The Wisconsin Badger-Herald reports that a group of law students at the University of Wisconsin Law School tried to bring a sex-positive sex toy party to campus. From what I understand, not only were they going to talk about sex toys and sexual health and pleasure but they were also going to talk about state laws concerning sex toys. You know, law student stuff.

It turns out that Wisconsin Law School has a policy against student groups “selling, promoting or endorsing commercial products”. Using this policy as justification, the dean of the school, Dean Walter Dickey (yes, Dickey, really) canceled the event just hours beforehand. When informed by the students that their event contained no selling, promoting or endorsing of commercial products, just talking generally about sex toys, he refused to let it continue saying, according to students, that there would be no sex toys on the law school campus. In a particularly Dick(ey)’ish move, the dean informed the students about the cancelation by posting a note on the door of the room where the event was supposed to be that said “The event that was scheduled in this room at 3 p.m. is canceled. — Walter Dickey.” It is just me or is that just about as awful as breaking up with someone via text message?

A First Amendment attorney and a professor at Barry University School of Law thinks using this policy was a cover up and that the real problem was the posters. Whether it was Dean Dickey who was offended by the very cute posters (pictured) or even just one other student, it’s ironic that a law school would be prohibiting free speech in such a way - you’d think they would know their first amendment law better than anyone.

What it really all seems to boil down to is a fear of talking about sex or even being part of an institution that supports others talking about sex. This isn’t the first time students have had trouble bringing sex positive educators to campus. The administrators always use policies and other excuses but really, they’re uncomfortable and they won’t (or can’t) see the importance of these topics in people’s lives and so they assume that it must be an extravagance that students don’t really need. Considering the fact that they’re in an academic environment where most students could benefit from a few more orgasms to relieve stress and get through finals, I think it should be part of the student wellness programs. Maybe one day we’ll get there but until people can learn to be more comfortable talking about sex openly (or even seeing a poster with a dildo on it), we’ll never get there. I hope the students at Wisconsin eventually get to hold their event but I can promise Dean Dickey that it won’t be as bad as he thinks it will be. Maybe he should attend - he might learn something new.

As Wired so eloquently points out, we just hit five years of war in Iraq, Hillary and Barack are still battling it out, we don’t have universal health care, we’re already in a recession and no one will admit it and the planet is getting warmer. In the midst of all of this, the government has decided to focus on…. pornography. They’ve charged John “Buttman” Stagliano with seven (that’s 7) felonies for selling porn over the internet to adults (consenting, legal adults) in Washington DC. Shouldn’t we really be focusing on other, more important things? Plus, maybe recently John has made movies like Milk Nymphos (thanks Fleshbot) but he also directed Fashionistas - one of the best porn films of all time.

Here’s the real kicker about obscenity laws (for a full tutorial, check out Harmful to Minors): whether or not something is considered obscene depends on the community. For something to be obscene it has to be depicting “patently offensive sexual conduct” appealing “to a prurient interest” and lacking “serious artistic, literary, political, or scientific value.” If we’re going to use those standards then I would judge Temptation Island as being obscene. What we’re really talking about here is that a Judge views a film, is disgusted by it because it depicts things that he would never do (or admit to doing) and declares it obscene. Imagine the case of a jury; do you want to be the one person who thinks that female ejaculation is cool instead of gross?

Basically, obscenity (like promiscuity) is personal: it’s anything that depicts people doing sex acts that you don’t do. Therefore, it’s a pretty crappy basis on which to judge. What should standards of obscenity be? How about anything involving no consent (kids, animals)? That’s where I would start. Except I wouldn’t call it obscene.

What would be in your definition of obscenity? Or what word would you pick?

I was comfortably settling in for the night by paging through various sexy blogs when (egads!) I came upon a bit of reading that left me decidedly uncomfortable. Emily Farris, over at nerve.com, was equally aghast when sharing this tidbit from Marie Claire:

The collagen injection - known as the ‘G-Shot’ - is being hailed as the latest cosmetic lunchtime treatment, administered within 30 minutes.
The £800* injection claims to enlarge the G-spot to the size of a 10p in width, making the legendary erogenous zone easier to find and more sensitive.
…Before you start rushing out for this little helping hand however, the injection only lasts four months before you have to go back for a booster…

*For those of us unfamiliar with the conversion rate, that’s 1,593.77 $USD.

The mere thought of having a needle inserted into my g-spot has had the exact opposite effect: I believe that mine has unwrapped itself from my genital area and is presently cowering behind my sacrum. In addition to the needle, the collagen, the hefty price tag, and the four-month life-span, the news also leaves me wondering if these ladies have given the good ol’ hands-on technique a whirl. To quote Emily:

How about you train yourself and your partner to find your G spot, which is most likely perfectly fine the way it is? Invest in a good dildo and some instructional videos, if needed.

I couldn’t agree more; and I’ll take her recommendation a few steps further by sharing some tips and resources that don’t involve medical procedures and an ample wad of cash:

• Visit our sister site, the G-Spot Center. There, you will find some good, solid information on finding your own (or your partner’s) g-spot… and some fun things to do with it once you’ve found it.
• Bone up with a book. We love Deborah Sundhal’s “Female Ejaculation and the G-Spot.”
• Try a toy. There are a wealth of g-spot vibrators and dildos specifically designed to hit your sweet spot and keep you coming back for more.
• Take a class. It’s serendipitous that Babeland Seattle is holding our much-touted G-Spot 101 and Female Ejaculation workshop this Sunday; if you’re in the area, and you want to learn all you’ve ever wanted about the g-spot, now is the time!

As for myself, I’ll be spending the rest of the afternoon trying to coax my g-spot out of hiding with a little lube, a little patience, and my good friend the Pure Wand. Don’t worry… there will be no needles involved.