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Sex Party Startup Funded by UK Government
Killing Kittens, who organizes sex parties in London and New York, announced that they’ve raised £170,000 from the UK government’s Future Fund. The fund, launched to support start-ups through the corona virus, matches private investment which Killing Kittens raised on a crowdfunding platform at a valuation of £11.5 million. The new funds will be used to grow the online business which claims 180,000 members from 12 countries, who participate in “adult social networking” and workshops, they also plan to launch a dating app. Killing Kittens founder Emma Sayle said of the investment “I never envisaged Boris as a sleeping partner,” referring to the British Prime Minister.
UK Government Sued Over Failed Porn Age Check
Speaking of the UK government, remember when they tried to censor online porn? That failure is coming back to bite them in a new lawsuit. A quick recap, the government intended to bring in a very intrusive age verification system for porn which would essentially require viewers to register with the state, lots of push back ensued, the government delayed and eventually bailed on the plans. Now, a group of four tech companies who had developed systems to deliver this service are suing the UK government claiming damages related to the last minute cancellation. The suit is also being backed by a number of children’s charities concerned about the youth access to pornography.
Court Delivers Blow to Porn’s IP Whack-A-Mole Problem
A federal US court has upheld the judgement of a lower court, striking a blow to ALS Scan, an adult content company, as well as many others who are fighting the rampant piracy issue in pornography. ALS took website host Steadfast to court with the intent of holding them responsible for hosting sites who share pirated content. The judgement, upheld by the federal court, ruled that website hosts simply passing along takedown requests to the sites and insurring the content is taken down is sufficient action.
This system on its surface is working, when requests are passed along the content is taken down but ALS’s complaint is that other stolen content is put up in its place. The court ruled that the host can’t be held responsible for this “future action.”
Anti-Black Racism in Sex Toy and Porn
As culture continues to confront the racism embedded within it, the sex industry is dealing with the explicit racism that is pervasive throughout it. A growing chorus of voices in the sex toy business are speaking out about a list of issues which include, the lack of black owned sex toy businesses, the lack of positive marketing towards black woman, the lack of quality products that accurately represent the black body and the racist caricatures that dominate ‘black’ sex toy products.
A group of black porn performers are tackling similar issues with the formation of the BIPOC Adult Industry Collective. The Collective aims to move the industry forward from its history of tokenism and racist stereotypes towards a future of equitable and ethical porn. Recommendations include “education initiatives to foster financial independence, industry support services helping companies put anti-racism and sex worker rights at the forefront of their business models, and mutual aid funds helping distribute money directly into BIPOC sex workers in need.”
One of the Collective’s founding members, Lasha Lane, called for structural reforms to the industry which include a move away from managers and agents to a casting database, more black woman in executive positions, and more diversity on the board of the Free Speech Coalition, an influential adult industry advocacy group.
What Else We’re Watching
B.C. sex workers' association says federal law kills membership drives: The association, Triple-X, believes Canada’s sex work laws make it unnecessarily difficult to organize sex workers.
Sex workers are returning to work in clear 'biosecurity suits' in an attempt to reduce coronavirus spread: It may not be sexy, but at least it’s - hopefully- safe.
This Sex Toy's Virtual Orgasm Coaching Service Gives New Meaning to Telehealth: Lora DiCarlo has launched a virtual orgasm coaching service alongside their new product the Baci.
Why your porn is dirtier than you think: Student newspaper The Strand, take a good look at the problems with PornHub.
No MILFs, No Squirting, No Gang Bangs: How the Porn Industry Is Changing During COVID-19: Porn is starting to shoot again, but it’s going to look a lot different that pre-covid content.
Porn’s Brave New World of Camming: A personal essay from cam performer Lily Labeau about the endless possibilities of camming.