- Unbelievable. Have they heard of science? A Utah state senator is blaming that devil pornography for creating a “sexually toxic environment,” increasing the demand for prostitution and ruining families. Sen. Todd Weiler introduced anti-porn legislation last Friday, asking that the state recognize that porn is creating a public health hazard. He called for a reform to take on the “pornography epidemic that is harming the citizens of Utah and the nation.” The politician told the Daily News that porn was more addictive than powerful drugs, and the public needed to start seeing adult films as a national epidemic.
Utah proposes bill to make porn a ‘public health crisis’ (Huffington Post)
- Men in the UK are being urged to wear condoms for a month after returning from any of the 23 countries affected by Zika. In guidance to health professionals, Public Health England said the risk of transmission of the virus through sex was very low but condoms should be used as a precaution. It said: “Sexual transmission of Zika virus has been recorded in a limited number of cases, and the risk of sexual transmission of Zika virus is thought to be very low.
Sex warning issued in the UK after outbreak of Zika virus (Evening Standard)
- Amidst the Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa Twitter feud, during which Khalifa’s wife Amber Rose said ex-boyfriend West enjoyed anal play, Sex Toy Dave Levine has entered the fray with a bonafide hand mold deal. Her tweet inspired Levine to pen a letter thanking Rose for raising awareness about prostate stimulation and offering to mold “Kanye’s favorite finger.”
SexToy Dave Wants to Mold ‘Kanye’s Favorite Finger’ on Amber Rose (XBIZ)
- “Sex chatbots don’t even have to be that good to do their job. These aren’t being created to pass the Turing Test, the legendary challenge named after artificial intelligence pioneer Alan Turing which aims to convince a human she’s talking with another person and not a machine. Their sole purpose is to get the dater to want to chat more. And a pent-up dude online is the easiest mark. As acclaimed AI researcher Bruce Wilcox puts it, “Many people online want to talk about sex. With chat bots, they don’t require a lot of convincing.”
Scammers and Spammers: Inside Online Dating’s Sex Bot Con Job (Rolling Stone)
- India’s Supreme Court is expected to hear a challenge to the ban on gay sex this week, more than two years after judges from the top court reinstated the colonial-era prohibition. Gay-rights activists, nonprofits, mental health professionals and academics are appealing against the law that criminalizes homosexual acts in India.
India’s Gay Sex Ban to Be Challenged in Supreme Court (WSJ)
- Massive warning for murder, sexual assault and trauma. The curious case of Mark Marek and his gory website features a porn star, necrophilia, and an international manhunt, and it came to an end today with a guilty plea.
Head of Gore Website Pleads Guilty in Canadian Snuff Film Trial (Vice)
- A Japanese artist charged with obscenity for distributing a design for a kayak shaped like her vagina scoffed on Monday (Feb 1) at a demand by prosecutors to punish her with a 800,000 yen (S$9,400) fine and vowed to appeal if found guilty. Megumi Igarashi’s case has drawn widespread attention and sparked accusations of heavy-handed censorship.
Japan artist charged with obscenity for kayak in shape of vagina defiant as prosecutors seek fine (Straits Times)
- “I figured I could attach the smaller one to myself while the other ball bearing acts as a weight to put continuous tension on my foreskin. To attach them together, I took some waterproof tape and cut it in half, lengthwise, making it a quarter-inch wide. With this tape, I barrel-tied the balls together. To wear it, I took the smaller ball and placed it on top of my glans. I pulled my foreskin over it (…)”
I Grew Back My Foreskin, and You Can Too (Medium)
- Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter has decided not to impose any further punishment on David H. Petraeus, the former CIA director and retired Army general who was forced to resign in a sex-and-secrets scandal in 2012.
Pentagon won’t punish David Petraeus any further in sex-and-secrets scandal (Washington Post)
- Along with all the other hazards of 200,000 visitors descending on one place at the same time, one is talked about with increasing frequency—sex trafficking. For years, the urban myth of increased sex trafficking has followed the Superbowl (and Olympics, and World Cup) around like an unwanted cousin at a tailgate barbecue. An increasing number of groups are intent on persuading Americans that we have a terrible and growing problem with sex trafficking. Their data is virtually non-existent, elided with words like “experts agree” and “shameful epidemic.”
Superbowl = Ground Zero for Sex Trafficking? Super Nonsense (Sexual Intelligence)
- When many in the mainstream public think of escorts, they often think of brothels, madams, and pimps, but the reality is that many escorts work independently. … Whether it’s the fear of losing money or being in physical danger, the way in which escorts vet and screen their clients to see if they’re actually legit is quite important. We spoke to some independent escorts of different backgrounds to see how they make sure the people they’re spending time with are for real.
We Asked Sex Workers How They Screen Clients (Vice)
- A new app has further diversified the landscape, serving a very specific niche: bros who want to meet other bros….and possibly hook up. Much like the men using the app, Bro is flexible: it’s not merely for sex, but to help users in pursuit of “Dates, Chat, JUST Friends, Long-Term Bromance, or Whatever, Bro.” The app asks users to provide information about body type, HIV status, ethnicity, and “bro type,” and includes a photo verification feature and anti-harassment policies.
This new app helps bros meet bros and maybe hook up (Paper Mag)
- “Love hotels for when sex needs a bit more room than microhomes can offer, as well as virtual and augmented reality to give the illusion of space, are certainly intriguing ideas. But there are more innovations in interactive tech and flexible design that will alter our houses of the future. So what happens when we take the concepts of modular construction and smart home technology and do a bit of future-casting? Let’s rev up our imaginations and try to picture our sensual, and sexual, residences of the next century”
Creating Your Own Pleasuredome: Modular Building and Smart Home Technology (Future of Sex)
- New Hampshire lawmakers are considering to decriminalize prostitution statewide. Last week, the state Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee heard House Bill 1614-FN, sponsored by state Reps. Amanda Bouldin (D-Hillsborough), Carole McGuire (R-Merrimack) and Elizabeth Edwards (D-Hillsborough). The bill is supported by sex-worker rights groups such as Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics (COYOTE), Rhode Island chapter, the U.S. PROStitutes Collective and ESPLERP.
N.H. Lawmakers Weigh Decriminalizing Prostitution (XBIZ)
