SexIs (magazine)
Encyclopedia
SexIs Magazine
is a quarterly print publication and daily webzine devoted to sex and sexual culture, founded in 2008 by Web Merchants, parent company of sex toy e-tailer EdenFantasys.com. The first print issue debuted in November 2009, distributed nationwide as an insert in BUST magazine
. The website publishes articles, columns, video presentations and news items daily.
According to AVN
, SexIs provides "clear, honest sexual advice and education in a friendly, sex-positive way."
, alt porn star April Flores (a.k.a. Fatty D) and counterculture icon, Paul Krassner
, SexIs covers a broad range of adult topics from sex education
and reproductive health
to gay, lesbian and transgender
issues, BDSM
and kink
; non-traditional lifestyle choices, such as polyamory
, as well as arts and culture, fashion, body image
, media, technology, sex and aging, and relationship advice.
"Sex is a force that has an impact — be it subtle or sledgehammer — on everything from art and fashion, health and law to relationships and even parenting — and these are the topics you'll find on SexIs." - according to the review of the magazine on curated blog platform Divine Caroline, named among the top 100 blogs for women by Forbes magazine.
. In addition to features and regular columns, SexIs also publishes content under the auspices of several ongoing themed projects.
, and also holds annual charity events at New York City’s Museum of Sex
.
is a quarterly print publication and daily webzine devoted to sex and sexual culture, founded in 2008 by Web Merchants, parent company of sex toy e-tailer EdenFantasys.com. The first print issue debuted in November 2009, distributed nationwide as an insert in BUST magazine
Bust (magazine)
Bust is a bi-monthly United States-based women's lifestyle magazine. It was founded in 1993 by Debbie Stoller, Laurie Henzel, and Marcelle Karp.-Content:...
. The website publishes articles, columns, video presentations and news items daily.
According to AVN
AVN (magazine)
Adult Video News is an American trade journal that covers the adult video industry. The New York Times notes that AVN is to pornographic films what Billboard is to records...
, SexIs provides "clear, honest sexual advice and education in a friendly, sex-positive way."
Coverage
In addition to in-depth interviews with personalities such as pioneering adult author/director, Tristan TaorminoTristan Taormino
Tristan Taormino is a feminist author, columnist, sex educator, activist, editor, speaker, and pornographic film director . She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with her Bachelor's degree in American Studies from Wesleyan University in 1993...
, alt porn star April Flores (a.k.a. Fatty D) and counterculture icon, Paul Krassner
Paul Krassner
Paul Krassner is an author, journalist, stand-up comedian, and the founder, editor and a frequent contributor to the freethought magazine The Realist, first published in 1958...
, SexIs covers a broad range of adult topics from sex education
Sex education in the United States
Sex education in the United States is taught in two main forms: comprehensive and abstinence-only. Comprehensive sex education covers abstinence as a positive choice, but also teaches the benefits of contraception and the avoidance of sexually transmitted diseases between sexually active individuals...
and reproductive health
Reproductive health
Within the framework of the World Health Organization's definition of health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, reproductive health, or sexual health/hygiene, addresses the reproductive processes, functions and system...
to gay, lesbian and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
issues, BDSM
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
and kink
Kink (sexual)
In human sexuality, kinkiness and kinky are terms used to refer to a playful usage of sexual concepts in an accentuated, and unambiguously expressive form....
; non-traditional lifestyle choices, such as polyamory
Polyamory
Polyamory is the practice, desire, or acceptance of having more than one intimate relationship at a time with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved....
, as well as arts and culture, fashion, body image
Body image
Body image refers to a person's perception of the aesthetics and sexual attractiveness of their own body. The phrase body image was first coined by the Austrian neurologist and psychoanalyst Paul Schilder in his masterpiece The Image and Appearance of the Human Body...
, media, technology, sex and aging, and relationship advice.
"Sex is a force that has an impact — be it subtle or sledgehammer — on everything from art and fashion, health and law to relationships and even parenting — and these are the topics you'll find on SexIs." - according to the review of the magazine on curated blog platform Divine Caroline, named among the top 100 blogs for women by Forbes magazine.
Ongoing Projects
In April 2010, SexIs embarked on a joint venture, The Naked Reader Book Club, in conjunction with independent publisher, Cleis PressCleis Press
Cleis Press is an independent publisher of books in the areas of sexuality, erotica, feminism, gay and lesbian studies, gender studies, fiction, and human rights. The press was founded in 1980 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, later moved to San Francisco, and is now based out of Berkeley, CA...
. In addition to features and regular columns, SexIs also publishes content under the auspices of several ongoing themed projects.
- The Green Project
Focusing on how sexual the choices we make impact our relationship with the planet and its ever-dwindling resources, The Green Project has included stories on eco-friendly dildos, sustainable aphrodisiacs, population controlPopulation controlHuman population control is the practice of artificially altering the rate of growth of a human population.Historically, human population control has been implemented by limiting the population's birth rate, usually by government mandate, and has been undertaken as a response to factors including...
, and environmentally conscientious methods for disposing of waste produced in the manufacture and sales of sex toys, as well as proper disposal of used toys and batteriesBattery (electricity)An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...
.
- The Safer Sex Project
A combination of clinical and practical data on STDsSexually transmitted diseaseSexually transmitted disease , also known as a sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex...
and their prevention (including information on identification and treatment, as well as social/cultural significance and stigmas), The Safer Sex Project has included articles on the truth about HPV, safer sex practices for same-sex couples, and why STDsSexually transmitted diseaseSexually transmitted disease , also known as a sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex...
are making a comeback on college campuses.
- The World AIDS Project: AIDS, the Arts and the Legacy of Activism
In honor of World AIDS DayWorld AIDS DayWorld AIDS Day, observed December 1 every year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. Government and health officials observe the day, often with speeches or forums on the AIDS topics. Since 1995, the President of the United States has made an...
, in 2009, SexIs commissioned a series of first-person essays inspired by the lives lost and lessons learned in the wake of the tragic worldwide AIDS epidemic. In June 2010, SexIs broadened the range of this project to include a look at the impact of seminal figures, such as Keith HaringKeith HaringKeith Haring was an artist and social activist whose work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s.-Early life:...
, Angels in America playwright, Tony KushnerTony KushnerAnthony Robert "Tony" Kushner is an American playwright and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1993 for his play, Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, and co-authored with Eric Roth the screenplay for the 2005 film, Munich.-Life and career:Kushner was born...
and Larry KramerLarry KramerLarry Kramer is an American playwright, author, public health advocate, and LGBT rights activist. He began his career rewriting scripts while working for Columbia Pictures, which led him to London where he worked with United Artists. There he wrote the screenplay for Women in Love in 1969, earning...
in their capacities as both artists and activists on culture, the arts and AIDSAIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
-related activism.
- The BDSM Project
This series explores the many permutations of BDSMBDSMBDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
, kink and sexual fetishSexual fetishismSexual fetishism, or erotic fetishism, is the sexual arousal a person receives from a physical object, or from a specific situation. The object or situation of interest is called the fetish, the person a fetishist who has a fetish for that object/situation. Sexual fetishism may be regarded, e.g...
. Topics have included specific practices such as edgeplayEdgeplayIn BDSM, edgeplay is a subjective term for types of sexual play that are considered to be pushing on the edge of the traditional S.S.C. creed. They would be considered more R.A.C.K...
, figgingFiggingFigging is the practice of inserting a piece of ginger root into the anus, vagina or male urethra. Originally applied to horses as a form of deception as to the horse's condition, it now most commonly refers to a practice in BDSM....
and leather fetish, as well as the biochemistry of Sadomasochism, an overview of the life and death of Leopold von Sacher-MasochLeopold von Sacher-MasochLeopold Ritter von Sacher-Masoch was an Austrian writer and journalist, who gained renown for his romantic stories of Galician life. The term masochism is derived from his name....
, and the influences of kink and BDSMBDSMBDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
on popular culture with regard to fashion, film and technology.
- The Man Project
In June 2010, SexIs launched The Man Project, which focuses on the role of male sexuality in modern culture. The project debuted with a profile of Michael Alvear, co-host of HBO's The Sex InspectorsThe Sex InspectorsThe Sex Inspectors is a late night UK TV show that focuses on sex therapy for couples facing difficulties with their relationship. The show, presented by Tracey Cox and Michael Alvear, aids couples by offering ways to spice up their relationships and sex lives...
.
Charitable Outreach
SexIs is a sponsor of the AIDS Service Center NYCAIDS Service Center NYC
AIDS Service Center NYC is a non-profit community organization whose programs include peer education and training, harm reduction, specialized women’s services, HIV counseling and testing, mental health services, medical and holistic care, case management, support groups, poetry and writing...
, and also holds annual charity events at New York City’s Museum of Sex
Museum of Sex
The Museum of Sex, also known as MoSex, is a sex museum located at 233 Fifth Avenue near 27th Street in Manhattan, New York City. It opened on October 5, 2002.-History:...
.
Notable Contributors
Among the notable regular contributors to SexIs are:- Buck AngelBuck AngelBuck Angel is a female-to-male transsexual and adult film maker and an LGBT icon of popular culture. He is also founder of Buck Angel Entertainment, as a vehicle to produce media projects...
: FTMTrans manA trans man, transman, trans guy, or FTM is a transgender or transsexual man: a person who was assigned female at birth, but who identifies as male....
transsexual and adult film maker. - Rachel Kramer BusselRachel Kramer BusselRachel Kramer Bussel is an author, columnist, and editor, specializing in erotica. She previously studied at the New York University School of Law and earned her bachelor's degree in Political Science and Women's Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.-Career:Bussel is currently...
: Author, columnist, and editor, specializing in erotica. - Nina HartleyNina HartleyNina Hartley is an American pornographic actress, pornographic film director, sex educator, feminist, and author.-Early life:...
: Pornographic actress, pornographic film directorFilm directorA film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, sex educator, feminist, and author. - MidoriMidori (author)is a prominent human sexuality writer, speaker, and sex educator based in San Francisco, California. Her writings and contributions have appeared in many books and magazines...
: Human sexualityHuman sexualityHuman sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
writer, speaker, and sex educator. - The Bloggess: (Jenny Lawson) JournalistJournalistA journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and bloggerBlogA blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
. - Jerry KingJerry KingJerry King is a cartoonist. He has received the National Cartoonist Society Magazine Gag Cartoon Award for 2001 and was nominated for their Gag Cartoon Award and Magazine Gag Cartoon Award for 2002....
: CartoonistCartoonistA cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
, past winner of the National Cartoonist Society Magazine Gag Cartoon Award. - Em & Lo: (Emma Taylor and Lorelei Sharkey) Authors, bloggers, sexual advice columnists.
External links
- Official website SexIs Magazine
- AIDS Service Center NYC ASCNYC.org
- The Bloggess' website TheBloggess