Sex Out Loud with Tristan Taormino

Tristan talks to writer, speaker, performance artist and queer porn performer Maggie Mayhem and her partner Ned Mayhem, a physics graduate student, software developer, and a genre-busting porn performer. Together, Maggie and Ned created and run the DIY porn site MeetTheMayhems.com showcasing the couple's own brand of perversely heartwarming queer sexuality. They'll talk about making indie porn, why they identify as sex nerds, how their love of science informs their sex adventures, and their opinions about consent and abuse in BDSM communities. Plus, Tristan responds to the recent hoopla over her appearance last week on Melissa Harris-Perry on MSNBC.

Performer and activist Ignacio Rivera joins Tristan for a nuanced discussion about some highly charged subjects. Ignacio, who prefers the pronoun they, will talk about their gender identity and how it impacts their sexuality. Tristan and Ignacio will discuss polyamory in people of color communities, race politics and racially-charged fantasies in the kink world, and how to create a truly inclusive, multi-racial community event. Then Ignacio will look at the challenges of their starring role in the feature film Mommy is Coming and reveal what it was like to work with acclaimed indie director Cheryl Dunye. This episode was recorded live during the OpenSF Conference in San Francisco and includes an audio excerpt of Ignacio's co-keynote presentation with Yosenio Lewis.

Before there were 50 Shades of Grey, there was Rachel Kramer Bussel - an author who has so far edited over 40 sexy collections, including the Best Sex Writing of 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012. Tristan and Rachel will talk kinky erotica, BDSM, and sex writing, including the phenomenon of the 50 Shades trilogy. She'll also discuss her latest book, Suite Encounters: Hotel Sex Stories. For this live show, Rachel has said absolutely NO topic is off limits, so be ready to call in with your most provocative questions and topics!

Writer, editor, performer, and activist Jacyln Friedman has been instrumental in presenting new ways of thinking about preventing rape without shaming or blaming women. In our first live show, we'll discuss with her the success of her book, Yes Means Yes, as well as her latest release, What You Really Really Want. Jaclyn will talk about discovering what safe and shame-free sex means to us both as individuals and as a society, including stories of her own journey through feminist sex education to become “this generation’s version of Dr. Ruth.”

Author, performance artist, playwright and gender theorist Kate Bornstein talks about some of the stunning revelations she makes in her new memoir, A Queer and Pleasant Danger. She’ll discuss her early childhood as a boy, college years at Brown University, her eleven years working for the Church of Scientology and eventual ex-communication from it, her love of queer theater and kinky edge play, her chronic illness and mental health issues, and why her book is dedicated to the grandchildren she may never meet.

Author, sexpert, and cultural critic Susie Bright, and her daughter, Aretha Bright, wrote a mother/daughter sex advice column for Jezebel.com, and they’ve turned their experiences into a new book! We’ll talk to the duo about their relationship, how their views on sex education differ, and what, if anything, is off limits in their talks about sex. We’ll get some tips from Susie about what it means to be a sex-positive parent and how to talk to your kids about sex. We’ll ask Aretha what it’s like to have a mom who’s a famous sex radical and if she sees herself as a second-generation sexpert.