Cab Calloway would have been proud: Five sexy ladies doffed their tops and pressed the exposed flesh to paper to raise much-needed bucks for the Bay area's equivalent of AIM Healthcare that bears the name of Calloway's song — and they've even created a special prize for one lucky AVN.com reader.
The event was held Tuesday evening at the new location of Good Vibrations, the world-famous sex boutique, at 1620 Polk St., and it didn't take long after the doors opened at 7:30 p.m. for the place to be packed with supporters and celebrities.
The evening's main entertainment was "tit prints," an art form made popular by veteran porn star/sex-positive activist Annie Sprinkle, who shed her own top to enable herself and helpers to wash her massive mammaries in different shades of inks and squash them down on stiff paper, producing unique artworks that visitors crowded around to buy. Each attnedee was entitled to one print for the price of admission to the event, but additional prints were available in a variety of sizes for amounts ranging from $25 to $250. In all, $3900 has been raised so far, with a few prints still left to sell.
"They make great Christmas presents and Valentine's presents," Sprinkle noted.
All proceeds were to benefit the St. James Infirmary, which is an occupational health and safety clinic for sex workers.
"We're the first of its kind in the U.S., and we see male, female and transgender sex workers, current, former and transitioning," said Johanna, one of the clinic's operators. "We've been around for about four years, and thanks to all of you, we're able to continue our work, so donations are very important. We offer primary healthcare. We offer all kinds of different services, and no one is turned away for lack of funds because everything's free."
The clinic is open on Wednesday evenings at 356 Seventh St. in San Francisco, and provides several types of medical care in addition to HIV and STD testing. There are also various groups that meet during the course of a month for peer-counseling, support, drug and alcohol treatment, and legal assistance.
Assisting Annie in her tit-ular endeavor were fellow porn vet Nina Hartley, author/lecturer Dr. Carol Queen, Spectator publisher Dara Lynne Dahl and one of the workers from St. James named Alex.
"This is the first time I've been to Good Vibrations, which I co-own, with my shirt off," quipped Queen.
Also on hand were actress-turned-director Veronica Hart, and a surprise for all long-time porn fans, actress C.J. Laing, whom many had thought to have died sometime during her 20-year absence from the adult filmmaking scene.
"After I retired, I never intended to capitalize on my name, or pursue anything monetary within the sex industry after pornography," Laing explained. "But I always wanted to give back, and I knew that there was something eventually that would strike me. I knew of Sharon Mitchell's work in L.A. and the clinic that she has, and this is pretty much comparable to hers, and the minute I heard about it, I spoke with Annie, and said, if there's anything I can do for you, let me know, and so, this was just not a question in my mind."
Though not indulging in any tit-printing herself, Laing assisted the five who were, and circulated through the crowd promoting the clinic and sales of extra prints.
Towards the end of the evening, however, Sprinkle had an idea to create a special print with all five women's tits on it, each autographed by the owner, to be offered to readers of AVN.com. The details of how one lucky porn fan can own the print still need to be worked out, so watch this space in the near future for more info.
