SAN FRANCISCO—The Center for Sex & Culture celebrates National Masturbation Month, the holiday launched 21 years ago by Good Vibrations in response to the firing of Surgeon "Genderal" Dr. Joycelyn Elders, with two thought-provoking events exploring solo sex in all its many permutations.
First up is tonight's "I Touch Myself: A Masturbation Month Discussion." Doors open at 7 for the 7:30 event, which will take place at the Center for Sex & Culture, 1349 Mission St., SF. Taking part in the discussion will be self-love enthusiasts Dr. Carol Queen and Magnus Sullivan, creator of the soon-to-launch men’s masturbation site betterthanthehand.com and creator of the award-winning adult film Marriage 2.0, who will give their takes on the main topic, International Masturbation Month.
Admission is by donations, which will be gratefully accepted in the suggested amounts of $10-20.
Then, on Friday May 27, CSC will celebrate National Masturbation Month with a screening of Sticky: A (Self) Love Story documentary, followed by a Q&A which will feature a panel including Good Vibrations founder Joani Blank, Dr. Carol Queen, Dr. Robert Lawrence, MJ Ecker, Denise Acosta, and Nicholas Tana.
After being shamed as a child by fellow students for admitting that he masturbated, writer/director Nicholas Tana interviewed over sixty sexologists, authors, religious figures, porn stars, and entertainers to understand what’s so wrong (or is that right?) with masturbation. Some of the interviewees include former Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders, comedian Janeane Garofalo, and, among others, veteran adult star Nina Hartley and Hustler creator Larry Flynt, Sticky answers such age-old questions as, “Will it make me go blind?”; “Is it 'normal'?”; and, “Why are we so afraid to be caught in the act?” The film also tackles more contemporary issues like why the media portrays masturbation so negatively, how the world’s major religions disagree about the moral effects of self-pleasuring, and why the sale of sex toys is illegal in Alabama.
Showtime is 8 p.m. at the Center For Sex & Culture. Admission is $12 per person; tickets may be purchased here.
