Moment in Masturbation History: Selling Sex Sweetly in 1977
Joani Blank opens Good VibrationsIn 1977, Joani Blank was annoyed with the fact that there was no where in the San Francisco Bay area where she could go to buy sex toys or books related to sex and feel comfortable. She had written two sex education books, and in looking for a place to distribute the books, and wanting to offer an alternative to the traditional adult bookstore, she opened Good Vibrations. Good Vibrations set the standard for sex education and activist retailing. They believed that selling sex toys wasn’t just a fun way to make a living, it was a political act that could promote healthy sexuality (and in particular more masturbation). They have inspired dozens of sex stores across North America who now follow the mantra of the “clean, well-lit, sex store” where people will not be embarrassed to talk about masturbation or sexual pleasure, and may even be encouraged to explore the joys of solo and partner sex.
Moment in Masturbation History: Speaking the Truth in 1994
Surgeon General Dr. Jocelyn Elder Fired for Comments on MasturbationIn December of 1994, then Surgeon General Jocelyn Elder answered a question at a World AIDS Day event in New York City. The question was about the possibility of masturbation being included in comprehensive sex education in schools. As quoted in White House transcripts, Dr. Elder replied, “I think that is something that is a part of human sexuality and it's a part of something that perhaps should be taught.” While she was in no way suggesting the explicit teaching of masturbation techniques, she was acknowledging, rightly so, that masturbation is part of sexuality, and therefore should be a part of a comprehensive sexual health curriculum. She continued on that day saying "But we've not even taught our children the very basics. And I feel that we have tried ignorance for a very long time, and it's time we try education." For her courage and strength of character to say what was right and needed to be said, she was promptly fired by then president Bill Clinton.
Moment in Masturbation History: Making a Month of it in 1995
National Masturbation Month is Proclaimed in MayIt’s not recognized by the government, or really any public institution, but in 1995, in response to the firing of Surgeon General Jocelyn Elder for her comments on masturbation, Good Vibrations got together with like minded sex-positive sex stores, and created Masturbation Month, a month dedicated to honoring the most common and still frequently derided sexual practice on the planet. The month usually culminates in the Masturbate-a-Thon, a fundraising event where people ask for pledges (dollar amount per minute) and on a specific day try to masturbate as long as the possibly can. Tens of thousands of dollars have been raised by participating stores (mostly Good Vibrations, , Babeland, and Come As You Are for sexual health organizations across North America. An annual online Masturbate-A-Thon has been organized by the Center for Sex and Culture for several years. While some consider Masturbation Month to be just another commercial exploitation the result of all the commercialism is more discussion of masturbation in the mainstream media, which hopefully will add to mainstream acceptance.
Moment in Masturbation History: One Handed History in 2003
Publication of Solitary Sex: A Cultural History of Masturbation Historian, and author of the seminal Making Sex: Body and Gender from the Greeks to Freud , Thomas Laqueur published his long awaited research on the culture history of masturbation in 2003. While it was received with the predictable giggles from the mainstream media, and some raised eyebrows from academia, the work is exhaustive and compelling. While the book is about much more than just masturbation, it is an important moment in masturbation history as it elevates the subject matter to “legitimate” through its seriousness and academic rigor.Sources:
