I have “sex” as one of my personalized Google news searches in order to help find topics for this column. The problem is I rarely use the stories that come up because they almost always involve horrific sexual abuse or assault or a creepy sex crime.
As if the regular news wasn’t depressing enough, the sex news also seems extra grim these days. So this week, I’m bucking the trend with some happy sex news stories.
We are constantly hearing that married people’s sex lives inevitably end up in the toilet (the shelves of sex improvement books seem to support this), but a poll of 3,000 adults in the U.K. found that most couples enjoyed their best sex after four years together because they felt their sexiest and were more confident showing off their body to their partner and more comfortable trying new things together.
Now even your sex life can be more eco-friendly with solar-powered vibrators like Sola, a small bullet-shaped vibrator powered by the sun. Or trade in your old toys for a $10 coupon and free shipping on your next sex toy through the mail-in Sex Toy Recycling Program (recyclemysextoy.com). Sorry, curbside pickup is not available.
Being a strong supporter of female orgasm (I’ve never met one I didn’t like), I’m thrilled with U.S. anesthesiologist Dr. Lulu Marquez’ campaign to make orgasms a right for women.
“An orgasm should be a right,” she said in one interview. “When you have a sexually satisfying encounter, you look beautiful and satisfied.” And who doesn’t want that?
Religion and sex don’t always have the coziest relationship so it’s good to hear some sex-positive messages coming from the pulpit, literally. Reverend Ed Young of the evangelical Fellowship Church in Texas told married members of his congregation to have sex every day for seven days to strengthen their marriages. His advice after the week was over? Keep going.
And while the traditional religious viewpoint is that married sex is the only acceptable way to go, a report to the Church of Scotland’s suggests allowing sex outside of marriage as long as it was about “genuine intimacy, not just a physical thrill, and did not mean being unfaithful to an existing committed relationship.”
Wedad Lootah, a traditional Muslim who works as a marital counselor in Dubai, has authored Top Secret: Sexual Guidance for Married Couples in which she celebrates the female orgasm, confronts taboo topics like homosexuality and urges Arabs to transcend the backward traditions that limit their sexual happiness. Despite death threats, Lootah believes educating the public is worth the risk.
And finally, three words: Christian Sex Toys. Find them at www.mybelovedsgarden.net.
To welcome more positive sexuality into your life, check out five ways to enjoy a sexier summer in Josey’s Sexcetera blog at www.metronews.ca/blogs.
– Josey Vogels is a sex and relationship columnist and author of five books on the subjects. For more info, visit www.joseyvogels.com.
