Author: Tristan Taormino

Researchers seek your experience with porn

Do you read or watch porn? Researchers Feona Attwood, Martin Barker, and Clarissa Smith are looking for participants in an online questionnaire about your experiences with porn. Unlike most research into porn consumption -- which is often concerned with the potential negative effects of porn -- this project is focused on the actual people who use porn.

Our project is concerned with the everyday uses of pornography, and how the people who use it feel it fits into their lives. Pornography is of course a highly topical issue, subject to many opposing views and ‘strong opinions’. And we are not saying that there are no moral or political issues. But we are saying that the voices of users and enjoyers have been swamped. In fact, there is very little research that engages with the users of pornography, asking how, when and why they turn to it.

The questionnaire is a mixture of multiple choice and open questions. It will ask questions about what porn you watch, how you find it, what you like/dislike, and how your porn consumption influences your feelings about sexuality. The questionnaire should take about 20-30 minutes to complete, and responses will remain anonymous. Go fill it out!

Watch Law and Order: SVU tonight!

Tonight's episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, entitled "Bombshell," has an interesting premise: two detectives are assigned to investigate criminal activity at a "swingers' club."

The Woodhull Foundation is hoping that viewers will tune in to the show and submit their responses to it on the foundation's website.

While we have not seen the episode, we have apprehension that it may feature gratuitous demonizing and sensational characterizations of swingers and others involved in the swinging lifestyle . . . help us review the show as we consider any possible response we may wish to make to the network.

The episode airs tonight, Wednesday, at 10 pm ET on NBC. Submit your thoughts on the Woodhull Foundation's website.

Student at Smith College comes out as poly in newspaper

Smith College's newspaper, The Sophian, features an ongoing column called Sex and the Smithie written by a different anonymous author each week. Last week's column is entitled Hear me out, I'm polyamorous and proud! (free registration may be required).

This student does an excellent job of dispelling myths about polyamory while also asking for understanding from their community. By drawing comparisons between poly people and other marginalized groups, the student author hopes that readers will better understand what it means to identify as poly.

So, yes, I'm coming out as poly. Before you commit to that visceral revulsion, I ask that you take a moment to draw a parallel. A romantic situation that's not socially acceptable. An orientation that you feel you have to keep secret. Something your religion prohibits. It disgusts some people. It's "wrong." You just feel this way; you can't help it. How are you going to find a partner? It is not the social default. You may even try to have a normative relationship. You struggle with how to tell your family and friends. Sound familiar to anyone?

. . . my point is that I find some very relatable parallels to being LGBTQ. It's non-normative, you might initially think your inclinations make you a bad person, and only relatively recently has it become not completely unspeakable and taboo. And, yeah, it's not for everyone. Plenty of people are heterosexual, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that; just please don't try to make me like you. We feel the same way about monogamy: there's nothing wrong with it, just please don't tell me my orientation is sick or wrong.

It's always great to hear how young people and students navigate polyamory, and this is a wonderful example of "coming out" with pride.

Poly blog magazine seeks writers and submissions

Loving More, a poly community organization and educational website, is looking for staff writers and writing submissions for the online revival of their historic magazine, PEP Talk. PEP Talk, which stands for Polyfidelity Educational Productions, is the oldest magazine in the world to explore multi-partner relationships. The new blog magazine will feature a vast array of writing on polyamorous issues. The call for submissions reads:

As always we welcome submissions for articles, poems, artwork and stories from anyone interested in writing . . . Special interests or subjects we are looking to cover include bisexuality, queer and poly, mono-poly, coming out, poly and aging, young and poly and any ideas you all have an interest in as long as it is relevant to polyamory and/or relationships. Personal stories of transitions, challenges, joys and relationship shifts are always welcome.

For more submission information, see Loving More's writer's guidelines. If you are poly experienced and interested in joining the writing team, contact the Executive Director and Managing Editor, Robyn Trask, at robyn [at] lovemore [dot] com, or call 970-667-5683.