Full Disclosure: Sex, Culture, and Comedy

Speed dating. What is it? Who does it? How does it? When does it? This week fellow podcaster Sarah Zwinklis, host of Missed Connections themed show List'd, go speed dating in an attempt to answer those questions. Joining us in the conversation fellow improviser and iO cocktail sorcerer Zach Diamond.

Sarah and I cover our experience, what led to us signing up for the event, our thoughts on the organization and the other speed daters, and more. Later Sarah talk about List'd and what inspired her to start a podcast about Craigslist dating and the fear of those posting losing their anonymity.

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Controversy! That's what happened when two articles came out last week and made the social media rounds, and we're here to un-controversy them for you. Helping me out this week is podcast virgin and improviser Annie Con, and returning tattoo champion Sonia Vaynerman.

The first article in question concerns the efficacy of pulling out vs. using condoms in preventing pregnancy, which as it turns out, are equally as effective in practice. This caused quite a social media poopie-storm when I posted this on Facebook, particularly because some people thought I was saying that pulling out prevents STIs.

Next up: RACE! This little think piece talks about why stating "No blacks" isn't a dating preference, it's racism. The article, however, goes on to assert that essentially having any preference or discernible pattern when it comes to the race of people you date basically makes you an awful, terrible racist.

Once again, we solve the internet.

This week improviser and comedian Peter Kim steps into the bedroom. Peter is the founder of Endgames Improv, an improv training and performance center in San Francisco. But it was a complicated and repression-filled road before Peter, who now lives and performs in Chicago, was able to become the comedic presence that he is.

We begin by talking about Peter's upbringing in New York in a conservative Korean family. Despite Peter being gay, he never even considered that homosexuality a possibility given the heteronormative paradigms society and his family's Christian faith had implanted in him. But it was in high school that Peter met and developed a crush on  Mike, a male friend with whom he'd have frequent sleepovers and snuggle sessions, but all without any mention of explicit romantic feelings.

Peter goes on to tell us about his continued feelings for Mike in college, and his continued efforts at avoiding sex with women, including the tremendously horrible way he lost his virginity. 

After college Peter set out to San Francisco where he began performing standup comedy. But it wasn't until a visit to New York's UCB theater that he discovered an improv show called "Your Fucked Up Family" that would change everything.

We continue chatting about the inception of Endgames, its meteoric rise, why Peter ultimately decided to move to Chicago, and the struggles of being a non-cis-genered straight white male in comedy.

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This week it's just me and my boner. Or lack thereof.

Unfortunately a guest didn't show up, but I wanted to put something out into the world, so here's a short where I discuss my recent boner problems and my experience getting my prostate checked at the urologist yesterday.

For more Full Disclosure sex news and comedy please follow Eric on Twitter @EricBarry and like us on Facebook! SUBSCRIBE IN iTUNES and please rate and review us! Leave us a voicemail! (415) 779-6855! 

This week Chicago dominatrix Sophia Chase returns to the show, as well as Emily Lindin, founder of The Unslut Project.

Emily has a new documentary, similarly titled Unslut. Emily talks about the origins of The Unslut Project, how the movie came to be, and some of of the blatantly tragic and also subtly damaging affects of slut-shaming in our society.

You can check out the trailer here.

Next Sophia talks about what's bee going on at the dungeon, in particular how she's been teaching personal seminars to couple's and individuals looking for personal instruction in kink and BDSM techniques and negotiations.

We wrap things up by talking about this week's RentBoy.com raid. Eric mentions that RentBoy COO Hawk Kinkaid is a friend of the show, and the hypocrisy of those trying to imprison those in the sex industry while claiming to want to "rescue" sex workers.

For more Full Disclosure sex news and comedy please follow Eric on Twitter @EricBarry and like us on Facebook! SUBSCRIBE IN iTUNES and please rate and review us! Leave us a voicemail! (415) 779-6855!

In the absence of a guest, I had to decide whether to skip releasing an episode this week or find a topic to discuss by myself. The truth of the matter is that I've been anxiety ridden and generally disappointed with the state of my life as of late.

Next month I'll be turning 30. Age, relative to any of its associations with vanity has never much phased me. The number or any connotations of "being old" aren't terribly frightening to me. Feeling like you've pissed away a good portion of your life, or that its trajectory is irreversible is utterly terrifying.

I feel like I had more to show for my life creatively at 20 than I do at 30. And that's a pretty saddening thought.

When pressed to examine why that might be the case, lots of reasons come to mind. In college as a theater major, the days were meant to be dedicated to creativity. As an adult, the reality of no longer having student as a means of income but instead having to pay back previous ones hit hard. Time is spent at jobs I'm dispassionate about, feeling like both my creative energy and time are sucked dry throughout the week.

And that doesn't make drinking any less appealing. The ability to "get away" from the rat race, to connect with people out in the world. To laugh and love and find passion. Things that seem absent in my corporate life.

The fear of being alone has been present throughout my entire life. So I go out a lot. I drink a lot. Always in that context. But always a lot.

These are the maudlin thoughts that have served as the underpinnings for my neurosis both now and through the years, and luck you, you get to read AND hear about it in this week's episode!

[powerpress]

For more Full Disclosure sex news and comedy please follow Eric on Twitter @EricBarry and like us on Facebook! SUBSCRIBE IN iTUNES and please rate and review us! Leave us a voicemail! (415) 779-6855!

A draft proposal from Amnesty International was recently leaked, in which the human rights giant advocated for the worldwide decriminalization of sex work, or prostitution. The recommendation, which will be voted upon this week in Dublin, is based off years of data which shows that when sex work is decrminalized, crimes against sex workers and other human rights violations decrease. Unfortunately, this has many Hollywood power players from Lena Dunham to Meryl Streep, who have years aligned themselves with the advocacy group, calling for Amnesty International to reverse its position.

But sex workers, the actual professionals who the proposal is designed to protect, aren't in agreement with Hollywood. 

Joining the show this week is sex worker rights advocate, author of The Honest Courtesan, and veteran sex worker Maggie McNeill.

Maggie and I have an in-depth conversation about why Amnesty International is making this proposal, what the data shows, the length to which government institutions have gone to strip sex workers of autonomy, and why Hollywood isn't on the same page as human rights advocates on this issue.

[powerpress]

For more Full Disclosure sex news and comedy please follow Eric on Twitter @EricBarry and like us on Facebook! SUBSCRIBE IN iTUNES and please rate and review us! Leave us a voicemail! (415) 779-6855!

Derrick Pierce is one of the top male porn stars working today. But his journey to success could've taken a much different path. On this week's episode, Derrick talks with Eric about that journey, and how he went from a life of crime to being one of the most respected performers in the industry.

The conversation runs the gamut of topics from Derrick's love for cars, his family life growing up, his rap sheet including grand theft auto and assault, his MMA training, and how his life took shape once porn entered in.

For more Full Disclosure sex news and comedy please follow Eric on Twitter @EricBarry and like us on Facebook!

SUBSCRIBE IN iTUNES and please rate and review us!Leave us a voicemail! (415) 779-6855!

This week we talk about the Caitlyn Jenner Arthur Ashe speech with the help of returning guests Sonia Vaynerman and comedian Shannon Noll.

The conversation starts off with Shannon discussing a new Esurance commercial she stars in for marriage equality. We talk about what led to her landing the gig, and the overall place of advertising in social justice causes.

Then we move on the the Caitlyn Jenner speech. This leads to a larger discussion of transitioning, and what the various implications are from hormone therapy to "coming out" to your family.

Shannon reveals that she's thought about transitioning many times, but that the costs involved with transitioning have prevented her from fully considering it.

Eric asks Shannon if she's dealt with being fetishized for her androgynous presentation, and why it is that he finds so many lesbian and butch looking women attractive.

Finally, we end with perhaps the greatest podcast idea in history, and Eric narrating a fake sex scenario between Sonia and Shannon.

[powerpress]

For more Full Disclosure sex news and comedy please follow Eric on Twitter @EricBarry and like us on Facebook!SUBSCRIBE IN iTUNES and please rate and review us!Leave us a voicemail! (415) 779-6855!

This week Eric sits down with creative director and heavily tattooed lady Sonia. Sonia and Eric met at a Fourth of July BBQ, where they couldn't stop talking about sex for nearly the entirety of the party. Naturally they decided they should be friends, and sit down and record a podcast together.

The conversation starts off discussing alcohol and drugs. Sonia doesn't drink and lives what she calls a clean lifestyle, which includes cutting meat, sugar, and processed foods out of her diet. Sonia made the lifestyle change after being hospitalized from thermogenic weight loss drug abuse in the bodybuilding world.

This leads to a discussion about alcohol and the stigmas surrounded sobriety vs. active addiction, and how substances affect our relationship to sex and dating.

Sonia goes on to talk about her tattoo work, and the perceptions held by people over the sexuality of women with tattoos. Finally, we wrap things up talking about open relationships, cheating, and bisexuality.

For more Full Disclosure sex news and comedy please follow Eric on Twitter @EricBarry and like us on Facebook!SUBSCRIBE IN iTUNES and please rate and review us!Leave us a voicemail! (415) 779-6855!