked to share the secret to having ample bosoms. [Read more]
For those of you in the New York area, there's some fun and sexy happenings going on this weekend:Tonight at the Happy Ending Lounge (302 Broome St) there's Sex Worker Literati, hosted by Audacia Ray and David Henry Sterry. It's a monthly event, and this month's featured writers are Audacia Ray, Miss Calico , Dylan Ryan, Jo Weldon, Solitaire, and CarnalNation contributor Megan Andelloux. [Read more]
Dutch designer, Rachel de Boer, has launched her latest creation, La Decolette, to the European market online. This unique bra has no cups to cover the breasts and is not designed to be worn under clothing. It is intended to be worn while sleeping to prevent wrinkles “based on the natural healing ability of the skin.”According to the company’s website, the patented bra “does a very effective job by keeping your cleavage smooth. After just 1 night you will be stunned by the amazing results, all without expensive creams or surgeries.” It comes in a variety of sizes with adjustable shoulder and backstraps and the cushioned mid-section is made of hypo-allergenic fibres. The website claims that some results will be visible in one night alone, but full results could take 5 to 7 days. [Read more]
In some species, it seems that promiscuity is a wise safety precaution. At least that's what Australian researchers found with regard to the fiddler crab, reports The Australian. In the study--published yesterday in the journal Biology Letters--Richard Milner, Professor Michael Jennions and Dr Patricia Blackwell found that female fiddler crabs are willing to offer sex to males in exhange for their protection.Male fiddler crabs are gifted with a single enormous claw, the largest claw relative to overall size in the entire animal kingdom. But females don't have the giant claw, so they're unable to protect themselves against unwanted advances from other males. Both males and females need to defend their territory, and the females are physically powerless against the enormous appendage. [Read more]
As the days grow shorter and the nights longer, we also begin to see those other harbingers of 2009 coming to its inevitable conclusion: holiday decorations and, of course, the new crop of calendars for 2010. Amid the usual profusion of Georgia O'Keefe flowers and Impressionist paintings adorning each month, you can usually find some calendars that are a bit more provocative. There are, of course, the ones that have become—for lack of a better term—cultural phenomena like the annual nude French rugby player extravaganza known as the Dieux du Stade, but you can also expect some that appeal to more specific tastes or niches, like, say, sexy knitters or Mormon beefcakes. Perhaps not appropriate for most work places, calendars such as these rarely create controversy; however, the 2010 calendar put out by the Collective of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals and Bisexuals of Madrid (COGAM) has outraged Spanish Catholics, some of whom are calling for criminal prosecution. [Photos after the jump] [Read more]
Last night's elections were a mixture of defeat and victory for LGBT issues across the country. The biggest disappointment of course, was the passage of Question 1 in Maine, which reversed legislation passed this May legalizing same-sex marriage. Unlike California, no same-sex marriages were performed in Maine after the law was originally passed. Although signed into law by Governor John Baldacci, the legislation never took effect because of petitions filed by anti-marriage equality conservatives. Question 1 was approved by 53% of the voters. [Read more]
In Malaysia, there has been one case of a couple separating because the spouse smelled of fish crackers. Don’t be too quick to gloat because you are also at risk if you or your spouse own old-fashioned pyjamas and smell bad during sex. There must be some truth to this because smelly body odour, humdrum sex, and boring pyjamas have being cited as the reasons behind the high divorce rate in the Terengganu state of Malaysia. At least three in every ten marriages registered in the state ends in divorce. Separation is now the prevalent trend among couples aged between 25 and 30 years. [Read more]
Researchers at the University of Washington have been working to develop a male contraceptive pill for over thirty years and Seattle Weekly reports that they are approximately five years away from its release.Dr. Dr. John Amory and his research team are looking for male test subjects to participate in clinical trials. No sex will be required, as it is the sperm that will be tested to evaluate efficacy. This new version of “the pill” would involve testosterone intake and side effects may include muscular changes and impacts on libido and mood. [Read more]
Not that we need it, but science has provided us with one more good reason to have sex: stronger sperm. Reuters reports that having sex daily can improve sperm quality and increase the likelihood of pregnancy. Though some doctors have advised men to refrain from sexual activity for a few days before trying to conceive, new research out of Sydney, Australia suggests otherwise.Dr David Greening of Sydney IVF, an Australian fertility center that helps clients conceive through in vitro fertilization, found that frequent ejaculations may improve the quality of sperm by reducing the length of time they spend in the testicular ducts. He explains that this reduced amount of time may decrease the exposure of sperm to reactive oxygen species which he describes as “potentially damaging molecules”. [Read more]
With 87 percent of precincts reporting, the law permitting same-sex couples to marry in Maine has been repealed. Despite the numbers (53% of the vote), gay marriage supporters have refused to concede; however, the hopes of pulling out the referendum seem dim at best. "We're here for the long haul and whether it's just all night and into the morning, or it's next week or next month or next year, we will be here," said Jesse Connolly, manager of the pro-gay marriage campaign. "We'll be here fighting. We'll be working. We will regroup."Frank Schubert, chief organizer for the fight against equal rights for all Americans, told reporters, "The institution of marriage has been preserved in Maine and across the nation." Chuck Schott, a foe of equal rights and opportunity in marriage, said that if Maine allowed same-sex marriage, the state "will have its place in infamy." Indeed, it does now have a place in infamy as the only state to repeal a same-sex marriage law passed by its legislature and signed into law by its governor. This defeat comes at what cost? That would be the cost of freedom and equality. The fight for same-sex marriage is far from over. Don't give up.
Shame on you Maine! Shame. [Read more]
With polls on the East Coast already closed for more than 3 hours, the referendum on gay marriage in Maine is still too close to call. The early returns show a dead heat with 148 of 608 precincts reporting. Nearly 100,000 Maine residents voted prior to today by absentee ballot; however, there are more than 1 million registered voters in the northernmost New England state. Four other New England states—Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut—have legalized same-sex marriage. Maine legalized gay marriage in May of this year; however, opponents, in large part supported by the Catholic Church, almost immediately made an issue of the new law, gathering enough signatures to place it on today's ballot as a referendum. Matthew Dunlap, Maine's secretary of state, told reporters that voter turnout was higher than expected in an off-year election. [Read more]
Muslim women in Indonesia's West Aceh district will be banned from wearing "tight" trousers or jeans under new regulations.From the start of next year, any woman wearing trousers or jeans deemed to be too tight will have to immediately change into a government-issue skirt and their offending garment will be chopped into pieces. Women can wear loose trousers but they must cover their ankles and be worn under loose, long skirts. Men in turn are prohibited from wearing shorts.
The regulations only apply to the majority Muslim population and are based on the recommendation of local clerics. This means non-Muslims need not worry and do not need to make a detour in passing through West Aceh.
District chief Ramli Mansur urged the public not to be angry with him but with God as he is only carrying out a religious obligation. [Read more]