SAN FRANCISCO—Good Vibrations, the trusted San Francisco-based company that takes pride in providing accurate information on sexuality and toys for grown-ups, presents a dynamic conference on America’s sexual state of the union with the first annual 2012 Sex Summit on Oct. 27 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in San Francisco.
Featuring authors and educators from various perspectives, this forum will examine the relationship between sex and the media, health, pop culture and politics in a series of panel presentations and keynote presentations by esteemed author and research scientist Debby Herbenick, award-winning journalist Brian Alexander, and sex therapist and lecturer Marty Klein.
Journalists, academics, sexologists, authors and the public will converge for this first-ever conference in a lively and relevant day-long discussion followed by a cocktail reception at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis in downtown San Francisco.
Opening keynote speaker Debbie Herbenick, author, research Scientist and Associate Director at The Center for Sexual Health Promotion as well as sexual health educator at The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction at Indiana University, will kick off the event. Complete bios of all the panelists and presenters are listed at GoodVibesSexSummit.com.
What can we look forward to in the landscape of sex, and where are we now? Panels and keynote addresses will expound on various themes in four tracks: Regulating Pleasure: Sex, Politics and Censorship; Outspoken/Unsaid: Sex and the Media; Pills, Profits and Pleasures: Sexual Health and Pharmaceuticals; and Sexual Stargazing: Sex and Pop Culture. Attendees can continue the conversation and enjoy a bird’s-eye view of San Francisco at the post-conference hosted cocktail reception in the hotel bar and lounge, upstairs from 6-9 p.m.
Dr. Carol Queen, Good Vibrations’ Staff Sexologist, Chief Cultural Officer, and conference co-curator (with Charlie Glickman) says, “We are eager to see how this phenomenal line-up of thinkers, writers, and activists will contextualize the role of sexuality in contemporary culture and politics, especially given the pre-election relevance of these issues. This year more than ever, sex is being used as a political football, and this country needs all the incisive analysis it can get. I am beyond thrilled to be working with these presenters, and it is utterly exceptional to have them all in the same room at the same time!”
Camilla Lombard, events and publicity manager for Good Vibrations, said the conference has been in the planning stages for some time, but organizers finally decided to pull the trigger.
“This year, the stars aligned, we turned 35 and decided to make our dream a reality,” she said.
The goal, she added, is to gather the brightest minds in the field together to explore and articulate a sexual “state of the union,” “and examine where we are, where we’re headed and how sexuality plays out in these facets of our lives … With the varying perspectives of our presenters we anticipate lively discussion and new ideas.”
The Sex Summit is part of a fun and festive weekend of sex-positivity, following the “Quickies,” Good Vibrations’ Independent Erotic Film Festival shorts competition and party at the Castro Theatre on Friday, Oct. 26. Hosted by Peaches Christ and Dr. Carol Queen, independent filmmakers from around the world present their entertaining and provocative short films in this alternate forum for a broader exploration of “erotic cinema.” A ticket to the Quickies is included in the Sex Summit admission, so attendees can enjoy the best of both worlds—from entertaining cinema to thought-provoking academia.
Organizers will be Tweeting the conference (the official Twitter hashtag is #sexsummit), but they strongly urge anyone who can attend in person do so.
For event details, presenter bios, tickets, hotel reservation, visit http://goodvibessexsummit.com.
