On April 15th on Toronto, performers, directors and consumers celebrated at the 6th Annual Feminist Porn Awards. What began six years ago as a group of around 250 people is now a celebrated event that takes place over 3 days, attended by over 1,000. It is hailed as “the longest running celebration of erotica focused on women and marginalised people.” Presenting a variety of sexual selves in a respectful, authentic light has been the goal of these awards since the beginning. The awards aim each year to find new ways to draw attention to diverse, unique and sex positive sexual expression in pornography.  (more…)

Happy National Teachers’ Day, everyone! It’s part of National Teacher Appreciation Week, actually, so if you didn’t give an apple (see left) to your favorite sex educator today, it’s ok, you still have some time. There are so many amazing sexuality educators that have changed my life and made a difference for me, inside and outside of Babeland. When I heard Tristan Taormino talk about anal sex for women for the first time, it totally changed the way I thought about having anal sex with a partner. When I watched a video of Betty Dodson’s Bodysex group and saw her amazing consciousness raising strategies, I knew I wanted to work with people radically around their sexuality too. And working alongside other amazing sex educators, like my fellow Babelanders, reminds me every day of the importance of having a supportive community around you to propel you forward.

Who is your favorite sexuality educator? It doesn’t have to be someone professional in the field, it could be a friend, lover or relative. How has some informed your sexuality in a way that changed your life?

There are so many different kinds of sexual enhancers on the market, it’s hard to tell what’s the “real deal” and what’s got the same level of credibility as those blue mysterious pills you see next to the cash register at your local bodega. So in the interest of sexuality journalism (and a little sex geekery on my part), I looked into arousal gels and how they actually work to enhance your sex life. (more…)