TORONTO - Cory Silverberg, co-owner of retail store Come as You Are and co-author of The Ultimate Guide to Sex and Disability, will host a virtual seminar on sex and disability at noon June 12 at SecondLife.com.
Silverberg, an AASECT-certified sexuality educator known as SeeLee Markstein in Second Life, told AVN Novelty Business he recently has been busy holding seminars focusing on sex and technology.
"I was in Florida, where I did a half-day workshop with Planned Parenthood on the topic," he said. "I've been getting more involved in virtual sex, such as in Second Life. In there, I found the sex-education island that educates people in the virtual world about sex. They asked me to do a seminar, and I pitched the idea of doing one on the topic of sex and disability, as it's something I'm passionate about."
Silverberg explained that he has experience dealing with sex and people living with disabilities.
"The first sex store I worked at in Toronto had a pretty good reputation for being accessible," he said. "So I had a lot of customers with various disabilities who were very open and talked candidly about what they needed. They tended to be easier than the regular customers, who were more shy. So basically, I got involved in the topic at a young age and, over the years, have had friends and partners who've lived with disabilities."
Cleis Press, publisher of The Ultimate Guide to Sex and Disability, approached Silverberg about writing the book. He co-wrote the book with a friend who is a disability activist and with a doctor specializing in working with disabled patients.
"The first edition came out about five years ago," Silverberg said. "The second was just reprinted in December, so I pitched the idea of doing my first seminar on this topic to MB Chevalier, who runs the sex-education island in Second Life. One of the great things about doing a seminar in a virtual world is that, hopefully, people will be more comfortable to ask questions that they might be afraid to ask in real life."
The question-and-answer seminar will be held on the sex-education island sponsored by the University of Plymouth.
To order The Ultimate Guide to Sex and Disability visit CleisPress.com.
