Sex Out Loud with Tristan Taormino

How many African-American sexologist do you know? Frenchie Davis is one of the first. Frenchie maintains a full plate while completing her M. Ed of Human Sexuality at Widener University, the top accredited Human Sexuality graduate and doctoral program in the United Sates. Frenchie Davis has been the celebrated host and producer of her ever popular and edge cutting sexuality talk show titled “Libido Talk” on WBAI 99.5 FM of New York City. We talk live about Black Sexuality, respectability politics and how erotic poetry has inspired her.

We welcome to the show Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, queer disabled femme of color writer, performance artist, educator and author of the new book "Dirty River". This passionate, riveting memoir is a mixtape of dreams and nightmares, of immigration court lineups and queer South Asian dance nights; it is an intensely personal road map and an intersectional, tragicomic tale that reveals how a disabled queer woman of colour and abuse survivor navigates the dirty river of the not-so-distant past and, as the subtitle suggests, “dreams her way home.” Tune in live for this interview and discussion.

While working as a sex educator at Smitten Kitten, Sarah Mueller realized personal lubricants are a huge contributor to people’s sexual satisfaction and health, but many struggle to find lubricants without adverse effects. Sarah then began an extensive research project on personal lubricant ingredients, regulations, and interactions with the body. She talks all about lube and her research with Tristan tonight, you'll learn how to make the right lubricant choice for your own body and your partners.

This week's guest is therapist, lecturer & educator Dr. Chris Donaghue who will talk about his latest book Sex Outside the Lines: Authentic Sexuality in a Sexually Dysfunctional Culture. Dr. Chris pulls apart cultural phobias with a “sex positive” therapy practice, a kind of sexual deprogramming that helps people see and accept the desires they have—even if they don’t align with societal expectations—are really natural, healthy, and part of having a great sex life.

Artist, activist & writer Sean Saifa Wall and artist, animator & intersex advocate Emily Quinn both join me on Sex Out Loud to discuss intersex bodies and conditions that result in a difference of sexual development (DSD). We’ll discuss the differences between biological sex and gender, and how variation in human bodies is much more common than one might expect. Wall is the Board President of Advocates for Informed Choice, a legal rights organization dedicated to the bodily integrity of intersex children and infants, while Quinn is the Youth Leadership Coordinator for Inter/Act, a youth group for young people with intersex traits. They will explain the legal and medical landscape that intersex people must currently navigate, particularly how it effects babies and children.

Don't miss this week's live show with seven-time New York Times best-selling author Neil Strauss, known for going deep undercover to research and write his popular books. After showing us the world of pick-up artists with his book The Game and Rules of The Game, Strauss has now released his new book The Truth: An Uncomfortable Book About Relationships. He dives deep into the worlds of sex addiction, non-monogamy, infidelity, and intimacy, and explores the hidden forces that cause people to choose each other, stay together, and break up. Strauss himself calls it a "painfully honest account of a life crisis that was forced on me by the consequences of my own behavior". Call in and join the conversation!

This week features an interview with scholar, writer & performer Dr. E. Patrick Johnson, author of Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South, a collection of life stories from black gay men who were born, raised, and continue to live in the southern United States. Traveling to every southern state, Johnson conducted interviews with more than seventy black gay men between the ages 19 and 93. He adapted his book into a hit one-person show, including a recent run in Chicago presented by Project&. "Sweet Tea is not a show fixed in history," says Jane M. Saks, Project& President and Artistic Director, "it is a production of this moment, lending its voice to the necessary global conversations around race, sexuality and identity."

In this special addition of the show, recorded at CatalystCon, sex educators Cindy Lee Alves, Anain Bjorkquist, and Aida Manduley talk about their work with the Women of Color Sexual Health Network (WOCSHN). We talk about respectability politics, advancing racial justice in sex education, and expanding awareness of how race intersects with sexuality. Find out what people are not talking about in the field of sexuality as well as tips for white educators who want to be allies and take a more intersectional approach to their work.

In our second interview from CatalystCon West 2015, I talk to Jenny Block, writer and sex expert whose latest book is "O Wow: Discovering Your Ultimate Orgasm". We'll discuss what exactly is an ultimate orgasm and what tips and strategies you can use, how to know your body, get in the zone and ultimately empower ourselves to receiving pleasure. This show was recorded in front of a live studio audience.

The first episode of the CatalystCon West 2015 series features an interview with the award-winning writer, teacher, and porn star Conner Habib. We discuss his work in both academia and porn, the recent raids on Rentboy.com, advocating for the rights of sex workers, and navigating college campus controversies. This show was recorded live in front of a studio audience at #ccon.