April 30, 2008

What is the "sex toy controversy" at the UW Law School?

The Badger Herald tells the story with clickable pictures of the fliers that were posted at the Law School. The enlarged pictures are NSFW, but I guess if the women put them up, then it's not sexual harassment.
The Wisconsin Law Students for Reproductive Justice had planned an event called “Sex Toys 101” to promote safe alternatives to sex, educate about sexual health and pleasure, and discuss law concerning sex toys, according to the group.

Members of the organization submitted a formal complaint to Law School Dean Ken Davis Friday, requesting a formal apology, refund of event expenses and clarification of student organization event rules.

In an interview Monday, Law School Associate Dean Walter Dickey said the event was canceled for content-neutral reasons, pointing to a Student Organization Office policy that prohibits the promotion or sale of commercial products by a private company...

In their complaint sent Friday, however, the students contend even after they told Law School administrators the event did not involve any sales or promotions, Dickey indicated the event should be canceled.

“Dean Dickey’s response was that it did not matter whether it was a sale or not, there were to be ‘no sex toys on law school premises,’” the group said, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by The Badger Herald....

Organizers also took issue with the removal of their posters advertising the event within the halls of the Law School. The posters advertised sex toys as trivia contest prizes, included bondage references and said the event was to be “presented by A Woman’s Touch.”

“We believe they were taken down because some people found them offensive,” [said the student who chairs he Wisconsin Law Students for Reproductive Justice Chair.] “If some people did find them offensive, that’s one thing, but to go around ripping them down we don’t feel is the proper way to go about the situation.”
So the question is whether the event was canceled because it violated some neutral rule about selling things. As for the posters, though, surely the law school is allowed to forbid plastering images of penises on our walls.

ADDED: I'm looking at the letter the Law School dean, Kenneth B. Davis, sent to the student, which makes some important assertions of fact:
[T]he only previous formal communication from your group had proposed an event at which the vendor’s products would be sold. Your subsequent internal correspondence, which you attached to your complaint, reveals after reviewing the University’s guidelines as recommended by Dean Robarts, you proposed telling the vendor that it could feature its products (rather than sell them) and get good PR from the event. However, those guidelines prohibit not only sales, but the use of University facilities “to promote or endorse commercial products or businesses.”

Because the posters advertising the event named the vendor and pictured specific products, Dean Dickey deemed them inappropriate. He ordered that the posters, many of which had been hung in unauthorized locations, be removed. He also determined that because it was inappropriate to sell, promote, or advertise the vendor’s products on Law School premises, the event should be canceled, and Dean Robarts then undertook to notify the students to that effect.
So, note, that the official position is not that you can't post pictures of dildos — which I am calling depictions of penises — around the law school. It's that you can't post pictures of commercial products you're promoting or selling.
When the students responded that no sales had been planned, Dean Dickey determined that the event could go ahead so long as it did not involve the sale or promotion of commercial products. That important distinction may not have been communicated to all the students as unambiguously or on as timely a basis as we might have desired. For that, the Law School administration bears the responsibility.

Given that background, I will honor your request for reimbursement for the food and beverages you purchased. I cannot, however, use Law School funds to repay you for the merchandise you had intended to give away.

96 comments:

vbspurs said...

Dean "Dickey" in a post about sex toys? There is a God.

Cheers,
Victoria

Laura Reynolds said...

Dean Dickey?!

Laura Reynolds said...

Dang, two minutes.

vbspurs said...

Dean Dickey?!

I know right. Weird. I haven't been this amused since Margaret Spelling was appointed Secretary of Education.

It's like Ann up and marrying a man named Squirrel.

Cheers,
Victoria

Joe said...

Dean Dickey finds sex toys icky.

Trooper York said...

Now, now, Dean Dickey is no one to play around with. He's a real stiff. If you play around with him he might erupt. And nobody wants to see that.

Well except for Titus.

MadisonMan said...

I've not really followed this controversy, but it seems like Dean Dickey is making his decisions with an eye on the Legislature and how they would react to this. The students in this case apparently think anything goes with no repercussions when it comes to funding.

I have to say that I get a kick out of the group name: Wisconsin Law Students for Reproductive Justice. What the heck does that mean? I'll wager that 99.44% of the members are female, though.

Trooper York said...

You know those kids better be carefull. Dean Dickey is in a pretty bad mood. You know his wife has been spreading a rumor that he's not a stand up guy.

Sofa King said...

The enlarged pictures are NSF

National Science Foundation?

I'm guessing you mean NSFW.

Laura Reynolds said...

Dean Dickey does not allow anything enlarged, including pictures.

Freder Frederson said...

What images of penises? Don't you know the difference between a penis and a dildo? I know you can't tell the difference between a carrot and a penis and an onion ring and a vagina, but this is getting ridiculous.

Maybe you need to go to the library and check out a book on human anatomy.

Sofa King said...

Really, the most offensive thing about those posters is the use of Comic Sans.

Trooper York said...

I am not going to make the obvious joke, just check the box and move on please.

Don't forget to tip your waiters and waitresses.

somefeller said...

I'm just surprised that there's a law school in America where people are getting together to talk about sex, in a context other than "I'm not getting enough". But then again, this is a talk about sex toys, so maybe my surprise is unfounded and my initial instincts confirmed.

somefeller said...

Oh, and yeah, I stayed home from work today, so that's why I'm posting at some time other than nights and weekends.

former law student said...

Is the UWLS really a dildo-free zone?

Don't various groups sell various things? Heart-shaped cookies for Valentine's Day, etc.?

Trooper York said...

I thought law school was where they taught you to be a dildo.

Anonymous said...

"I thought law school was where they taught you to be a dildo."

Or a Dickey.

Are the two sides of this debate referred to as Dickey and Dicker?

Anonymous said...

"(t)he Wisconsin Law Students for Reproductive Justice Chair."

Wasn't the reproductive justice chair used at Gitmo until it was replaced by waterboarding?

Trooper York said...

"Are the two sides of this debate referred to as Dickey and Dicker?"

No, I think the two sides are Dickey and Dickless. That's the whole point of the dispute don't ya see.

Robert Holmgren said...

It's good to see another Rodney Dangerfield production back in Madison.

Ann Althouse said...

Sofa King: Thanks. Fixed.

Ann Althouse said...

A dildo shaped like a penis is depiction of a penis.

Robert Phansalkar said...

The pretext that this was "commercial products" is what's really upsetting in this.

While Dickey may have the right to block this because it is offensive (I'm not quite willing to sign off onto that) saying that it is because of a "commercial products" rule from a non-law school organization governing office is totally bogus.

Especially, when it's application is questionable at best. Maybe if Dickey had actually read the sign before tearing it down he would have seen the word "free sex toys" on there. Commercial products relates best to SOO policies on fund raising. It's not at all clear that this is even the case.

And let's be real for a second here - anyone who saw those flyers didn't immediately think "this must be a commercial enterprise." They saw a giant dildo staring them in the face.

If Dickey is going to do something like this, at least man up and call a spade a spade. Hiding behind a SOO policy, that he's in no position to enforce, is ridiculous.


Side note:
What about Charles Whitebread's presentations earlier this year? That's not a SOO production - but where was the outrage over promotion of "commercial products" on that one?

Dave Hardy said...

If they're promoting safe sex, why did they omit Babbette the Love Ewe?
http://www.muttonbone.com/

ronbo said...

Apart from the group's rather Stalinist name I don't see the problem. Even the dildo poster is only slightly NSFW, I think.

Dickey's just a pussy.

@somefeller: I thought reproductive justice means getting laid more often.

Richard Fagin said...

I'm still trying to figure out what "reproductive justice" is.

Trooper York said...

"A dildo shaped like a penis is depiction of a penis.

Is that a dickpiction?

former law student said...

reproductive justice means free (or at least free access to) birth control and abortion. But....

1. Shouldn't these kids be getting ready for finals?
2. I guess the Tupperware party Ann's colleagues were planning is right out, now.

tom swift said...

"A dildo shaped like a penis is depiction of a penis."

But those aren't shaped like The Real Thing. They look more like industrial gasketing material.

Freder Frederson said...

A dildo shaped like a penis is depiction of a penis.

Not to get Rene Magritte on your ass,
but you didn't say a "depiction" of an penis, you said an "image" of a penis. It was an image of a dildo.

Ici n'est pas un penis.

a@b.com said...

Yes, I'm pretty sure this poster does not contain "images of penises". Those are dildos, a perfectly legal product in Wisconsin. I don't even think they're remotely anatomically correct reproductions.

**checks**

Nope, definitely looks different.

FedkaTheConvict said...

Is the Dean's name Ken Davis Friday or is it Ken Davis?

Trooper York said...

"Those are dildos, a perfectly legal product in Wisconsin."

Aren't a lot of them registered to vote in Wisconsin?

The Drill SGT said...

ann said...but I guess if the women put them up, then it's not sexual harassment.

I don't have much good to say about sexual harassment laws in general, but if some guy had 4 inches of personal equipment, wouldn't pictures of 10 inches of hard latex constitute a hostile work environment???

the legal problem would be in getting some smucj to admit that he had "standing" at 4 inches

Jennifer said...

Not to get all grammar nazi on your ass but Magritte would have said ceci n'est pas un penis.

Ann Althouse said...

Freder Frederson said..."Not to get Rene Magritte on your ass, but you didn't say a "depiction" of an penis, you said an "image" of a penis. It was an image of a dildo."

An image is a depiction. You make a sculptural form of a penis and then you photograph it: that's an image of a penis and a depiction of a penis. If I painted a penis and then photographed it, it would be an image of a penis. Sculpting or manufacturing a penis form in 3D and then photographing it is also, obviously, and image of a penis.

M. Simon said...

Wait a minute is the school animal a Badger or a Beaver. I'm from out of State and I often get confused.

BTW do the brooms at UWLS have handles?

Maybe if they had been selling broom handles everything would have been OK.

rhhardin said...

A phallus in a law school wouldn't be out of place.

Where do they think the law comes from?

Dr Bob said...

Gota love the blaring headlines:

"Dean Dickey disses dildos -- damsels dismayed."

M. Simon said...

BTW Ann did you check out the Charles Whitebread lecture?

He is one of my faves:

Drug War History

And nothing of this order would be complete without a (not Governor) Thompson quote:

I wouldn't recommend sex, drugs or insanity for everyone, but they've always worked for me. - Hunter S. Thompson

rhhardin said...

Camille Paglia said that it's just a fact that the burdens of reproduction are not equally distributed.

I don't know how that goes with reproductive justice. I hope nothing surgical.

M. Simon said...

The big mistake I see is in not calling it an art project.

Ann Althouse said...

The fact that dildos are legal is irrelevant.

Think of it from another perspective. What if a men's rights group put up a poster that had pictures of these things on it and it was an invitation to a lecture about masculinity. The women would say it created a hostile environment.

This is similar to the recent Amanda Marcotte flap, where feminists just didn't see what was outrageous about images because they believed in their cause and they were using the images in support of it.

Get some perspective. You need a rule that you would apply in a viewpoint neutral way. Are you women who put up those signs ready to accept dildo-decorated signs for the lecture on masculinity?

Unknown said...

One of the commenters following the Herald story got it about right: "Students think everything is 'a possible First Amendment violation.'"

But why didn't Dean Dickey say why he really cancelled the event? No balls? (*rimshot*) C'mon Dickey, stand up and be a Dean. That's why you get paid the big bucks, so the buck stops at you. If you set up some false pretense, the group will cure that and then you'll have to find another excuse.

kumogakure said...

sterile, well lit photos of sex toys without any humans involved them are simply not offensive. and the handcuffs with arms in them are not offensive either.

at any rate, contacting the people running the program and having them fix any posters deemed offensive, maybe with say, a reasonable amount of time to correct, seems like a better response than tearing down the posters and saying the event was canceled.

dickey (over)reacted prematurely, and is now trying to cover his tracks and call this a "misunderstanding."

also known as "dickey realizing that he went too far and is now trying to carefully back out with a shrug."

M. Simon said...

If they had promoted it as aids to the handicapped there would be two segments of law to argue about.

Jill M said...

Interesting perspective, Ann. My perspective is that dildos wouldn't be used to promote a masculinity seminar; I don't think anybody would identify dildos as a symbol of masculinity. Dildos represent a liberating choice for women to me, and not much else. Some people use them and some people don't, it really shouldn't be a big deal for consenting adults to talk about it in general, much less in a closed room within a university setting. As far as the 'captive audience' who are subjected to the posters go, averting their eyes could not be easier. And especially since the posters with the dildos don't feature any human, I don't find them offensive at all - even if used to promote a men's event.

I agree the school should have a way to apply a viewpoint neutral policy to any group's sign-age. However shocking these posters are, Dean Dickey had several other options available to him than flexing his muscle and canceling the whole event.

a@b.com said...

Think of it from another perspective. What if a men's rights group put up a poster that had pictures of these things on it and it was an invitation to a lecture about masculinity. The women would say it created a hostile environment.

Well, they would be wrong. Images of "these things" (which seem to make you squeamish) are not hostile. They are not pornography. They are not nudity.

Personally, I think a guys-only lecture on the place of dildos in a relationship would be interesting. Some guys get jealous, some guys tell the girl whatever makes her happy.

Get some perspective. You need a rule that you would apply in a viewpoint neutral way. Are you women who put up those signs ready to accept dildo-decorated signs for the lecture on masculinity?

I can't speak for the women, not being one, but how about "no nudity on posters" as a rule? I'll include very realistic dildos in that rule, but not the things on this poster. I've seen cucumbers more X-rated than that.

You can't ban anything that is "phallus shaped" on posters. Get some perspective.

vbspurs said...

Ooh! Finish the rest of the poem!

"Dean Dickey finds sex toys icky
But Law School Students aren't so picky
When talking of A Woman's Touch,
Althouse says a Penis is too much."

Freder Frederson said...

Magritte would have said ceci n'est pas un penis.

I was trying to say "that is not a penis", not "this is not a penis", which is why I wrote 'ici' rather than 'ceci' but my French is very rusty.

a@b.com said...

Perhaps I'm biased because a journal at my school (NYU Law) hosts a sex toy party every year, complete with advertisement and list-serv spam.

The Earth has continued to turn, despite the fact that some students had to observe depictions of "these things."

Kaitlin said...

"A Woman's Touch" is simply the name of the Sexuality Resource Center located on Willy Street in Madison. It wasn't meant in any other sense.

--WLSRJ executive board member

Daryl said...

Next up: a 30ft-tall penis statue in the middle of the plaza.

As a paean to manliness.

Extra points if they build in a water fountain, triggered by remote control, that they can trigger if feminists get too close to it with the intent of damaging it. You know, they'll go up to spraypaint it, and then it will erupt all over them.

Free speech, you know?

FedkaTheConvict said...

In certain parts of the world, "Willy" or "Willie" is slang for penis.

The irony...


Blogger Kaitlin said...

"A Woman's Touch" is simply the name of the Sexuality Resource Center located on Willy Street in Madison. It wasn't meant in any other sense.

--WLSRJ executive board member
5:57 PM

Fred Drinkwater said...

"Willy Street"?
Time for round 2...

Peter V. Bella said...

What is really amazing is that so called intelligent people find this such an important issue; Wisconsin Law Students for Reproductive Justice?

These are the people to really be feared if they ever graduate and go on to practice law. I wonder if all of them are named Richard Cranium?

Daryl said...

"A Woman's Touch" is simply the name of the Sexuality Resource Center located on Willy Street in Madison. It wasn't meant in any other sense.

--WLSRJ executive board member


What a load of horse manure.

How did the SRC choose the name "A Woman's Touch" in the first place? For the same reason they want to use it on the posters. Because they want to insinuate something about women's sexuality. Not that I'm afraid of it or anything. I'm just pointing out the obvious.

It's like the red cross's refusal to allow the Israeli version (Magen David Adom) to use a red Star of David instead of a cross as their emblem. The Jew-hating eurotrash said "hey, it's just a Swiss flag. It has nothing to do with a cross. How did that cross get on the Swiss flag, anyway? Certainly not because the guy who designed the Swiss flag was fond of Christianity."

dick said...

Jill M,

Have to disagree with you that the masculinity conference wouldn't use dildoes. The reason would be trying to figure out what the men yhave to do so that dildoes would not be necessary as an alternative to the real thing.

Alternatively, let's assume that there was a masculinity conference and they put up photos of stand alone lips with suction pumps attached and drawings of them in action. Would the women complain. I think they would complain even if there were no drawings, jsut the devices.

Also assume that you are a law student and a parent and you brought your kid to show where you went to school (bring the child to work program). Why should that parent have to check on whether there was flyers on the wall he did not want the child to see. I can picture it. One parent outside while the other parent checks to see if it is safe to bring the kid inside.

a@b.com said...

Titan's First Law of Speech: All censorship starts by positing that children will see the material.

(If you're interested, my 2nd Law is that "all censorship of messages is secretly based on the fear that people will find the message convincing".)

Eli Blake said...

Actually, now that in most academic environments the student body is about 70% female, the question could be raised about whether it is possible for women to create a sexist environment.

Personally I don't think they can (the dominant cultural paradigms are still masculine), but it would make an interesting debate topic.

MadisonMan said...

Next up: a 30ft-tall penis statue in the middle of the plaza.

Already exists in Madison -- at the corner of Regent Street and Breese Terrace, next to Camp Randall.

Re: A Woman's Touch. Sexuality Resource Center is another name for store.

Hey said...

If a bunch of guys put a depiction of a penis on campus it is case for protests and attempts to have students disciplined. The Harvard 2003 Snow Penis (collected links from The Crimson http://www.dazereader.com/harvardsnowpenis.htm
is one of the best examples of this phenomena. Officials at the University of Toronto called the creation of a snow penis part of "flagrant acts of defiance and behavior ... disparaging and demeaning of women" which resulted in students being forcibly moved during finals http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/article/286958

The perpetrators of these images should be severely punished, given these facts. Otherwise someone might think that there is an organized effort to push restrictions on people's speech solely based on their gender and other immutable characteristics. But that would be bigoted, and "progressive" law students could never be bigoted!

The Dean was right - this was nothing more than a sex toy party. Get someone not directly affiliated with a sex shop to give the talk and it's no big deal. The Dean and the Law School should sue the students for libel!

Sid said...

It was a sex toy sales pitch. One dean played the role of good cop, the other played the role of dean. It is a law school. I would think that the deans of the law school would understand procedure and act accordingly.

The students need to grow up. They tried to host a sex toy party which was cancelled because it was a thinly veiled sales pitch. The only reason it made any press at all was the pivotal role of sex toys in the issue.

Jill M said...

I'm with Mary - this really should not have been a big deal. And, as far as kids coming into the school, consider Mary's point that we are inundated with far more explicit sexual messages on a regular basis. Furthermore many of the "other" sexual messages are more damaging than this - which was emphasized as an informational meeting...maybe Mary wouldn't attend b/c she doesn't need tips & tricks...but maybe some others do want the tips & tricks.

Personally, while not offended (actually I was amused) by the posters, i don't even know what to call some of the images, but that just made me curious, not repulsed.

why should this even be an issue?

Ralph L said...

What is the pink toy on the bottom row? It doesn't look like a dildo.

George M. Spencer said...

I love euphemisms.

In fact, I masticate frequently. I also read phonographic literature, and I'm no stranger to philately.

Speaking of good lickings, perforations, offset diecuts, and mucilage, here we have an "event called “Sex Toys 101.” It "promote[s] safe alternatives to sex"

It's an "event"!

And "sex" "toys" involve "alternatives to sex." Alternatives?

What is this "alternative"? If it is an "alternative to sex" it is not "sex." Is is what, then?

"It" involves manacles, handcuffs, and, clearly, other things no one wants to discuss.

Are those "toys," by chance, imported from a small village in Austria? Could there possibly be any connection between the two?

Do any of the ladies or gentlemen posting here see a possible connection? Perhaps a thespian will step forward to share her view.

knox said...

Wisconsin Law Students for Reproductive Justice

this is another one of those groups comprised of people starved for attention.

Meade said...

vbspurs said...
Ooh! Finish the rest of the poem!

Dean Dickey finds sex toys just icky

Badger Law Students aren't quite as picky

Of A Woman's Touch,

Althouse says, "That's too much!
Posters dicky are legally TRICKY!"

rhhardin said...

They're power tools for women.

Anonymous said...

Trooper sayeth:""Those are dildos, a perfectly legal product in Wisconsin."

Aren't a lot of them registered to vote in Wisconsin?"

Yes, and at least one is a Senator.

Here's a phrase you're not likely to read anywhere: Wisconsin Engineering Students for Reproductive Justice.

Trooper York said...

Do you have to have a superpower to belong to belong to the Wisconsin Reproductive Justice League of America? You know like a super elastic clitoris like Mrs. Fantastic or black widow Spidey sense so you know which old guy to marry to inherit a boat load of money?

Synova said...

"...let's assume that there was a masculinity conference..."

Are pictures even necessary?

And I do wonder... how would someone who's been sexually assaulted respond to depictions/suggestions of sex related bondage?

titusisontouroftherealamerica said...

Dean Dickey-hee hee.

By the way Madison is not that liberal. Sorry to break it to those Madison residents who want to claim that fame as well as the ones that want to go off on it because of that fame.

Did you guys here about the hidden camera in Birmingham where two guys were "canoodling" in a park at lunch? They were not having any sex. Just had their arms around each other. Some resident called 911 and the police came.

I knew a couple in my hometown who got married. His name was Teddy Bumperass and her name was Della Dingledein.

Meade said...

rhhardin said...
"They're power tools for women."

Hmm... this might be a clue as to why RHH spends so much time out in the barn with his tractor, fiddling with the PTO.

titusisontouroftherealamerica said...

Speaking of dicks one summer a friend of mine had something wrong with one of his balls and the thing got huge. He couldn't even put it into his undies.

When he wore shorts it hung out by his leg. He got it fixed.

What's that called?

It wasn't hot.

titusisontouroftherealamerica said...

One time while shaving my balls I cut my sack open.

I had to go to the ER and tell them what I did. How embarrassing. But they sewed it right up. The worst part of the episode was I couldn't do any teabagging for a whole week.

Unknown said...

What is with these Sex Events on campuses across the US?

Why don't they just go out and do it?

Meade said...

Too risky.

PWS said...

I have to say Ann that I don't see these dildos as images of penises.

Just because it goes in the vagina or anus, doesn't make it a penis or even a likeness of a penis. It's its own thing--a dildo; an inanimate (articifical?) stimulant. Why is the reference back to men and their organ?

If men didn't exist and women placed cucumber-shaped objects in their vaginas for pleasure, they wouldn't be considered images of penises.

You're imputing intent without any context other than what your brain is supplying.

It's like saying a mechanical hook at the end of someone's arm is an image of a hand.

Revenant said...

Why don't they just go out and do it?

Because heterosexual sex is rape. :)

vbspurs said...

A memory sparked after I read Meade's followup poem!

Remember the Harvard Snow Penis?

(NSFW)

Harvard Crew members built a 9-foot penis in the snow, which was then torn down by outraged campus feminists.

"...Women’s groups on campus have led a chorus of complaints against the snow penis, arguing that such a display is demeaning to women.

“It was offensive because it was pornographic,” said Amy E. Keel ’04, who said she and her roommate “dismantled” the giant snow penis."


What a double standard.

Cheers,
Victoria

Meade said...

"If men didn't exist and women placed cucumbers..."

Imagine there are no men
It's easy if you try
No penises to rule us
Above us only cucumbers
Imagine all the snow sculptures
Never taking shape

Imagine there are no cucumbers
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to peel or slice up
And no tomatos too
Imagine all the sexless people
Living without gazpacho soup

You may say that I'm a weiner,
Vagina dentata just for fun
I hope someday you'll go to law school
Dildo images banned for everyone

(Ha ha. The penis mighty earthen the soared.)

Steven said...

They're toys, not boys.

(The only one that is shaped like the male anatomy in a remotely accurate way is the upper left one, which is, IIRC, a "Feeldoe". A Feeldoe is an unlikely item to be depicted on a poster for a conference on masculinity, given that it was specifically designed by a lesbian to stimulate the clitoris and g-spot of a woman using it to penetrate her partner.)

Jane said...

A new course in the Dept. of Philosophy:

The Penis and Plato.

An exploration of the unchanging idea of penisness in the context of mutable physical objects, both anatomical penises and dildos, with special attention to the layers of meaning and contradictions inherent in the strapon.

A selection of topics to be covered will include:

1.  The properties that may be considered as referents of the general terms of penisness or penishood.

2.  The ways in which penishood inheres in a particular penis or penis-like object.

3.  An ontological framework of penisness as derived from the meanings understood from the perspective of each of the several orifices proper to the inserted penis.

Each student will be expected to complete a research paper focusing on the relationship of two or more instances or particulars and their relationship to a chosen aspect of the universal of penisness, e.g., skin vs. silicone, that is whether an extensible skin-like exterior is necessary, or whether the properties of softness and slipperyness inherent in silicone are sufficient.

There will be an optional end-of-term sex toy party, to which students are encouraged to bring examples from their research.

vbspurs said...

given that it was specifically designed by a lesbian to stimulate the clitoris and g-spot of a woman using it to penetrate her partner.

Holy Split-Crotch Panties, Batman! I'm a woman, and I didn't know of this Feeldoe.

Dare one ask how come you do, Steve? :P

BTW, I looked it up on Google Images. I refuse to like a dildo which comes in scary colours like pitch black, petrol blue, and RuPaul purple. It has to be pink and cute, like the Rabbit on SATC.

Cheers,
Victoria

Synova said...

"If men didn't exist and women placed cucumber-shaped objects in their vaginas for pleasure, they wouldn't be considered images of penises."

*snerk*

If men didn't exist (or at least, if penises didn't exist) women would not place cucumber-shaped objects in their vaginas for pleasure. The ONLY reason that women place anything for pleasure in their vaginas is because that is where nature intends penises to go.

If not for men, we wouldn't bother because there would be no reason to bother.

Also, if some other sperm delivery system... oh say, if human penises looked like duck penises... were involved a woman would not put anything cucumber shaped in her vagina for pleasure. She'd put corkscrew shaped things in there for pleasure.

In a world with human duck penises Al Qaida would not forbid the public consumption of bananas or cucumbers by women, Al Qaida would forbid the public consumption of pasta, particularly Rotini.

Synova said...

“The ice sculpture was erected in a public space, one that should be free from menacing reminders of women’s sexual vulnerability,” Rosenfeld wrote in an e-mail yesterday.

She said the snow penis follows a long line of public phallic symbols, including the Washington Monument and missiles.

“Women do not need to be reminded of the power of the symbol of the male genitalia,” Rosenfeld said. “My guess is that they are constantly reminded of it in daily messages.”


It's late enough and I'm feeling ill enough that I got a giggle out of the fact that the sculpture was erected. Also funny, the caption explaining that it had been ice coated to "prevent shrinkage."

titusisontouroftherealamerica said...

I have never used any props. No dildos, or vibrators or cucumbers or anything.

I believe a hand can always do the trick in most situations.

I don't want no guy to ask me to put a dildo in him. That's what my hog is for.

I have been having "the trotts" all night. That's what my mom calls diarehha.

I take pictures of "my trotts" and send them to my friends. Some of them are so amazing. I can fill the entire bowl with my trott. It is like turning on a water fawcett on at full blast.

I think an art show of my trotts would be cool.

titusisontouroftherealamerica said...

Snova and Vicky-three way?

Ralph L said...

Titus, eat some yoghurt. It replaces the good bacteria that gets washed out of your colon by the runs.

titusisontouroftherealamerica said...

thanks ralph. how thoughtful.

Steven said...

Well, Victoria, there are many ways I could have learned about them, of course.

1) I could be an FTM transsexual, and use one in place of the parts that medical science isn't quite up to giving me yet.

2) I could be a MTF transsexual who decided the operation was a mistake, and use one in place of the parts that medical science can't restore.

3) I could be a woman who uses one, posting under a pseudonym to avoid the sort of harassment that women endure on the Internet, and I slipped in my cover.

4) I could be a guy who enjoys pegging, and have researched various devices useful for that practice.

5) I could be a guy with impotence who uses it in place of my non-working equipment.

6) I could enjoy "lesbian" pornography and have seen/read about it in that context.

7) I could be a reader of sex blogs who has seen it described in them.

8) I could have seen one in a sex toy store, asked about it, and heard all about it from a clerk.

9) I could have lesbian friends who have raved about it.

10) I could have run across it in one of those web quizzes — say, one that tests your knowledge of sex toys and their use.

There, ten answers; you can choose whichever one(s) you like best. If you ever get to know me in person, you can learn which one(s) are right.

Meade said...

Wow, Steve. That's almost like a marriage proposal.

Meade said...

Sorry. steve n.

blake said...

So, I think the takeaway here is that penises are bad, but only when attached to men. (Even if that attachment is rather abstract, as in making a snow sculpture or building the Washington Monument.)