It’s a Wet and slippery journey through this episode. We welcome representative Joe Pascolla from Wet Lubricants to discuss all the amazing benefits of lube. And the benefits are endless!

From the strong sexual health proponents to the practical household uses there are plenty of reasons to keep a bottle of Wet Lube on hand. So join us on this incredibly fun and informative episode. You won’t regWET it!

A Brief History of Lube

People have been lubing up for a loooong time. In fact, the earliest recorded use of olive oil was by the Greeks in 350 B.C. who used it to keep sex Wet. Folks even believed that “smooth sex” could keep them from getting pregnant. And over in East Asia, the sexually adventurous had found that yam soup worked as a lubricant. As well as the water leftover from boiled red seaweed. Throughout the centuries people developed other means to stay lubricated. And as the 1900’s roared into play vaseline and crisco became staples in sexual exploration. Even though public sex education and a plethora of porn videos were not yet available, everyone still knew that sex was better Wet.

In 1904, the first patented lubrication came onto the scene promoted as a surgical aid. Just over 10 years later in 1917 the product was being sold as a sexual lubricant, but ONLY with a prescription. The stigma around sex and sexual pleasure kept lube as a sought after yet taboo subject for the next 60+ years. It would take a brave and daring group of people to bring the topic into mainstream discussion. And the queers were just the folks with the backbone to do so. Though the conversation wasn’t brought up in regards to sexual pleasure, but rather as a way to stem the wave of the AIDS epidemic.

The early 1980’s had brought an onslaught of death among LGBTQ communities and especially among gay men. This was due to poor education about sexual health and the inability of queer people to access proper medical care. As gay rights activists fought to be seen and heard by our government, others took it upon themselves to inform their peers about safe sex practices. Condoms and lubricant were a must and began to be passed out in every gay bar and organization across the country. Lube especially was important as it prevents tearing during sexual play which diminishes transferences of fluids. Lubrication also greatly prevents condoms from breaking, which was and is a common issue even today.  

By the mid-80’s activists were responsible for getting lube from behind the pharmacy to over the counter. Simply the fact that people could buy lube at their local drugstore began to ease the stigma around the product. And it was at the height of the AIDs outbreak in 1989 that Web Lubricants was founded and began to revolutionize the industry. During the 90’s many lubes carried the ingredient nonoxynol-9, a spermicide believed to prevent HIV. However, the chemical was actually toxic for the body and corroded the vaginal and anal walls making the individual more suseptible to STI’s. After scientists reported this finding in 1996, Wet Lubricants became one of the first companies to remove the ingredient. Today the FDA takes a harsh stance against the ingredient and sex shops wont sell lubricants which contain nonoxynol-9.

As we entered the new millennium the conversation around sex and lube began to change. It was no longer viewed as simply a product that could reduce pain and risk of STIs, it was also seen as something that increased pleasure. Today lube is a multi million dollar industry and one of the companies leading the way is Wet Lubricants. But even with all the advancements our society has made towards sex positivity, there are still a lot of stigmas. So we invited Joe Pascolla from Wet Lubricants to come on the show and talk about why lube is so important. And how we can continue promote sex positivity.