* On BBC, the South African adult film industry reacts to the recent HIV outbreak/quarantine in the Los Angeles adult film industry. And in a place where over 1000 people a day die from HIV, porn producer Tau Morena (Sondeza) is making porn with a message. “The pornography industry in Los Angeles is on edge after an actor tested positive for HIV. Although the incident led to renewed calls for the use of condoms in porn films, this remains a rarity. But as Ian Brimacombe reports, one adult film producer in South Africa has decided to make his actors wear condoms to promote safe sex.” It’s causing quite a lot of controversy: see Tau Morena’s Twitter. (bbc.co.uk, thanks t!, theatlantic.com)
* Shady shady sex.com has been sold to a mysterious (shady alert!) company for $13 million. It was set to go on the auction block next week… What’s next? (theregister.co.uk)
* In America, SEICUS reports that an Overwhelming Majority of States Choose PREP over Title V Abstinence-Only Funds. We are not surprised. (siecus.org)
* As you may have heard, “ethnic” and notorious “chicks-with-dicks” (this is not the respectful term) porn studio Third World Media has filed a lawsuit against 1,568 individuals accusing them of using peer-to-peer networks to unlawfully share copies of “Miss Big Ass Brazil #4.” As part of their strategy, they are planning to reveal the names of downloaders (great comments from the EFF). Anyone else see a problem with a porn studio leveraging sexual shame to harvest money? Also: by behaving like torrent trolls for profit, is TWM going to get a visit from Anonymous/Operation Payback is a Bitch? (news.cnet.com, blogs.computerworld.com)
* Revealing names might be categorized as “slut-shaming.” Bacchus, ever eloquent, doesn’t believe in sluts and neatly tears apart the bullshit behind using the word “slut” particularly in porn. (erosblog.com)
* If you enter Australia, you now have to declare if you have pornography on your person to customs officials. It’s proving to be confusing, embarrassing and problematic. (smh.com.au)
* An erotic writer I love very much and have worked with for years has a new website: go say hi to the incredibly talented Scarlett French and her hot new salon! (scarlettfrencherotica.com)
* Did you know that historically, when women lift their skirts and expose their genitals, it was considered a performance that drove away enemies and returned joy and fertility to the land? I see it much the same way now, actually… Read more in 10 Questions: Miriam Robbins Dexter on the Power of Female Display. (international.ucla.edu, thanks Cyrus!)
* It’s almost Halloween… beware the Phantom Penis. Seriously: what’s the deal with “phantom limb” syndrome and the penis — when people feel penile sensation, when there is no penis to feel sensation from? It’s more common than anyone thought… (mindhacks.com, thanks Praemedia!)
Photo of Larita in this Met Art gallery. See also: Miela, Chantelle, Gisele and Diva.
It mustn’t have quite been in when we last travelled in and out of Australia… At least I didn’t do any running around deleting things