For the entire month of May, The Sex Positive Photo Project is posting a photograph every single day, depicting a person masturbating and accompanying their photo with a statement (sometimes filthy, sometimes gloriously moving) where they complete the statement “I masturbate…”
They’re doing this for “Masturbation Month.” It’s not officially a National Awareness Month – yet – but May is considered “Masturbation Month” by a pretty significant number of people. I usually don’t feature it for a couple of reasons.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m a huge supporter of all Masturbation Month causes and the sentiment behind it. Obviously, raising awareness about a healthy normal activity that has been vilified (and still is in “porn addiction” methodology) is essential for our evolution as a species that requires reason and thoughtfulness to survive. And for personal/cultural well-being as humans. We need to normalize it, period. When people calm the fuck down about jacking off, the world will be a better place.
But every day we celebrate self-love here on the blog – or at least the whimsy and delight of being sexual creatures. It would be redundant for me to do Masturbation Month features. Also important is that I used to be the Senior Copywriter at the sex toy store that established Masturbation Month, and I founded their online Magazine – and if I never have to spend a whole fucking month coming up with different terms for masturbation for some clueless Marketing Manager’s hare-brained publicity stunt to sell more made-in-China vibrators to soccer moms, I’m like, totally okay with that.
Rants aside, you might like The Sex Positive Photo Project‘s awesome all-gender/all-orientation Masturbation Month feature. Bay Area residents Shilo McCabe and Airial Clark are photographing the local sex-positive culture in states of sexual ecstasy, and this month they’re celebrating Masturbation Month with “I masturbate…”
McCabe tells me,
I want to promote the idea that masturbation can be a positive force in your life, and that it does not have to be tied up in feelings of shame. I’m here, with the help of an incredible group of people who have shared themselves and their stories with me, to do our small part to chip away at the stigma associated with masturbation. We’re here to so say proudly “I masturbate!”
It’s quite beautiful. It’s also a provocative combination of stillness, intensity, healing and total nastiness. And, there are a few local porn stars sprinkled throughout the days. Bravo.
Photo: Day Nineteen, May 19, 2011: Technology has been steadily creeping into my bedroom, (or sofa, or kitchen table…) and it gives me both something concrete to focus the wondering and a springboard for more elaborate technolusts. Masturbation as alternative to war. Teledildonics as pathway to the divine. -Damani Starr
