Sex Out Loud with Tristan Taormino

Join Tristan as she talks to Stephen Elliot and Lorelei Lee, co-writers of the new film About Cherry, which Stephen Elliot also directed. About Cherry explores the journey of an 18 year old into the world of BDSM pornography in San Francisco. Stephen will talk about his first time directing and what it was like to work with an all star cast that includes Heather Graham, James Franco, Lili Taylor, and Dev Patel. Lorelei will reveal how her work as a porn performer and Stephen's experiences as a former sex worker informed the script. Both writers will answer critics of the film and discuss about the politics of pornography. Plus, hear about shooting the film at the Kink.com studios, why they love San Francisco, and the role the city plays in the movie.

Known for his charisma, wit and emphasis on integrity, Reid Mihalko travels the country teaching, coaching, consulting and collaborating on fulfilling his mission to create more self-esteem, self-confidence and sexual health for adults in and out of the bedroom. Tristan talks with Reid about his work as a sex and relationships expert, including his favorite tips and stories from his workshops on a range of topics, including jealousy, self-confidence, and techniques. Reid will also talk about the Sex Geek Chic Challenge College Tour and how he's taking sexual health, consent and relationship education to a new interactive level.

Tristan spends the hour talking with two queer porn icons, Courtney Trouble and Dylan Ryan. These award-winning queer porn innovators will discuss their work together as well as share experiences from their individual careers, both behind and in front of the cameras. We'll discuss queer porn - what is means and what it looks like - plus, sexual fluidity and how subverting expectations of porn is broadening their audience and fan base, bringing new queer viewers to the porn-watching table.

Author and scholar Hanne Blank joins Tristan for a discussion of her work on the history of both heterosexuality and virginity. We'll discuss the 20th century invention of the concept of "straight" and why everything you think you know about virginity is wrong. Blank is also the author of Big Big Love: A Sex and Relationships Guide for People of Size (and Those Who Love Them), updated, illustrated, and re-released in 2011, so we'll discuss radical acceptance of bodies and how it relates to bettering all of our sex and relationships.

Jessica Valenti - called one of the Top 100 Inspiring Women in the world by The Guardian – will talk to us about her latest book, The Purity Myth: How America’s Obsession with Virginity is Hurting Young Women, which was also turned into a documentary. Tristan and Jessica will discuss abstinence-only education, recent attempts by legislators to control women’s reproductive health care, and long term effects of the current climate on women and sexuality. Tristan will also talk with Jessica, the founder of Feministing.com, about her experiences as a feminist writer and activist, and where she thinks the next generation of online organizing will lead us.

We'll be live in LA, talking to adult film stars Danny Wylde and Lily LaBeau about what it's like to be performers in a relationship. They'll reveal the best part of dating another porn star, what they fight about, and the difference between sex on screen and off screen. Tristan will ask them about monogamy, their favorite directors, interacting with fans, and what they think about the recent condom mandate in LA. Plus, we'll hear about their latest venture together: HotelLaBeau.com.

Episode Description: Mollena Williams is simply one of the most intelligent and articulate BDSM educators of her generation, and we get to spend the entire hour picking her perverted brain! We will talk about the two chapters on roleplay she wrote for my book The Ultimate Guide to Kink: BDSM, Role Play and the Erotic Edge. She'll explain the complex elements of race play, where kinky people play out racist scenarios, use racial epithets, or eroticize racial power dynamics. Mollena will reveal why she is turned on by this controversial kink and other kinds of taboo fantasies. Plus, I'll ask her about what it's like to be a woman of color who enjoys being a submissive and a collared slave.

AVN’s 2012 Female Performer of the Year Bobbi Starr joins us to talk about her love of the oboe, her award winning performances in movies like Belladonna: No Warning 4, directing her own line of films for Evil Angel, why she loves to push sexual boundaries, and where she sees herself in relation to the feminist porn movement. She gives us the scoop on creating ElectroSluts.com, what kinky sex does for her, and why electricity play is so hot. We’ll also get her take on the current controversy around mandating condom use for all porn performers in California. Plus, pro-BDSM sex-positive feminist activist, blogger, and author Clarisse Thorn discusses her new book The S&M Feminist. She’ll breakdown BDSM, women’s submissive fantasies, and the tensions between kink and feminism. Plus, she’ll give us a glimpse of her years spent researching pick up artists like those in Neil Strauss’s bestselling book The Game and VH1’s hit reality show The Pick-Up Artist.

Sex Out Loud welcomes educator, filmmaker, and pop culture icon Buck Angel. Tristan and Buck will discuss changing representations of trans male sexuality, including the making of his docu-porn Sexing the Transman and its success on the film festival circuit. Buck will also discuss the upcoming sequel, Sexing the Transman 2, due later this year and his transition from being an adult film star to a speaker and educator. We will also talk to Tobi Hill-Meyer, a filmmaker currently working on Doing It Again, an erotic documentary about trans women's sexuality that weaves together explicit scenes and interviews with trans women and their partners.