The Sexuality.org West Coast Awards
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Most Groundbreaking Established Organization
The Center for Sex-Positive
Culture (Seattle)
This membership-based community center (founded in 1999 and formerly known
as "The Wet Spot" or "The SPCC"), remains unique, and through its
combination of formal non-profit status, striving to serve all of the
different communities which comprise sex-positive culture in its area, and
organizing itself using a community center model in a physical building
completely devoted to its own use, has probably forever changed what the
phrase "sex club" can mean. Its volunteer program is quite extensive and
well-developed, resulting in a passionate loyalty amongst a substantial
percentage of its members. And, of course, through its schedule of
workshops, discussion groups, and guest speakers, it serves a significant
educational role. In our opinion this organization's leadership role
within sex-positive culture is well-deserved.
Most Groundbreaking New Organization
Love Tribe (Portland)
Some of the pivotal moments of sex-positive culture occur with the
creation of new events or organizations which (1) are truly fun and (2)
can be easily reproduced in other cities. Swing clubs were one such
example. So were the BDSM community's restaurant gatherings (aka
"munches"). The aforementioned CSPC may in time prove to be another such
example. However, we suspect that Love Tribe may prove to be yet another,
through its non-threatening and comforting focus on touch and "snuggling"
(though amidst open acceptance of much more) within an altruistic context
that distills from the spiritual sexuality movement just the stuff that
actually makes the average person more comfortable. The Love Tribe
"Rapture" event that we sampled was one of the most comfortable and fun
sex-positive events we've ever attended. Over 110 people were in
attendance and the event was organized in such a way that (as far as we
could tell) nobody felt left out. Remarkable.
Best Swing Club
New Horizons (Seattle)
New Horizons remains, almost without doubt, the finest swing club in the
entire country: we have neither seen nor heard of anything which can
compare to its mansional building, thirteen acres of
beautifully-landscaped surrounding property, multiple hot tubs, and
secluded setting. We believe this facility is worth experiencing at least
once (if only as a guest on a Saturday, or for a Wednesday potluck) by
every sex-positive person in our area, just to expand your understanding
of the quality of space which people are capable of creating and
supporting together. New Horizons also features a comfortable and healthy
social environment, well-liked by both women and men.
Best Gay and Bi Men's Sex Club
Eros (San Francisco) and Blow Buddies (San Francisco) [tie]
Both Eros and Blow Buddies have very good reputations, and are spoken of
with more pride and loyalty than any similar clubs we have heard of in any
other city. Eros features multiple floors and theme rooms, and has the
advantage of being conveniently located in the Castro district.
Professional massage and a steam room are available at Eros, along with a
video room. Blow Buddies is likewise very popular, being particularly
famous for its wide variety of theme nights. It features two levels, with
five play rooms and a backyard.
Best Pansexual Club
The Center for Sex-Positive
Culture (Seattle)
"Pansexual" means open to all genders and orientations, and in this case
also means open to singles as well as partners. In this regard the CSPC
(formerly known as "The SPCC" or "The Wet Spot") is probably an ideal
place to start exploring sex-positive culture, since you can contact them,
attend an orientation, become a member, and start attending whichever
events you're comfortable with, all without needing an "invitation" from
somebody important, and all without attendance restrictions on the basis
of your gender (with the one exception of the monthly men-only night and
women-only nights, for which attendance is allowed based on which gender
is indicated on your legal ID). One of the CSPC's most popular events is
Grind, a sexy and sex-positive dance event hosted on Thursday nights, and
just as popular are their BDSM-focused Saturday night events, for which
high-quality slings and all of the popular forms of bondage furniture are
provided. However, events of various kinds are hosted on almost every
night of the week in their facility, in keeping with their role as a
sex-positive community center.
Largest Public Club
The Power Exchange (San Francisco)
This is by far the largest public club in San Francisco, and probably the
largest in the entire country. Covering multiple floors, this club has an
amazing array of different theme rooms: far more than one could hope to
keep track of, which is fun in and of itself. As a practical matter,
please note that if you visit the mixed floors as a single male on a slow
night (e.g. on a Thursday) then you may be very, very unlikely to find a
female play partner for the evening: however, even so it's still worth
visiting just to take in the never-ending maze of strange, trippy theme
rooms. We do have one request: if you visit the mixed-gender floors of
the Power Exchange on a slow night then feel free to suggest to management
that they offer a Laser Tag night in their facility. We realize that's a
silly thing for a sex club to do, but given the extensive maze-like nature
of their facility a laser tag game in it would be so much fun that we'd
like to see multiple people make this suggestion just to maximize the
chances it will happen :)
Best Summer Outdoor Event
Paradise (Seattle)
This Labor Day weekend event, held at a beautiful private location near
Redmond, succeeds in demonstrating that folks from different parts of
sex-positive culture (e.g. SM folks and swingers) have much more in
common than separates them. It represents the Seattle Sex-Positive
Community Center's best success to date at fulfilling the inclusive
nature of its mission.
Best Arts Event
Seattle Erotic Art Festival (Seattle)
This annual erotic art festival has gathered national attention for the
quality of its offerings. Some art is offered for display only, some
for sale, and some for auction. Represented are typically some of the
better erotic artists working today, though artists at any stage of
their careers are encouraged to submit their work to the festival
committee for consideration.
Most Promising New Event
Pacific Friction (Portland)
This new women-only (plus those in gender transition) sex-positive event
aims to be inclusive of both sex and BDSM. We wish them well and hope
their events continue to be a success.
Best Hotline
San Francisco Sex Information (San Francisco)
People anywhere can call the SFSI hotline at 1-415-989-7374 and get their questions
about sex answered in a respectful and professional manner, at no charge
other than the cost of the telephone call. For many
people this
could be just what the doctor ordered.
Best Traditional Workshop Series
Libido Events (Vancouver BC)
We were very impressed with the scope and frequency of events being
offered through Libido Events, as well as by their efforts to be
inclusive of both sex and BDSM, and by their efforts to offer some
community-building topics (e.g. their excellent presentation on
sex-positive resources in the Vancouver BC area).
Best Experiential Workshop Series
The Body Electric School (Multiple West Coast Locations)
In the area of experiential sex education, specifically on topics related
to "spiritual sexuality," nobody comes close to the Body Electric School.
Although their weekend workshops are by necessity fairly expensive,
they're well-taught and well thought-out.
Best Library
Pacific Northwest Library
for Sex Positive Culture (Seattle)
This library, located in the Center for Sex-Positive Culture's Annex
building, covers both non-fiction (sex education, sexuality and gender
theory, history of sex-positive culture, etc.) as well as fiction
(erotica). Apart from university and research collections, which may not
have the same focus and may not be as accessible to the average person,
it's the only library of its kind, and probably will be until such time as
the Center for Sex and Culture
in San Francisco is able to secure a building for their own
collection.
Best Heterosexual Sex Manual
Goofy Foot Press (Waldport, Oregon)
Everyone loves Goofy Foot Press's Guide
to Getting it On!. It's one of the best sex manuals we've found
to date that's aimed at a het audience, and it doesn't take itself too
seriously. It's a popular and solid choice, though the only book Goofy
Foot Press publishes.
Best Sex Education Series
Cleis Press (San Francisco)
This sex-positive publisher has a diverse catalog
covering theory, fiction, and practice. In particular, they're the
publishers of the Good Vibrations Guide to Sex, as well as the
highly-regarded "Ultimate Guide" series (covering topics ranging from anal
sex to oral sex to adult videos).
Best BDSM/Kink Education Series
Greenery Press (San Francisco)
Greenery Press has more of a BDSM/kink focus than Cleis Press, but within
the genre of BDSM how-to it's currently the undisputed champion (though
admittedly if the SM/Tech series
from Nazca Plains Corporation follows through with its planned series of
educational titles they'll have some stiff competition...). Books in
their catalog address techniques from the basic to the esoteric, and in
particular their new "Toybag Guide" series should prove to be a boon for
workshop leaders.
Best Sex Toy Store
Toys in Babeland (Seattle)
Although the venerable Good
Vibrations deserves serious kudos for the fantastic job they did
refurbishing their web site, and Womyn's Ware gets props both for
their bold decision to only carry silicone dildos as well as for having
the most informative print catalog in the industry, Toys in Babeland
takes the award this year on the basis of the excellent Sex
Toys 101 book that they published in late 2003, as well as for
their continued success at bringing our West Coast style to the East
Coast through their recently-opened New York branches.
Best BDSM Toy Store
Mr. S Leather Company (San Francisco)
When it comes to leathersex gear, nobody comes close to the famous Mr. S
Leather Company. It's a classic, one of those places that if you're a
BDSM enthusiast visiting San Francisco you'll almost certainly want to
visit.
Best Men's Leather and Latex Fashion Store
Mr. S Leather Company (San Francisco)
Best Women's Leather Fashion Store
Stormy Leather (San Francisco)
Best Women's Latex Fashion Store
Madame S (San Francisco)
Best Corset Store
Dark Garden (San Francisco)
Best Mainstream Het Video Series
Shane's World (Chatsworth, California)
There's very little het porn out there that we'd consider "sex-positive,"
and the stuff that is sometimes tries so hard to be politically correct
that it's no longer fun. Granted, the "Shane's World" series (mixed
gender) and "Slumber Party" series (all-female) by this company aren't
perfect, but they often have a lighthearted, fun, and seemingly authentic
feel, one that reminds us at least a little bit of sex as we usually think
of it. Shane (a female director) and her friends genuinely seem to be
having fun portraying real sex, and as such take this award. You can click here to see a list of rentable Shane's World films, and here to see a list of rentable Slumber Party films.
Best Gay Video Series
Daddy Oohhh (Seattle)
This producer get kudos, and ultimately this award, for his philosophy of
"affirming the fundamental goodness of sexuality in human life" and
restoring the "romantic, alluring, and seductive aspects of our sexuality"
to porn. His films are often playful, featuring men you could imagine
meeting in real life, and are popular both with women who like gay porn as
well as with gay men.
Best Lesbian Video Series
S.I.R. Productions (San Francisco)
Titles include "Hard Love," "Bend Over Boyfriend," and "Talk to Me Baby:
A Lover's Guide to Dirty Talk and Role Play." They seem to do education
and porn equally well, and have plenty of fans. You can expect real
bodies and real orgasms in their films, of course.
Best Het Erotic Comics
Studio Foglio (Seattle)
The sheer sense of fun brought to the XXXenophile comics exceeds that of
any other erotic comics we've found to date. New issues are no longer
being made, but all of the old issues have been made available in a series
of bound collections. The artwork is high-quality, and some of the
storylines are very erotic (our favorite was the one about the "Sex
Olympics"). To purchase the six XXXenophile collections, you can use the following links: 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
and 6.
Best BDSM/Kink Graphic Novels
Michael Manning (San Francisco)
The quality of artwork in Michael Manning's graphic novels, and the
creativity behind them, are both top-notch. Where the
XXXenophile comics focus on common sex fantasies with a sci-fi
twist, Michael Manning's work focuses on fantasy worlds with a stylized
kink twist. Michael Manning's books are as follows: The Spider Garden, Hydrophidian, In a Metal Web, In a Metal Web II, Tranceptor: The Way Station, Amerotica, Cathexis, and Inamorata (the last of which focuses on his gallery art).
Best BDSM/Kink Web Site
Hell's Elevator (Portland)
Moving to the other end of the spectrum we find Hell's Elevator, founded
by a well-respected BDSM expert, and now featuring some of the best
extreme BDSM/kink imagery to be found on the net. It's one of the only
web sites we've ever heard someone who participates in the real-life BDSM
community admit they'd paid money to join.
Best Publisher
Alyson Publications (Los Angeles)
A long-standing GLBT publisher, Alyson Publications' catalog covers
culture, sex information, erotica, and many other topics.
Best Travel Guides
Damron Company (San Francisco)
The Damron Men's Travel Guide and Women's Traveler
continue to be the best gay and lesbian travel guides out there. New
editions come out each year, as they have since 1964.
Best Bookstore
A Different Light Bookstore (San
Francisco)
The historic "A Different Light," located right in the heart of the
Castro district, gets the nod.
Most Impressive Community Center
The Center (San Francisco) and Seattle LGBT Community Center (Seattle) [tie]
The Center in San Francisco has a magnificent building and a
particularly strong array of monthly classes and workshops, while the
Seattle LGBT Community Center has done a particularly good job
networking with other local community organizations.
Most Noteworthy Health Resource
Verbena Trans Health Fair (Seattle)
Verbena, whose mission is to "build vibrant communities for lesbians,
bisexual and queer women, and transgendered individuals through health
advocacy, education, support services, and access to care," now sponsors
an annual Trans Health Fair.
Most Noteworthy Conference
FTM: A Gender Odyssey
(Seattle)
Each of these conferences so far as featured a powerful lineup of
speakers and topics.
After reading about something intriguing in another city, you may be interested in learning what's most similar to it in your own.
With that in mind, we've prepared for your reference full guides to all of the sex-positive community organizations that we know of in Seattle, Vancouver BC, Portland, and San Francisco.
For other cities, see our guide to finding similar organizations anywhere else in the United States.
Thanks are extended to the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America for helping defend the basic civil freedoms which sex-positive culture relies on.
Thanks are also extended to the annual Leather Leadership Conference and Building Bridges Conference for helping train sex-positive culture's next generation of organizers.
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