Normally, a headline like the one above would appear to be hilariously ironic. According to the website PornMD, gay porn or various permutations thereof tend to be the top internet search terms in anti-gay countries. For example, "silver daddies" is one of the most searched terms in Libya, "South African gay porn" is big in Nigeria, and Iranians have a thing for "hairy" and "hotel businessman."

As it turns out, it's still pretty ironic, but the reality isn't all that hilarious . . .

It seems gay people are forced to go underground due to a country’s homophobic attitudes or laws, with many turning to the internet to fulfill their urges.

In countries with civil partnerships and marriage equality such as the United Kingdom, Spain and Sweden, gay men are far less likely to go online to get off. None of the top 10 searches in those countries were for gay porn. [SOURCE]

So in all likelihood, the homophobes in power are still probably straight, but those who are gay live so heavily in fear of persecution that they're forced to channel their impulses through internet porn. Well, that's actually incredibly depressing. 

 

Sad news, everyone. After the passing of his partner earlier this year, gay pornstar Wilfried Knight has reportedly commited suicide. He was 35.

The French performer had a series of career achievements over the past decade, including his roles in Lucas Entertainment’s Assassin and Raging Stallion’s Focus/Refocus, a 2010 GayVN Award for Performer of the Year, and a 2011 Grabby for Best Versatile Performer. As is often the case with performers of his stature, Knight’s warm, charming, and by all accounts hilarious sense of humor belied his rugged and intimidating physical presence (he was over 6’2″ and nearly 200 pounds). [SOURCE]

Many are linking his death to the passing of his partner, Jerry. Regardless, hopefully he's found peace and is in a better place. 

[IMG Credit: flickr.com]

What's happening here, Europe? What's going on? First, politicians in Russia try to ban all forms of sex, and now Iceland may successfully ban all forms of internet porn in their country. Do . . . do you guys need a hug or something? Is there something going on in the bedroom that you're not telling us about? It's okay, you can tell us. You're among friends here. 

"We are a progressive, liberal society when it comes to nudity, to sexual relations, so our approach is not anti-sex but anti-violence. This is about children and gender equality, not about limiting free speech," she said. "Research shows that the average age of children who see online porn is 11 in Iceland and we are concerned about that and about the increasingly violent nature of what they are exposed to. This is concern coming to us from professionals since mainstream porn has become very brutal.

"A strong consensus has been building, with people agreeing that something has to be done. The internet is a part of our society, not separate from it, and should be treated as such. No one is talking about closing down exchange of information. We have a thriving democracy here in our small country and what is under discussion is the welfare of our children and their rights to grow and develop in a non-violent environment.

"There are some who say it can't be done technically – but we want to explore all possibilities and take a political decision on what can be done and how." [SOURCE]

All right, I can totally appreciate the idea behind this: domestic violence is a real problem. Taking action against it is great.

The problem I have with trying to ban "violent" porn is the fact that it completely misunderstands kink and hardcore sex. Can sex be violent? Of course. But porn and sex are about consent. Anything that happens between adults happens because all parties agree to it. It's fun to create a fantasy, but you have to remember that the fantasy ends when you choose to make it end. Admittedly, everyone has their own personal limits, but you can't focus laws entirely around kink or entirely around vanilla; focus on whether or not consent was involved in sex, rather than what happened during the sex.

The best thing you can do here is actually talk to your kids about this stuff. Let them know that porn is a fantasy, just as much as TV or film is a fantasy. Make sure they know that sex first and foremost is about consent. Educate people to have responsible sex, but don't demonize kink and porn.

I do not like e-books. At all. There's just something weirdly Zen and calming about feeling paper, turning pages and the new-book smell. Oh my god, there's nothing better than the new-book smell.

But unfortunately, people just fucking love e-books. Mostly because it turns out, you can pile a shitload of porn onto those things and no one will ever know. Studies are beginning to show that since e-books can effectively hide what you're really reading, erotica sales have soared over the past few years, alongside Christian fiction. I'm sure those two figures have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

The no-judgment realm of e-commerce has propelled sales of adult fiction upwards in the last few years, which is funny considering that it's doing the exact same thing (and for pretty much the same reasons) to Christian fiction. According to data from the American Association of Publishers, sales of religious fiction have increased by 7 percent up to $1.45 billion largely on the strength of e-books, which allow closet readers of Judith and Holoferenes fan fiction to clandestinely purchase biblical fiction quartets without suffering the scowls of other book-buyers. (via Jezebel)

All right, so we know erotica and Christian fiction are big sellers, but what would happen if someone wrote Christian erotica? I don't know about you, but I need to go find me some Adderall so I can write Fuck Me, Sexy Jesus. 

Despite what you might think, I do usually try and run with the leads people send me, unless it's blatant self-promotion. In which case . . . seriously, this isn't free ad space. Give me something to work with here.

Anyway, someone very generously sent me a link to images from Luka Magnotta's BadPuppy appearance, and . . . well, honestly, maybe I'm just being picky, but there's something about ritualistically murdering a person, disassembling them, and then running to Europe that just kills my boner.

I mean, if it weren't for that, I would be all over him. I don't know what it is about him: his cold, lifeless, unfeeling eyes, the face and lips that look like they were reconstructed with only the faintest knowledge of human anatomy, or maybe it's just the overall vibe of pathological opportunism, but I would flip that around like a two-minute steak.