- Uh-oh. Rihanna’s S/M lawsuit loses fair use: The judge finds that the common theme of S&M and elements like leather—or latex-clad women, whips, ball gags, people in restraints, men on leashes, and other aggressive, sexually-charged motifs—are NOT protectible. However, his selection and orchestration of props and the way he controlled “angles, poses and lighting” do rise to elements that can be copyrighted, according to the judge. Rihanna Suffers Setback in ‘S&M’ Music Video Lawsuit (Hollywood Reporter; my opinion is here)
- Barely five minutes into the panel that spread the key “True Blood” actors across the stage in Ballroom 20, Anna Paquin was asked if her character Sookie had a split personality. She granted that part of Sookie was rather sedate, but “part of her has really dirty vampire sex on a regular basis — with possibly multiple vampires.” Comic-Con: ‘True Blood’ Star Anna Paquin on ‘Really Dirty Vampire Sex’ (Reuters)
- For those that like lists: These 10 sexy French movies will get your blood flowing and your heart racing. 10 Sexy French Movies (Screen Junkies)
- For better or worse, the erotic arts are a source into our selves, giving us a clearer picture of what makes us tick, what we like and dislike, tolerate and abhor. Still, the question remains: can pornography take us to a more ethical, equitable place of intimacy, bonding, pleasure, and exchange? It Shouldn’t Be a Dirty Little Secret: A Feminist Makes a Case for Porn (The Good Men Project)
- Because we can’t forget that trans violence happens all the time: Transgender Woman Murdered in D.C. (The Advocate)
- Porn copyright trolls: It’s not fun, but all things considered, John Steele is OK with being a villain. In recent months, Steele’s Chicago law firm has filed almost 100 federal lawsuits seeking to identify thousands of “John Does” who downloaded pornographic videos in violation of their producers’ copyright. Porn piracy wars get personal (Technolog MSNBC)
- This week Cleis Press reissued Mikaya Heart’s indispensible 1998 book The Ultimate Guide to Orgasm for Women: How to Be Orgasmic for a Lifetime in a 2nd edition (the book was originally published as When the Earth Moves: Women and Orgasm) with a new introduction by the author and a new foreword by Violet Blue. Sexy Books: Cleis Press releases Ultimate Guide to Orgasm for Women (Sexaminer)
- “We want to make San Francisco the first city to eliminate new HIV infections,” Dr. Grant Colfax, the city’s HIV prevention director, said at a forum last month detailing the new focus. Dramatic changes in store for SF HIV prevention (The Bay Area Reporter Online)
- “The thing I’ve struggled with, over and over, is how to write honestly about my life on this blog when that message is not always, or even often, a fit in terms of promoting my books. Nor is this blog title. The last thing I am these days is “lusty.” I feel like sex, or rather, the idea of it, is all about other people’s desires and I misplaced mine in my travels, perhaps, left them on an airplane. “french-kiss life” (Rachel Kramer Bussel, LUSTY LADY)
- “I wanted to love SlutWalks, the viral protest movement that began this spring after a Toronto police officer told a group of college women that if they hoped to escape sexual assault, they should avoid dressing like ‘sluts'” Ladies, We Have a Problem (NY Times)
- The problem is, IUDs have been at the bottom of the contraceptive heap for years, the victim of bad press and a four-decade-old scandal. But Peipert is finding that you can let the past go—of the 8,300 women who have received counseling in his study so far, about 50 percent have chosen an IUD, making it by far the most popular choice. Contraceptive Comeback: The Maligned IUD Gets a Second Chance (Wired Magazine)
- Bobbi Starr said, “I plan to shoot movies that are hardcore and graphic in their sexuality. No surprise there, but these scenes will also show the many ways women enjoy sex on their own terms. I have always been a staunchly pro-sex feminist. I believe consenting adults should never feel guilty for enjoying sex.” Evil Angel Adds Performer Bobbi Starr to Roster of Directors (XBIZ)
It’s amusing to see a comment like that of Bobbi Starr, a positive film maker, out to make porn that appeals to all and isn’t like the cliché of a load of men enjoying themselves at the expense of a woman, the day after a terribly boring anti-porn rant stuffed full of myths that a quick search would show to be untrue in a major UK newspaper (The Independent – http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/mary-ann-sieghart/mary-ann-sieghart-time-to-overturn-the-tyranny-of-porn-2319938.html)