NSFW Lesbosexy Sunday: Welcome To The Sex Panic

Feature image of Adina Powers and Scout in Crash Pad Series episode 286. All of the photographs in this NSFW Sunday are from the Crash Pad. The inclusion of a visual here should not be interpreted as an assertion of the model’s gender identity or sexual orientation. If you’re a photographer or model and think your work would be a good fit for NSFW Sunday, please email carolyn at autostraddle dot com.

Welcome to NSFW Sunday!

America is in the midst of a sex panic, writes Shira Tarrant:

“Outside politics, we’re contending with morality wars over slut- and body-shaming; the uncomfortable truth that both consent and harassment are not absolutes; never-ending reports of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church; unsubstantiated claims of homophobia and racism from the Hollywood elite; young people’s supposed disinterest in sex (the so-called “millennial sex drought”); and the national rise in STI rates. On any one day, any of these sex-culture stories vie for our attention, and for good reason. But in the face of outrage and the demand for rapid social change, unintended consequences have arisen. Somehow sex, in addition to the sexual predator, has become the enemy. Welcome to the sex panic of this generation.”

Butch Stud and subMissAnn

Butch Stud and subMissAnn in CrashPadSeries episode 228

“Facebook’s continued disinterest in factual information and truth-telling doesn’t stop with politics, as evidenced by one of its most prominent sectors – women’s health. Or, more accurately, “women’s health” – brands peddling vaginal healthcare products that, despite being about neither health nor care, are quickly building audiences online,” writes Rachel Charlene Lewis at Bitch on harmful douching products and the misinformation that makes them persist:

“What’s strange is that Facebook and Instagram are still allowing bullshit vaginal healthcare to thrive on their platforms while it making it nearly impossible for healthcare brands focused on women’s pleasure to run ads and sex tech companies Unbound and Dame Products going as far as to protest censorship outside of Facebook because their ads are constantly flagged and rejected. Facebook has made it clear that it’s more concerned about hypersexualizing women’s bodies than actually protecting our bodies from products that have no purpose beyond profiting from our shame. Why else would they remove a post from a sex tech company while letting vaginal washes and wipes flourish?”

Lindsay Cin and Valentine

Lindsay Cin and Valentine in Crash Pad Series episode 276

Facebook now has a dating app silent scream. Maybe it’s because no one knows how to talk to each other without an app? Protect your data.

The best sex-worker self care is decriminalization, writes Lillian Stone at Allure:

Friends don’t let friends get taken advantage of by straight girls.

No one knows why CBD makes people feel better but also this CBD lube sounds amazing.

Incognito mode doesn’t stop companies from seeing your browsing history and does make it harder for you to find whatever you were looking at, so why not get horny on main?

Here’s how to flirt with your crush by rising sign.

Anti-porn activists sure do seem to hate women.

Experts say using emojis helps white people get laid more often.”

If you have a vagina, it might notice that your partner sucks before you do.

What happens in sex therapy? At Allure, sex therapist Vanessa Marin explains:

“First, let’s talk about what this particular type of therapy is. Put very simply, the goal is to help you have a sex life that feels healthy and happy to you. Sex therapy recognizes that sexuality is an integral part of our lives, and seeks to provide education and resources to support you. It can include things like identifying your beliefs or blockages around sex, helping you gain clarity on your goals for your sex life, providing accurate and shame-free information, teaching new sexual skills, improving your communication, or developing sexual self-confidence.”

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Ryan Yates

Ryan Yates was the NSFW Editor (2013–2018) and Literary Editor for Autostraddle.com, with bylines in Nylon, Refinery29, The Toast, Bitch, The Daily Beast, Jezebel, and elsewhere. They live in Los Angeles and also on twitter and instagram.

Ryan has written 1142 articles for us.

2 Comments

  1. I’ve noticed the sex panic building in liberal circles as right wing forces gained political clout and it’s one of the things that made me nervous because if we lose ground now how long til we get it back again? And some people really out here believing that if LGBT people behave and look less queer they won’t get crushed under foot with the rest.
    Appeasement won’t work with people who think of you and your love as an abomination.

  2. I find the first article slightly strange in this column. It seems to primarily be pushing for more “due process” for those accused of sexual misconduct at universities. Is there something deeper within the article that I am missing? It references other topics at times, but its main theme seemed to be asking for more due process/gradation of sexual violence claims in the media and Title IX. I could be simply reading it with too critical of a lens because I’ve seen too many pieces like this written with the sole purpose of convincing people that the “pendulum has swung too far around sexual violence”. Could someone provide insight into what they found useful or insightful about the piece?

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