Latest news with #sexeducation
New York Times
3 days ago
- Health
- New York Times
The Politics and Perils of Pornography
To the Editor: Re 'The Delusion of Porn's Harmlessness,' by Christine Emba (Opinion guest essay, May 25): Thanks to Ms. Emba for writing about pornography and its negative effect on society. I try to teach my daughter and 8-year-old granddaughter that they bring more to the table than their looks, that they are more than the sum total of their body parts. I'm breathing a slight sigh of relief that maybe this next generation will realize that. Jenny MottierCincinnati To the Editor: In her essay, Christine Emba writes: 'As a society, we are allowing our desires to continue to be molded in experimental ways, for profit, by an industry that does not have our best interests at heart.' But I'm left wondering, what industry does? The food industry floods us with ultraprocessed products that are literally killing us. The fossil fuel industry drives us toward climate catastrophe. The health care industry leaves thousands uninsured and allows people to die if they can't pay. Surely, Ms. Emba must see that the real problem is the current state of capitalism, where profit is the only true priority. The porn industry is just one more expression of that system. Karaca MestciLondon To the Editor: As long as we, as a society, continue to withhold age-appropriate sex education from our young people, they will continue to seek out answers to their questions and context for their feelings anywhere they can find them. The internet has, unfortunately, become the primary source of this for many children and young adults. Withholding reliable and useful information about sex does not make the normal and appropriate curiosity that young people have about bodies, behavior and sex go away. It just encourages the naturally curious to seek out answers in other places. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Sun
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Watch the shocking moment Virgin Island stars practise ‘self-pleasure touching' with sex experts in awkward scenes
VIRGIN Island stars are set to practice 'self-pleasure touching' with the sex experts, in awkward scenes coming up. Channel 4's Virgin Island has landed on screens, and has viewers hooked. 7 7 7 Although the series features some racy, nude and steamy moments, it also delves deep into the heart-warming stories from the 12 virgins opening up on camera for the first time. And in new scenes, the stars of Virgin Island will learn a new skill - 'self-pleasure touching.' The 12 individuals can be seen listening attentively to sexologists Dr Danielle Harel and Celeste Hirschman. They're told: 'This first exercise today is called touching for your own pleasure. 'Until you actually feel the sensation of touching for your own pleasure, you can't get to that next level, it's like the first step.' They're then asked: 'Who's ready to touch for your own pleasure?' Some of the group can be seen looking quite apprehensive about the task at hand. Tense music plays, before cutting to one Virgin Island star, named Jason, telling the camera: 'In my childhood with my family, we were never huggers. I hated being hugged, I've never liked it and I'm not an intimate person at all. 'In my adult life, I've never kissed anyone.' Watch the moment Virgin Island stars perform X-rated act leaving viewers horrified Jason then volunteers to hop up and give the challenge a go, saying he'd 'like to be the opposite, and lose his virginity.' He's seen rubbing his arms up and down the arms of the sexologist in the task, while she laughs. 'See if you can breathe a little bit while you do it, so you can actually feel the sensation,' she tells him. The task continues, and he seems more at ease with running his hands up and down her arms, as they sit cross legged on the floor. The voiceover tells viewers: 'For Jason, just a few seconds of touch is all he can handle. 'But Celeste isn't finished with him yet.' She then begins to touch him, and rubs her hands up and down his arms. The group applauds after Jason's session, as he makes his way back to the group. The show, which aims to help adult virgins explore intimacy for the first time, features renowned sex and relationship coaches Celeste Hirschman and Danielle Harel — founders of the Somatic Institute in San Francisco and stars of Gwyneth Paltrow' s Netflix series Sex, Love & Goop. Celeste and Danielle lead a hands-on 'treatment programme' that begins with open discussions about intimacy, before gradually moving on to physical contact. But things take an even steamier turn when three professional 'Sexological Bodyworkers' — Aisha, Thomas, and Joy — are brought in to guide the participants through erotic techniques. They're joined by two 'surrogate partners', Kat and Andre, who help the virgins build emotional and physical connection through direct experience. While some viewers have praised the show for breaking down sexual taboos, others have been left gobsmacked by how far it goes — with one calling it 'basically porn with coaching.' 7 7 7
WIRED
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- WIRED
Your Favorite Porn Stars Are Sick of Being Censored. But They're Not Going Away
May 13, 2025 7:00 AM We spent the Pornhub Awards with some of the site's biggest stars to talk censorship, making money, dating apps, and the rise of trans porn—all while the site is blocked in more than a third of US states. Natassia Dreams, Jordan Firstman, Asa Akira and Queenie Sateen arriving at The 7th Annual Porn Hub Awards. Photograph: Skye Battles Asa Akira doesn't want your teenager learning about sex from her videos any more than you do. 'It's devastating to me that someone's first experience of sex could be a gang-bang scene of mine. Like, that's not OK,' says Akira, 40, from inside a spacious villa at the Sunset Marquis hotel in West Hollywood, where she and other adult stars are getting their hair and makeup done for the seventh annual Pornhub Awards at the nearby Saddle Ranch Chop House. The suite, which features a grand piano currently topped with different styles of fake eyelashes, has the distinct slightly burnt smell of recently straightened hair. A TV plays music videos by Lady Gaga and Avril Lavigne—I'm told a Katy Perry track was mocked relentlessly earlier in the day. Akira, a 5'2'' titan of the industry who according to the Internet Adult Film Database has appeared in more than 900 adult films, understands the concerns about minors looking at porn, but she doesn't think it's a problem for her industry to solve. More so, she thinks it's a societal issue that should be addressed with more practical sex education. Asa Akira at the Sunset Marquis hotel. Photograph: Skye Battles 'If we had better sex ed, young people would not look to porn as education, just like they don't look to a movie to learn how to act in the world … When it comes to sex, or even being nude, we talk about it so little. Of course, when they're naturally curious at a certain age, the only thing to look at right now is porn, and of course they're gonna look.' They might have a harder time looking these days, depending on where they live. Last week, the Arizona House of Representatives passed a bill requiring adult websites to verify that their visitors are at least 18. If signed into law by Governor Katie Hobbs, Arizona will become the 21st state to pass a similar measure since Louisiana started the trend in 2022. But in most cases, rather than rely on third-party services to collect people's identification data, Pornhub has opted to remove its content from the impacted jurisdictions, meaning it is no longer available in at least 17 states. Alex Kekesi, vice president of brand and community for Pornhub, says the site agreed to verify user ages in Louisiana, but it resulted in an 80 percent drop in traffic because people didn't want to hand over their IDs. While Kekesi says Pornhub is in favor of preventing minors from watching porn, the company doesn't believe these bans are the right way to go about it. Still, Pornhub remains one of the most visited websites in the world, which shows that the consumption of pornography, despite being controversial, is in fact extremely mainstream. From left to right: Jordan Firstman, Asa Akira, Queenie Sateen, Elly Clutch, and Alex Kekesi Photograph: Skye Battles WIRED spent a day in Los Angeles with Akira and several of Pornhub's other biggest stars as they got ready for and attended the awards show. The event was Western-themed, in spite—or perhaps because—of the fact that most of the age-verification legislation in the US is coming from the southern states. The stars in attendance discussed how social media censorship and Pornhub's greatly reduced footprint are impacting their bottom lines, the pros and cons of shooting 'mainstream' studio porn versus self-publishing their own videos, the struggles of online dating, and celebrating transgender porn—a category that's been steadily rising in popularity—under a presidential administration that is openly hostile to trans bodies. 'In my kids' eyes, I am a stay-at-home mom.' Last week, US senator Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, introduced a bill that would criminalize pornography federally. 'Obscenity isn't protected by the First Amendment, but hazy and unenforceable legal definitions have allowed extreme pornography to saturate American society and reach countless children,' Lee stated in a press release promoting the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act. The bill targets 'actual or simulated sexual acts with the objective intent to arouse, titillate, or gratify the sexual desires of a person' and content that 'lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.' A hidden-camera video published last year by the British nonprofit Centre for Climate Reporting showed Project 2025 coauthor Russell Vought saying the age-verification laws were a 'back door' way of enacting a federal porn ban. 'We've got a number of states that are passing this and, you know, what happens is the porn company then says, 'We're not going to do business in your state,' which of course is entirely what we were after, right?' said Vought, a Christian nationalist who is now head of the federal government's Office of Management and Budget. The age-verification laws have resulted in lawsuits, both from state governments suing website operators for allegedly failing to comply and from adult entertainment groups suing states for violating free speech laws. The US Supreme Court is currently reviewing a Texas case, which could have huge implications for the future of age-verification laws. These measures appear to be, at least in part, ideologically motivated as part of a larger push for Americans to return to ultra-traditional Christian values, have lots of kids, and embrace old-school gender roles. The funny thing is, when I ask Akira how she balances a porn career with being a mother of a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old, she says her job has actually allowed her to be around her kids all the time. 'In my kids' eyes, I am a stay-at-home mom,' she says, sitting in front of a six-foot-tall mirror, her glittery turquoise eyeshadow popping in contrast to the baggy gray T-shirt and sweats she has on. 'I'm kind of worried that they're not gonna understand the concept of work, because I'm home when they are.' Akira's own parents are Japanese immigrants, but because they are both creatives, she says they weren't as strict on her as one might expect. Still, they did send her to private school, and while supportive, 'they would literally rather have me do anything else in the world,' she says, laughing. Queenie Sateen and Asa Akira arriving at The 7th Annual Porn Hub Awards. Photograph: Skye Battles When she and her husband decided to start their own family, around seven years ago, she stopped shooting scenes with partners because it's too time consuming. Plus, her husband would be too jealous, she adds. 'There's no way he could handle it,' she says. Though she's open with her kids about where babies come from and the proper names for private parts, they're too young to understand what she does for a living, so she tells them she's a video producer. 'I don't want to lie to them, you know. And I'm hoping that I'm laying all the building blocks so that when the time comes when it's appropriate to tell them, I can be like, 'Oh, well, you know how I make videos—they're only for grown-ups,'' Studio porn vs. self-published videos Akira started out as a dominatrix in her native New York City at age 19 before moving into adult films. Initially, she mostly did movies shot by studios, and got off on it. Asa Akira at the Sunset Marquis hotel. Photograph: Skye Battles 'Being on set, people watching me … You and the other performer are forcing this chemistry to make this product that people are going to jerk off to. All of that to me is hot.' But self-publishing solo videos on Pornhub or OnlyFans, as she now does, means she gets to keep a much bigger cut. 'There are people who make millions a month on OnlyFans,' she says, though she won't disclose her own earnings. At the height of her studio career, she was earning up to $4,000 for some threesome scenes, but she says studio performers don't typically see any additional money beyond what they make on the day of the shoot. Fellow Pornhub ambassador Queenie Sateen, who is up for the award of top lesbian performer, has only been in the game for three years, and has primarily done studio porn—'it's more glamorous,' she says. She admits that having focused less on developing a massive OnlyFans audience may have been to her detriment. But even that's not fail-proof. She says the top self-published earners she knows are seeing 'big, big decreases in their subscribers.' She's also heard about some studios using AI clauses in fine print that would allow them to use actors' likenesses to create scenes they didn't perform, another possible threat to their bottom line, in addition to potentially being unethical. Queenie Sateen at the Sunset Marquis hotel. 'There's peaks and valleys, and I feel like we're in a valley,' she says. As a musician, she says she's considered a 're-pivot' in that direction if porn continues to be less lucrative. Akira chimes in that her primary source of income has varied over the years, from strip club tours to Snapchat Premium subscriptions to her branded fleshlight. Frequent social media bans and censorship don't make things easier. Akira, who is nominated for favorite social media personality, is on her seventh Instagram account because she says Instagram shut down the previous six. To avoid further scrutiny, her current account is so heavily sanitized 'that it's practically fraudulent.' Pornhub itself was kicked off Instagram, where it had over 13 million followers, in the fall of 2022. 'It hurts my feelings on a personal level,' Akira says. 'On a business level, it makes things very, very hard. It's hard to sell sex when you can't promote it on any type of mainstream platform.' Natassia Dreams, who is nominated for favorite trans model, is on her 16th Instagram account. As a Black trans star, she says being 'one of the most marginalized on top of the marginalized, marginalized, marginalized in all of the fields, it's really special to have these moments and lift each other up.' Dreams got into porn in 2004 because it felt safer than escorting. But it hasn't been easy, even with trans porn growing in viewership—there's data suggesting it's especially popular in red states—and being recognized for more awards. (Pornhub had five trans categories this year, after adding a new one in 2024.) She attributes it to an increase in fluidity around gender and attraction across the culture, but says trans characters in mainstream porn are often fetishized for the male gaze. Natassia Dreams at the Sunset Marquis hotel. 'I just feel like they don't want to project the trans woman as a beautiful woman, because it's in their fantasy. They want to keep a trans woman as that little dirty secret,' she says, adding that she wants to see more trans writers and directors, along with more romantic storylines. While all of the women have their 'no lists'—sex acts they won't do—Akira says it's a privilege to be able to turn down work. It's a luxury she didn't always have. When she started out, 'I built my name on shooting Asian fetish content.' When she still shot with men, her no list ended up including reverse cowgirl because it's uncomfortable. Sateen's? 'No mommy shit.' Dreams, meanwhile, says her no list includes a man she shot with for 11 years. One of the job's occupational hazards, she says, is catching feelings for someone who is great in bed. 'You're building this relationship but then it's like, OK, this is just work.' On the flip side, being on dating apps like Raya, is 'very frustrating.' 'People expect that you're like this person they've seen in the videos.' Showtime After six hours of hair, makeup, salads, and getting into Western costumes designed by Chris Habana, who has outfitted and accessorized stars like Beyoncé and Rihanna, it's almost showtime. Akira wears a baby blue dress made of belts, Sateen is in chaps, and Dreams dons a floor-length purple fur coat lined with cash. The three of them and a handful of other stars storm the Sunset Marquis' hallways and grounds to take a million sexually charged family-photo-style pics, as non-Pornhub-affiliated hotel guests gape in confusion. Then they pile into a party bus and continue to pose for paparazzi-style photos as they clamor out into the night. Natassia Dreams, Asa Akira, Queenie Sateen, Jordan Firstman, Alex Kekesi, Elly Cultch, Jak Hammer, and designer Chris Habana on the red carpet at The 7th Annual Porn Hub Awards. Photograph: Skye Battles A woman on the sidewalk outside Saddle Ranch asks her friend who these people are. 'Those are the people your friends jerk off too,' her friend responds. The Saddle Ranch has a red carpet, set against a wall of bounty-hunter-style 'wanted' posters depicting famous porn stars. It's an informal affair—90 percent just a party, with stars like Kim Petras and Diplo in attendance. There's a mechanical bull, a giant banana mascot in a bandana and cowboy hat, and gift bags with weed gummies. Host and comedian Jordan Firstman hands out the awards, which go by quickly, with acceptance speeches featuring lines like, 'Thank you for everybody in this room who has fucked me so good.' The only speech I catch that approaches a political message comes from Girthmaster, an Aussie who ties for 'best dick' with Spanish performer Jordi El Niño Polla. Jordi El Niño, and Girthmaster recieiving their awards from host Jordan Firstman. Photograph: Skye Battles 'I guess this is another reason immigrants are good,' the 6'6'' Girthmaster says, to loud cheers. Perhaps the most surprising aspect is that it's pretty tame, sexually speaking. Firstman, who tells me he's been to Pornhub after-parties in the past and noticed a distinct lack of orgies, has a possible explanation. 'I think it's like when you have sex for a living, the work events tend to be more social than turned up.' Akira says for her the night is about celebrating sex positivity at a time when that's getting harder to come by. Then she gets a little defiant. 'I'm 40 years old. I can do whatever I want with my pussy. It's kind of sad that that's radical.'
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Concerns over strangulation during sex presentation plan
A council has been criticised for creating a PowerPoint presentation that appeared to endorse strangulation during sex that was intended to be used in schools. The slides included the sentence: "It is never OK to start choking someone without asking them first." Bridgend council said it was part of a "draft version", never shown to children and the slides were dropped following feedback from professionals. But experts and politician Natasha Asghar have asked why the Welsh authority "deemed appropriate" to include an illegal act in any draft of the presentation. 'My ex had such a small sentence for strangling me' Concerns children learning sex from pornography Boys asking teachers how to choke girls during sex Bridgend council commissioned the school resource from their in-house domestic abuse service, called Assia, and a presentation was leaked last year. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Wales' First Minister Eluned Morgan were among those sent an open letter raising concerns of parents and professionals that deliver sex education lessons. Claire Waxman, the Victims' Commissioner for London, also told The Times that the material was "deeply concerning". Former Conservative MEP Baroness Jacqueline Foster also spoke out, telling Parliament that non-fatal strangulation was a criminal offence that could be punished with imprisonment. The Welsh government said non-fatal strangulation was "dangerous and illegal" and added the resources Bridgend council gave schools "make this clear". Bridgend council have since issued a "clarification" statement that said "the slides were part of inaccurate or out-of-date information that was either updated or removed". But it raised further questions as to why the material and messaging existed in the first place, so BBC Wales asked them for more information. The authority said the slide was part of an "active presentation". "The idea was that the presenter would use the slide to stimulate debate before advising participants that non-fatal strangulation is actually a dangerous, illegal crime which carries significant penalties," said Bridgend council's statement. They said that part of the presentation was dropped following feedback from professionals consulted during the drafting process. Sources including Michael Conroy, who trains professionals like teachers to deliver sex education lessons, have told the BBC that they understand the presentation was offered to schools and youth settings to show. However, the council denied this and said it was only sent "as a work in progress with a small group of professionals for their insight and views". "It was presented as this is what we will teach to children, there was intention there," said Mr Conroy, a former personal, social and health education co-ordinator in schools, who did not receive the presentation from the council directly. When Mr Conroy first saw the slide in question, he said it was "terrifying" and there was not any additional information about safety on other slides. "The idea that someone is saying it's ok to strangle a person if you get a yes is atrocious," added Mr Conroy of Men at Work. "It's the opposite of safeguarding, it's a terrible breach of trust." Welsh Parliament member Natasha Asghar said she had been contacted by "concerned parents" and called for Bridgend council to release the material. "I'm requesting both versions of this PowerPoint presentation," said the Conservative Senedd member who sits on the Children, Young People and Education Committee. "We shouldn't disguise the fact those responsible for creating the content originally deemed this appropriate. We need to look into this to make sure children are being taught properly." Despite the council saying that the slide was not to be used in isolation, she said: "It does not negate from that fact those responsible for the content originally deemed it appropriate. This is where I have my concerns." Ms Asghar said she had written to the council leader but was without a reply. The example has raised concerns from parents, experts and politicians about what is being taught to children in school during sex education lessons. "I know government will dismiss this as the work of just one sex ed provider but all parents should ask to see the materials their children are being taught in PHSE," said Fiona Mackenzie, who led a campaign to end the so-called rough sex defence in the Domestic Abuse bill. "This is up to government to take control of sex ed materials, opening sex ed up to the market means anyone can set up to tell children how to have sex." Bridgend council said in a statement: "We want to again confirm that local children are not being taught to believe that dangerous sexual behaviour is acceptable as long as consent is in place." The Welsh government reiterated that "at no point were inappropriate materials shared for use in schools or seen by learners". They said they had given extra funding to provide "expertise and support" to schools and local authorities and make sure resources were "age appropriate and in line with legal requirements". "We have always been clear that any resources must be developmentally appropriate and in line with the legal requirements of the mandatory Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) Code," the Welsh government statement added. The UK government have been approached for comment. If you've been affected by the issues in this story, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line.
BBC News
11-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Bridgend council criticised for sex strangulation presentation plan
A council has been criticised for creating a PowerPoint presentation that appeared to endorse strangulation during sex that was intended to be used in slides included the sentence: "It is never OK to start choking someone without asking them first."Bridgend council said it was part of a "draft version", never shown to children and the slides were dropped following feedback from experts and politician Natasha Asghar have asked why the Welsh authority "deemed appropriate" to include an illegal act in any draft of the presentation. Bridgend council commissioned the school resource from their in-house domestic abuse service, called Assia, and a presentation was leaked last Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Wales' First Minister Eluned Morgan were among those sent an open letter raising concerns of parents and professionals that deliver sex education Waxman, the Victims' Commissioner for London, also told The Times that the material was "deeply concerning".Former Conservative MEP Baroness Jacqueline Foster also spoke out, telling Parliament that non-fatal strangulation was a criminal offence that could be punished with Welsh government said non-fatal strangulation was "dangerous and illegal" and added the resources Bridgend council gave schools "make this clear". Bridgend council have since issued a "clarification" statement that said "the slides were part of inaccurate or out-of-date information that was either updated or removed".But it raised further questions as to why the material and messaging existed in the first place, so BBC Wales asked them for more authority said the slide was part of an "active presentation"."The idea was that the presenter would use the slide to stimulate debate before advising participants that non-fatal strangulation is actually a dangerous, illegal crime which carries significant penalties," said Bridgend council's said that part of the presentation was dropped following feedback from professionals consulted during the drafting including Michael Conroy, who trains professionals like teachers to deliver sex education lessons, have told the BBC that they understand the presentation was offered to schools and youth settings to show. However, the council denied this and said it was only sent "as a work in progress with a small group of professionals for their insight and views"."It was presented as this is what we will teach to children, there was intention there," said Mr Conroy, a former personal, social and health education co-ordinator in schools, who did not receive the presentation from the council Mr Conroy first saw the slide in question, he said it was "terrifying" and there was not any additional information about safety on other slides."The idea that someone is saying it's ok to strangle a person if you get a yes is atrocious," added Mr Conroy of Men at Work. "It's the opposite of safeguarding, it's a terrible breach of trust."Welsh Parliament member Natasha Asghar said she had been contacted by "concerned parents" and called for Bridgend council to release the material. "I'm requesting both versions of this PowerPoint presentation," said the Conservative Senedd member who sits on the Children, Young People and Education Committee."We shouldn't disguise the fact those responsible for creating the content originally deemed this appropriate. We need to look into this to make sure children are being taught properly."Despite the council saying that the slide was not to be used in isolation, she said: "It does not negate from that fact those responsible for the content originally deemed it appropriate. This is where I have my concerns."Ms Asghar said she had written to the council leader but was without a example has raised concerns from parents, experts and politicians about what is being taught to children in school during sex education lessons."I know government will dismiss this as the work of just one sex ed provider but all parents should ask to see the materials their children are being taught in PHSE," said Fiona Mackenzie, who led a campaign to end the so-called rough sex defence in the Domestic Abuse bill. "This is up to government to take control of sex ed materials, opening sex ed up to the market means anyone can set up to tell children how to have sex."Bridgend council said in a statement: "We want to again confirm that local children are not being taught to believe that dangerous sexual behaviour is acceptable as long as consent is in place."The Welsh government reiterated that "at no point were inappropriate materials shared for use in schools or seen by learners".They said they had given extra funding to provide "expertise and support" to schools and local authorities and make sure resources were "age appropriate and in line with legal requirements"."We have always been clear that any resources must be developmentally appropriate and in line with the legal requirements of the mandatory Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) Code," the Welsh government statement UK government have been approached for you've been affected by the issues in this story, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line.
