To head off a volatile situation in Ontario’s Peel region, a constructive discussion between religious leaders and school officials happened to produce a guide to what is in a newly implemented sex ed curriculum. Parts of the community have objected to the new teachings and some false information was distributed. To counter this, the officials created a document to make the new curriculum understandable—and it is available in 11 languages! Many have said before, communication is the best part of sex.
Sex Writers Like to Eat
As someone who makes part of my living from writing, I was drawn to two recent works—one relating to sex and one not—that highlight a situation that also relates to sex and beyond. Both ultra-cool Wil Wheaton and Sandra LaMorgese published fantastic works detailing how you should always remember and value your own worth in what you do.
Wheaton was responding to being asked to write for free on Huffington Post and LaMorgese discusses her change in thinking of deals for clients when her career transitioned into becoming a dominatrix. When you put the two together, you get a common plight in the sex community: the all-too-common expectation you will write about sex for free. Seriously, it happens all the time, folks, and has only gotten worse over the years. Sure, sometimes we want to share information for free. Sometimes we’ll provide content on barter. But the only writing a sex writer should do for no pay is for themselves.
Besides, groceries don't pay for themselves!
Awkward but Not Alone
It isn’t every day that you open a new tab in a browser to read an article about orgies and it describes everything you feel about sex parties. Yet it happened here and Anna Pulley’s piece I'm Always the Wallflower at the Orgy completely blew me away. Because I am the worst at sex parties. Some people don’t believe me when I say I’m an introvert. Ha! That animal and bookshelf technique that Pulley describes are some of my favorite moods! So is chatting with the DJ, latching on to friends that are resting, going out for lengthy breathes of fresh air, and other evasive maneuvers that define my complete inability to navigate sex parties.
And I tried, numerous times. Events I attended with partners were successful, but events I went to on my own were utterly disappointing. It is really odd to be so immersed in the sex community but so terrible at sex parties. So, a small tip of advice to those who are utterly comfortable at orgies: talk to that awkward person and try to help them feel comfortable. Don’t go all pity fuck on them, but creating ease can be glorious.
And if you plan to be in the Toronto-area November 13–15, be sure to check out Playground Conference!