Bite the Fruit

May is National Masturbation Month. The annual celebration began in 1995 in response to the forced resignation of U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders in December 1994. After a speech at the UN World AIDS Day, Elders responded to an attendee’s question about masturbation’s potential for discouraging early sexual activity. She replied, “I think it is something that is part of human sexuality and a part of something that perhaps should be taught."   Soon after, Elders’ career as the first black female Surgeon General ended. The owners of Good Vibrations, an adult shop in San Francisco, were outraged. They set...

Genderism: Unhealthy prejudice   Redesigning Bite the Fruit’s online store, it became clear that when it came to categorizing our products, the usual system of classification, “For Him” and “For Her,” is no longer viable. Gender is hardly binary. And sex toys are functionally non-gender specific.   The adult industry, just as other industries, is plagued by genderism. The patriarchal attitudes, holdovers from when men controlled all the money while women got very little of it, still influence and shape the business. The issue is often overlooked or completely ignored with negative effect.   Genderism, or gender binarism, is the...

Study finds intimate relationships are actually doing well during the pandemic   A recent Monmouth University survey of 556 American adults, between April 30 to May 4, found that despite the stresses that might come from home quarantine, working from home, losing a job, business lockdowns, or managing kids, most are happy in their relationships. Although they are far from perfect, on average, they are in pretty good shape.   The survey reveals some encouraging results:   1. About three-quarters of those polled with a romantic partner say their relationship has not fundamentally changed since the coronavirus outbreak.   When...