Professional dominant strives to prevent nonconsensual explicit image sharing

At first glance, the BBC’s report on Madeline Thomas, founder of Image Angel, appears to be another case of kink-shaming. However, in a pleasantly progressive turn, the article is respectful, as Thomas is openly proud of her online dominatrix persona.

In fact, her fury at her own explicit images having been spread without her consent inspired the creation of her forensic image protection company.

“These were beautiful pictures,” she told the BBC, “I’m not ashamed of the pictures, I’m ashamed of the way that they were used against me by someone whom I don’t know.”

Thomas’s work as a professional dominatrix gave her the determination to help others whose private photos and videos were used against them. 

Only if I say so

Thomas’ first hurdle was her lack of technical knowledge, as she freely admits. Still, that didn’t deter her. She said, “I know that it’s bizarre, it’s crazy to think that someone who was a dominatrix is now a founder of a tech company, but it took someone who has been through it to know the loopholes and the changes that needed to happen.”

Fortunately, her resolve paid off. A year after Image Angel’s launch, the company had garnered numerous industry awards, including a best practice recommendation from the UK’s Independent Pornography Review.

RECOMMENDED READ: The Real Deal: Laws Against Sexual Deepfakes Spread Across the US

A wide variety of platforms—from social media to dating apps—can use Image Angel’s technology, which automatically embeds an invisible, digitally unique watermark into any image viewed.  

Can’t run, can’t hide

Thomas explained that she didn’t exactly have to start from scratch: “This technology already exists in Hollywood, it already exists in sports broadcasting, so this is not brand new technology, it’s just a new application and a new system.”

The watermark is extremely durable, so it can’t be removed and persists even when photographed with a smartphone camera.

The result is that, should anyone learn their images were nonconsensually circulated, the Image Angel encoding will allow the site to track not just who was responsible but also help find and delete any copies.  

“And we’ve tested it,” Thomas further explained to the BBC, “we’re partnering with a company that has 30 years experience in developing technology so we know that this is solid and what we now need to do is test it at scale.”

Punishing the wicked, not the innocent

Thomas’ company joins many other organizations—both commercial and legislative—that seek to inhibit the nonconsensual distribution of private, often explicit images and videos, which are frequently shared with the intent to cause emotional harm.

Kate Worthington of the Southwest Grid for Learning’s (SWGFL) Revenge Porn Helpline shared her enthusiasm for Thomas’ approach, telling the same BBC interviewer,  “It is really important to have this multi-layered approach towards tackling tech facilitated gender-based abuse, because no one tool is going to be able to tackle this alone, no one helpline, it needs to be this multi-layered response.”

SWGFL itself uses StopNCII.org, “Stop Non-Consensual Image Intimate Image Abuse,” which makes a hash—a sort of algorithmic fingerprint from user images that can subsequently aid in halting the distribution of non-user-approved images.

Go get ‘em!

Given the countless daily violations of personal trust, and as legislators work to grasp both the scope and seriousness of the issue, the world needs people like Madelaine Thomas more than ever—those who have experienced firsthand the emotional pain of having their private moments made public.

But also like Madelaine Thomas, someone with the strength and determination to fight back for herself as well as everyone else who has been- or may potentially be—harmed as well.  

As she explained to the BBC, “It’s me as a dominant woman, a woman who is empowered and strong, giving my body as a treat to someone because I wish to, because I want to, because it’s my body and I can do what I want with it.”

Image Sources: Depositphotos

The post Obey! Anti-Revenge Porn Company Founder Strikes Important Blow appeared first on Future of Sex.

New research highlights new, troubling ethics violations

The jury’s still out, but not for much longer. In 2025, numerous studies examined the role of artificial intelligence, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs), as possibly aiding many  mental health services, as well as its prospective hazards. 

Based on their findings, authors of a new study from Brown University recently argued: 

…mental health support, especially psychotherapy, cannot be approached as a formulaic computational task, as it demands strict adherence to ethical standards and professional codes of conduct, something LLMs are prone to violating in real-world practice. Without clear legal guidelines and regulatory frameworks, LLM counselors risk exposing vulnerable users to unmitigated harm.

Their research consisted of “an 18-month ethnographic collaboration with mental health practitioners” to create and evaluate “evidence-based system prompts” which were then used in 27 simulated sessions to “map LLM counselors’ behavior…to professional codes of conduct.” They discovered “15 risks that persist” in several different AI models, even with improved prompt strategies.

Researchers worked with three versions of GPT, two of Llama, and two of Claude. The simulated sessions used “publicly available sessions with an LLM counselor using publicly available transcripts”—in other words, the material was ethically sourced.

Professional codes of conduct

In addition to acquiring years of education, and putting in many, many hours of supervised training before gaining certification and/or licensure, mental health professionals also rely on ethical and practice guidelines. These are designed to keep practitioners from making mistakes that might harm their clients.

The Brown researchers referenced codes published by the American Psychological Association (APA). the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the American Counseling Association (ACA), and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as well as from the U.K. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Canadian Psychological Association. Such guidelines are carefully considered distillations of expertise and are revised when research makes it necessary. 

RECOMMENDED READ: AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s Drag Queen Chatbot Spills the “T” on HIV

The Brown University researchers found the ethical violations fit into one of five categories: (1) “lack of contextual understanding,” (2) “poor therapeutic collaboration,” (3) “deceptive empathy,” (4) “unfair discrimination” (algorithmic bias), and (5) “lack of safety and crisis management.” 

As the Brown team wrote:

Reflecting on these findings through a practitioner-informed lens, we argue that reducing psychotherapy—a deeply meaningful and relational process—to a language generation task can have serious and harmful implications in practice.

Counseling—and sex therapies—are more than computational tasks

When companies decide to deploy AI in mental health settings, they are essentially replacing trained personnel who already have educational and ethical frameworks, with something that sounds like it knows what it’s doing, but does not. 

And yet people frequently report they are more comfortable talking with AI about sensitive subjects—like sexual matters—than with human beings. It’s because the AI won’t judge them. 

Though AI may appear non-judgmental, as it agrees with everything, this is really just a function of its sycophantic design. In an LLM counseling situation, this may manifest as an “over-agreement” and “over-validation” of unhealthy beliefs resulting in tragic—and in some cases, fatal—consequences for some individuals, including minors. 

The Brown researchers conclude:

Hence, our findings suggest that mental health practice, especially psychotherapy, cannot be reduced to an NLP task that can be easily addressed with additional prompting or a new benchmark. Rather, responsible AI development for mental health will require interdisciplinary collaborations to outline legal safeguards for accountability in cases of harm.

And that’s another problem: lack of accountability. Human therapists and counselors are personally and professionally responsible when making mistakes or ethics violations. Now AI companies may land in court when their chatbots cause grievous emotional harm. 

Could sex therapy’s PLISSIT model hold a key?

So far there are few, if any, studies focusing specifically on using LLM as sex therapists, though plenty of people use them for sexual entertainment. Sure, some AI have been installed in clinics to deliver sexual health information, but that’s customer service and education, not therapy.

But Jack Annon’s PLISSIT model for sex therapy, published in 1976 and still in wide use, may hold the key to one particular AI advantage. 

The graphic representation of PLISSIT is a triangle balanced on its point, divided into four segments. “P” stands for Permission and is the widest, topmost segment. Annon’s idea is that just having permission to talk about sexual matters is therapeutically valuable for the most number of people. For many people, just having and using this permission may be enough. 

So I wonder, could AI’s glib gift of gab be an asset in an intake process, essentially granting the client initial permission to talk about sensitive topics, without fear of judgment? 

I can imagine an AI taking an extensive sex history, without adding extra commentary. That history could then be turned over to a human practitioner with bonafide credentials. As a virtual assistant, there might be a place for AI in a counseling practice. 

The rest of the PLISSIT triangle stands for Limited Information, Specific Suggestions, and Intensive Therapy. Each segment is necessary for smaller numbers of people. 

AI could deliver limited information and specific suggestions—but only those deemed appropriate by a human professional. In other words, AI might be able to function in a limited way as a perpetual assistant, but never as a counselor.

Image Source: A.R. Marsh using Ideogram.ai. 

The post More Reasons to Avoid AI Sexual & Mental Health Counselors appeared first on Future of Sex.

Sex simulation games that make virtual sex feel as good as it does in the real world—or maybe even better

Before we journey into the hot and steamy world of the best games and most realistic sex simulators, we should first visit the rather unnerving uncanny valley.

Conceived by professor Masahiro Mori back in 1970, it wasn’t until 1978 that the term first appeared in print, in Jasia Reichardt’s book Robots: Fact, Fiction, and Prediction.

The uncanny valley is a theory that the closer computer-generated imagery (CGI) or robots resemble real human beings—the more realistic or lifelike they attempt—the more likely they will provoke feelings of unease or disgust.

Screenshot from multiplayer sex world 3DXChat [NSFW]

Sex Simulation Games & Adult PC Games

In the last few years, however, a better understanding of the phenomenon, as well as more advanced technologies, have allowed developers to create the most realistic sex games possible without provoking this disquieting response.

You can find perfect examples here in our list of the best sex games and most realistic sex game simulators. These titles work hard to get close to an illusion of erotic reality without steering players into the eerie uncanny valley.

Today’s best sex simulation games also synch with sex toys. Thanks to Bluetooth technology, you can both watch and feel the erotic action unfold with interactive sex toys from companies like Lovense and Vstroker.

While many of them are adult PC games, we’ve also included our selection of realistic sex games and sex simulators that support Mac, iOS, and Linux.

Best Sex Simulators

Adult World 3D

Image from Adult World 3D [NSFW]

Here’s a game that says it right on their site: “The Most Realistic 3D Sex!” Surprisingly, Adult World 3D [NSFW] lives up to this claim with high-definition graphics, a wide range of erotic activities, and multiple characters.

The sex simulator that scores points for being as lifelike as possible for a CGI title. It’s PC only, so if you’re an Apple user you may be tempted to switch.

According to the game site: “Some of the finest game designers and computer graphics artists in the world have put their skills to the fore in delivering a game of the most outstanding quality. Each and every fair vixen in the game is rendered with stunning clarity and detail, and it is almost as if you could reach out and touch them.”

Its creators are also behind other visually stunning adult PC games like Dream Sex World [NSFW]—pictured in the article top image—as well as fetish games like VirtualLust3D [NSFW].

3DXChat

We’ve talked many times about 3DXChat [NSFW]—including in our lists for Best Sex Games for Women, Best VR Sex Games, and Foot Fetish Games That Will Knock Your Socks Off (to name just three)—but always for really good reasons: it’s just that good. As you can tell, it’s definitely one of our favorite adult PC games.

RECOMMENDED READ: Review of the Best Massively Multiplayer Online Sex Games

It’s also a longtime favorite on our best sex games and most realistic sex simulators list. Why? Because its graphics are some of the best, if not the very best, for a massively multiplayer online sex game. The adult PC game also deftly avoids the icy wastes of the uncanny valley by skillfully balancing a borderline-cartoonish style with realistic avatar modeling and physics.

There’s also the fact that 3DXChat [NSFW] is an immense playground open to almost infinite possibilities. Players can appear as realistic, or fantastic, as they choose. Not only can they customize how their avatars look, but they can also build public or private locations and special hookup spots.

Mirror Life

Screenshot from interactive sex simulator, Mirror Life

What better way for Lovense—one of the world’s most innovative and highly respected smart sex tech companies—to explore the erotic possibilities of merging their Bluetooth-enabled products with video game technology than to make their own, fully immersive and wonderfully versatile sex simulator?

Which is precisely what Lovense has done with Mirror Life: a free-to-play test bed built from the ground up to work with their Max 2 app-controlled male masterbator.  Though Mirror Life remains a work-in-progress, if you have a Max 2 then you must, as in right-this-very-minute, try it for yourself and experience the future of interactive erotic gaming.

Sex Emulator 

Fire up this animated 3D simulator and be prepared to lose yourself in its nearly limitless erotic possibilities.  Fun through this sex simulator most assuredly is, the Sex Emulator has more enjoyable tricks up its (virtual) sleeve) to the tune of a whopping four hundred other hot interactive games, adult videos, and more to also check out.

Not only that, but if English isn’t your native tongue you’re in luck as Sex Emulator’s available in five other languages, including French, Spanish, and German; making it not only a rollicking good time but an international delight as well.

BDSM Stimulator

Prepare to get your kink on when you visit BDSM Stimulator [NSFW]

Another pleasantly surprising—and quite frankly much needed—sex simulator is BDSM Stimulator [NSFW]. Why surprising? Well, like Sex Simulator, it’s a free-to-play browser title, though it does require players to register to verify their identity. 

But after that, you can whip, cane, or bound your choice of its many characters, and—where things get really interesting—engage with other, real people in multiplayer mode. 

Why is this particular sex simulation game needed? The answer is while a majority of games on our list can be pretty hardcore at times, BDSM Stimulator takes kinky sex to a whole new level. It even proclaims itself as “The World’s Most Extreme Sex Game,” which, compared to our rather extensive BDSM-related experiences, it most definitely is.

Adult Online Play

The loading screen for Adult Online Play [NSFW]

Adult Online Play [NSFW] has one hundred different sex simulation games, ranging from simple and exciting all the way to outrageously wild—made all the better because each is as realistic as it is erotically engaging.

The fun gets funner because a good selection of its titles are not just free to play but are playable on a good number of portable devices, like tables and smartphones.

Plus, if you like what you can see, you can become a member, unlocking Adult Online Play’s entire catalog of high-quality sex simulation games.

Captain Hardcore

Welcome to Captain Hardcore [NSFW]

Blast off to unknown, erotic worlds with Captain Hardcore [NSFW], a very tongue-in-cheek game where players may encounter an assortment of alien tongues, not to mention perky cheeks. 

As playful as it is erotically adventurous, Captain Hardcore may still be in development, but what it offers makes it more than makes it worth supporting, like its multi-VR system support, and it’s planned to support all of Lovense’s smart sex toys or the Fleshlight of your choosing.

Captain Hardcore also advertises a wide assortment of game possibilities. Do you like a sexually satisfying guided story, or prefer fooling around in a sky’s-the-limit sandbox mode? Then you are in luck, as those barely scratch the high-tech, chrome-plated surface of what Captain Hardcore has planned for its—and your—future.

Best VR Sex Simulators

Cyber Sexuals

A high-tech, cyberdelic treat like no other: Cyber Sexuals [NSFW]

Combining AAA video game mechanics with state-of-the-art erotic imagery, Cyber Sexuals [NSFW] is an episodic, immersive VR experience like no other. While our review noted it may need a few small improvements, Cyber Sexuals nevertheless remains an example of what happens when speculative fiction originality meets engaging gameplay—not to mention a hefty dose of premium-quality sexual virtual reality interactions.

Best of all, Cyber Sexuals is an ongoing project with at least one more brand-new, engaging installment in the works, so stay tuned and prepared for even more cyberpunk delights in the not-too-distant future.

Viro Playspace

Less a single game and more of a vast, showplace for all sorts of exciting virtual reality and smart sex toy-supportive experiences, Viro Playspace has about everything for everybody; ranging from hardcore BDSM to LGBTQ+ inclusive games—not to mention a zoo full of furry ones too.

Viro Playspace is all about supporting as much immersive tech as possible; like a host VR rigs such as the HTC Vive,  Value Index, Oculus Rift, and more than forty Bluetooth-equipped sex toys from the likes of Kiiroo Lovense, and WeVibe.

xStoryPlayer

Similar to 3D SexVilla 2, XStoryPlayer [NSFW] (from X Moon Productions) is an offline experience. And like 3DXChat, it supports virtual reality headgear for an immersive and lifelike experience. The sex simulator cements a place on our best sex games list by focusing on high-resolution graphics and eye-popping physics.

That’s because its immersive capabilities make it one of the most realistic sex games, so thank you very much for virtual reality!

As for gameplay, it doesn’t just jump into sex but rather asks users to create a relationship with one of the characters—but once that’s done you can do pretty much whatever you want.

The adult PC game—sorry Mac users—supports HTC Vive and Oculus Rift virtual reality headsets.

VR Love

Slip on your Oculus Quest/Rift, HTC Vive, or Value Index VR headset, charge your Lovense Max or Nora and hang on tight as VRLove proves the only thing better than an ultra-lifelike sex simulation game is a fully immersive and sex tech integrated one from the adult entertainment experts over at VirtualRealPorn.

If you’re an Amarna Miller fan, you can even have her star in your own virtual fantasies—or customize your own character to suit your wildest erotic fantasies.  

City Of Sin 3D

Accurately billed as providing “mind-blowing 3D virtual intimacy,” City Of Sin 3D provides you the choice of sixteen pre-made characters or the option to make your own from an impressively-huge library of skin tones, body-shapes, hair-colors, and more positions than the Kama Sutra to put your creations into!

Available for Windows, City Of Sin 3D steps it up a notch (or two, or three) with its  smooth-as-silk Fleshlight Launch, Flixband, and Stroker for Fleshlight integration.

Dezyred VR

It’s no wonder Dezyred [NSFW] has been on our sex simulation radar since it and its entertainingly arousing titles appeared on the virtual reality adult entertainment scene: it’s a big—and getting bigger—section of immersive, totally explicit games that are a sight to behold and a hoot-and-a-half to play.

Games like Double Trouble [NSFW] and A Day With Bella Rolland [NSFW] are just two of their premium quality sex simulators that are freely available—though, like BDSM Simulation, you’ll need to sign up first.

Part of the VR Bangers network, paying for Dezyred sometimes gives you access to their six other sites, depending on how much you’re willing to pay and if Dezyred is promoting any special offers.

Best Lesbian Sex Simulators

Girlvania

If you love girl-on-girl action, you need to download Girlvania right away! This sex simulator caters exclusively to lesbian fantasies and even includes a legs and feet expansion package for stockings and foot lovers.

Best Gay Sex Simulators

Hurt Me Plenty

On the surface this game is simple: you spank a sexy, beefy fellow. But there is more—so much more—to Hurt Me Plenty [NSFW], and this more is why it definitely deserves a place on our most realistic sex games list.

You see, this is a sex simulator that doesn’t only strive to be an accurate depiction of the reality of BDSM. It also guides the player in proper and responsible play.

It all begins with negotiation, agreeing to a safeword, and the like—and then comes the spanking action. But if you continue after the other character calls out the safeword, the action will abruptly stop and you’ll be presented with the following message: “Your partner is still recovering from the previous player’s abuse and violation of boundaries.” The game will then lock you out of any further action—sometimes for a matter of days.

While it may not be lifelike in its graphics, Hurt Me Plenty’s lesson of the real importance of responsible and consensual BDSM play is one that we desperately need to be seeing more of.

This sex simulator is available to download for Mac, Windows, and Linux.

Trans Pornstar Harem

The importance—and sexual desirability—of inclusiveness is on full display with Trans Pornstar Harem [NSFW]. An exciting, free-to-play erotic title, Trans Pornstar Harem combines the immersiveness of a good RPG game with erotic, no-holds-barred explicitness. It’s guaranteed to turn your nether regions on as much as its carefully constructed mechanics excites your brain.

Trans Pornstar Harem puts you in the loafers of a would-be adult entertainment tycoon who has the enviable task of (ahem) “auditioning” some of the hottest and more willing trans porn stars in the business.

Since it won’t cost you anything but the time it takes to open it on your PC, Mac, smartphone, or tablet, we definitely recommend it to those of you into trans sexuality, RPG games, and especially titles that merge each into an inclusive, entertaining, and sexually exciting sex simulator.

Best Sex Games for Mac

Being a Mac user isn’t always easy when it comes to sex games. Many are PC only. Sure, browser-based sex games are an option, but downloadable sex games have a lot more to offer by their very nature.

RECOMMENDED READ: THE BEST SEX GAMES FOR MAC

That’s why we took the time to share a list of the Best Sex Games For Mac along with their top features. In brief, for Mac users searching for a multiplayer sex game, we recommend trying Yareel [NSFW]. For gay gamers, the best sex games for Mac are the browser-based RPG sex game  Gay Harem [NSFW] and the dating sim Dream Daddy.

Best Sex Games on Steam

One Night Stand

Here’s a question: what exactly qualifies a title for being the most realistic sex game? What is perceived as being realistic? Graphics can be part of it, trying to avoid that uncanny valley another, but what about the story?

That’s why we’re including the sex simulator One Night Stand [NSFW] by Lucy Blundell on our list of the best sex games and most realistic sex simulators. Instead of focusing on sex as pure fantasy, this title plays a mystery game that begins with you waking up next to a stranger after a titular one-night stand.

This sex simulator is an erotic visual novel that supports Windows, Mac iOS, and Linux.

Through a series of on-screen choices, you—as the male protagonist—work to figure out who the woman is and what happened the previous evening. This leads to one of 12 different endings: some good, some not-so-good.

While maybe not a steamy exercise, it’s still recommended for its elegant art style and unique approach to the realities of sex: the morning after.

Waifu Sex Simulator

One of the Internet’s favorite virtual reality hentai games is Waifu Sex Simulator. It was created by Lewd FRAGGY, who calls the VR sex game content “unofficial fan-made work.”

Players can have their pick from more than 1,000 hot models inspired by top anime characters, games, and TV shows. You can also make the scenes interactive by controlling the action with your bare hands or VR controllers. For these reasons, Waifu Sex Simulator is one of the most realistic and best sex simulators around. It also features more than 300 sex animations and high-quality graphics.

For more info on installing the realistic waifu sex simulator, there’s a very useful tutorial posted on Reddit.

The future of realistic sex games and sex simulators

While we are rapidly approaching a time when in the most realistic sex games graphics will become indistinguishable —it’s important to call out another form of the uncanny valley: that it’s time for games to try and approach the less-than-visual realities of sex.

Not that fantasy should be avoided. However, when too many people are engaging in physical pleasure without a clear idea of the emotional, social, and physical realities of what can come with it, developers of adult PC games need to take responsibility to become part of the solution and not the problem.

Hopefully, because of public demand as well as game designers understanding their responsibilities, we’ll be seeing realistic sex games that aren’t just pretty to look at but will provide a deeper, more nuanced, and even educational approach to the realities of sex.

What do you think of our list of the most realistic sex simulators and best sex games? Did we miss any great realistic sex game titles or adult PC games? Please feel free to share your top picks with us on Twitter or Bluesky.

Image sources: Image sources: 3DXChat [NSFW], Adult World 3D [NSFW], 3D SexVilla 2 [NSFW], XStoryPlayer [NSFW], Mirror Life [NSFW], Sex Simulator [NSFW], BDSM Simulator [NSFW], Adult Online Play [NSFW], Captain Hardcore [NSFW], Dezyred VR [NSFW], Hurt Me Plenty [NSFW], Trans Pornstar Harem [NSFW]

The post Review of the Best Sex Games and Most Realistic Sex Simulators [UPDATED] appeared first on Future of Sex.

Why a disposable speculum and a hand mirror may be the best sextech to own

It’s almost 2026. Ladies, do you know where your cervix is? 

Apparently not. According to a new report based on a survey of 3,196 women, almost all participants could not correctly name all parts of their genital anatomy. 

According to Personal Care Insights, this staggering statistic, and many others almost as startling, are the result of a survey conducted by the sexual wellness company, O Positiv Health, in a preview of their upcoming State of the Vagina Report. 

The findings are based on a demographically representative sample of cisgender women who live in the US. The full report will be published in January 2026. 

I say “vulva,” you say “vajayjay.” 

It’s 1973. I was a teenage pregnancy counselor at the Beach Area Community Clinic in a coastal town in San Diego County, CA, and the proud owner of the first edition of Our Bodies, Ourselves: A Book By and For Women by the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective. According to Wikipedia, OBOS was revised and expanded six times, with the final edition published in 2011. 

With this source of powerful knowledge at my adolescent fingertips, how could I have ever imagined that in the century to come, most people with female-gendered bodies would know even less than I did? 

I don’t know what happened to my copy of this book, but these days Our Bodies, Growing Older: Women Aging with Knowledge and Power (1987) has a place of honor in my sexology bookshelves.

In those heady days of women’s health activism—and the clinic where I worked was also at the vanguard—one of my best adult friends, Marcia Kerwit (aka Marcia Wexler), was one of those standout pioneers who went around the country teaching groups of women to do their own gynecological self-exams with a speculum, a hand mirror, and some decent lighting.

Marcia asked me once, while we were talking and sipping tea at her house, if I’d like to learn how? I declined, though I’m not sure why. I certainly wasn’t squeamish—after all, part of my clinic job included making sure the stainless steel speculums were sterilized, along with performing pregnancy tests and delivering results and resource information to anxious patients.

Marcia would later collaborate on the phenomenal book, A New View of a Woman’s Body: A Fully Illustrated Guide, by the Federation of Feminist Women’s Health Centers (US), published in 1981. You can find an online copy at the Internet Archives. A free account will allow you to read it. Copies on eBay range from $30 to $100 USD. 

Did I mention Marcia was and is a constant inspiration to me, even though she passed many years ago? Knowledge of friendship preserved.

Knowledge lost and found—and lost, and found again

A New View contains historically significant illustrations by Suzann Gage, RN, including the first contemporary drawings of all features of the internal clitoris. As there was a dearth of female anatomical information at the time, she researched and based her work largely on cadaver dissection drawings in medical textbooks from the late 1800s-early1900s. 

But NIXIT’s timeline of “The Invisible Vulva” skips the discoveries of Gage and others in the feminist women’s health movement of the 1960s-1970s. History erased, knowledge lost. 

Similarly Manther, an erotic literature publication, credits the feminist movement with sexual liberation and a focus of clitoral pleasure, its article credits Dr. Helen O’Connell, with “providing new insights into the anatomy of the clitoris” in 1998, ignoring Gage’s contributions seventeen years earlier. 

Dr. O’Connell’s research included dissections on “2 fresh and 8 fixed human female adult cadavers (age range 22 to 88 years)” and concluded “current anatomical descriptions of female human urethral and genital anatomy are inaccurate”—the same discovery Gage made when researching the clitoris. 

The future of sex relies on the past

It’s almost 2026, but if most people with female reproductive systems can’t name all the features of their genitals and reproductive systems, let alone know the difference between vulva and vagina, how can they hope to understand the pleasure-packed erectile tissue of their entire clitoris? After all, most of that is hidden from sight, unless you’re dissecting a corpse.  

But other features are easily discoverable. For example, the original instructions for pelvic self-exams–developed and taught by feminist health activists of the 1970s—can be found on the internet. Once you actually see your own cervix and vaginal walls, it can be as transformative as it was for Suzann Gage, the activist artist inspired to become a specialist in women’s health.

Last summer the New York Post interviewed a doctor who says this self-care can enable a person’s knowledge of their anatomy, what’s normal for their body, and to spot potentially troublesome changes early. Some medical sites also speak of the benefits and provide instructions, but in real life, I’ve yet to have a gynecologist actually recommend this kind of self-care to me, as is probably the case for most patients.

So while speculums, flashlights, and mirrors hardly count as glamorous sex tech, these humble items have a definite place in our sex lives. You might even add them to your toy box, and let your vibrator remind you to grab the speculum and take a peek now and then. 

The future of sex relies on better sex education, for everyone

The findings of the O Positiv Health survey, and similar research before it, reveal a glaring deficit in basic sex education for cisgender women. This is truly mind-boggling, given decades of grassroots activism given above, but also the abundance of newer books empowering female sexuality, such as The Clitoral Truth by Rebecca Chalker and Shari Winston’s Women’s Anatomy of Arousal: Secret Maps to Buried Pleasure, both of which I highly recommend.

Over the years, sex educators have also created clever teaching tools to help people visualize female sexual organs, including the well-known Wondrous Vulva Puppet created by Dorrie Lane in 1992, made of velvet, satin, and other luxurious fabrics. This video shows how one of Lane’s vulva puppets can be used in a class about vaginal dryness. 

Recently the Bulbo Project uses AI-enhanced images to “help make female anatomy facts more visible and understandable,” particularly the clitoris, “an organ often absent from anatomy textbooks and cultural imagery.” Check out their amazing video. 

Though AI can be used to create sex education materials, there may be a danger from AI slop, which can bury accurate information. Perhaps our collective sexual future will once again rely mostly on human to human transmission, like the feminist self-exam groups of the last century. 

And just in case you want to know, according to the O Positiv report preview, the correct answer to their anatomy question is “vagina, ovaries, uterus, clitoris, fallopian tube(s), labia minora, labia majora, cervix, hymen, mon pubis.” 1.37% of respondents got that right, but let’s not forget to name the vulva, urethra, and perineum too. A vulva puppet could help. 

Image sources: A.R. Marsh using Ideogram.ai; Women’s Clinic Class Brochure, A.R. Marsh c. 1972; Bulbo Clitoris and Bulbo Jacket, Kandela 3000, Oct. 28, 2025, public domain

The post “State of the Vagina Report:” 98.6% of Us Women Cannot Correctly Identify Female Sexual Anatomy appeared first on Future of Sex.

An apparently dire present doesn’t mean tomorrow can’t be wonderful

With new age verification laws and attacks targeting the adult industry and LGBTQIA+ people, our rights to sexual autonomy, consensual love, and unbiased education are under threat. These measures often reflect a conservative agenda rather than efforts to truly protect people.

But if history has taught us anything, it’s that the future is ours to make. If that’s the case, we’re willing to fight for it. Because if we don’t, then far sooner than we might expect, we really will live in a world ruled by sexual ignorance, irrational fears, and where healthy desires could land you in jail—or worse.

Lines being drawn

This isn’t an exaggeration. The World Population Review states that sixty-two countries restrict access to adult materials, and thirty-two make the production or use of sex-related content fully illegal.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch reports, “67 countries have national laws criminalizing same-sex relations between consenting adults. In addition, at least nine countries have national laws criminalizing forms of gender expression that target transgender and gender nonconforming people.”

RECOMMENDED READ: Age Verification Laws Driving Adult Content Creators Underground

If groups like the Heritage Foundation succeed, the United States could drastically increase censorship, criminalizing sexual expression, education, and those who enable it. Their vision threatens basic rights and freedoms.

Even learning about essentials like birth control is under attack. Planned Parenthood states only ten states require inclusive, affirming discussion of LGBTQIA+ identities. Six southern states either ban discussion of LGBTQIA+ topics in sex education, or require framing such identities negatively.

Like your sex lives depend on it

In the face of these attacks, the fight is about securing our fundamental right to sexual freedom—what Emma Goldman called ‘the right to love and be loved.’

To begin with, it’s important to stay informed: both about these and similar threats to our sexual rights, but also the vitally important sexual facts conservative laws are aiming to suppress.

Planned Parenthood is one such invaluable resource, as are the American Sexual Health Association(ASHA) and the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Unfortunately, due to the current US administration’s intervention, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is no longer reliable and should be avoided.

The mentioned Human Rights Watch, along with the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF) are excellent resources for tracking anti-sex laws.

Stand for love

Never forget that the most potent way to battle against sexual ignorance is to open our minds to exciting new possibilities. Though an admittedly odd choice in this context, H.P. Lovecraft said it best, “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”

By this, I mean that if anything, sexual conservatism seems fueled by unreasonable fears: masturbation is bad, pornography is self-destructive; LGBTQ+ people are (at best) confused or (at worst) were “groomed” by an abuser; sex education leads to promiscuity, the list sadly goes on and on.

The scientifically proven reality is that none of the above is remotely true, that masturbation and sexual fantasies are physically and emotionally healthy, sexual pleasure helps ensure people experience safer and happier lives, LGBTQIA+ people deserve nothing but respect, acceptance, and support. 

Above all, we can turn optimism into action. Instead of waiting for change, actively challenge bigotry and misinformation. Join local or online advocacy groups, vote for policies that protect sexual freedom, and have open conversations that promote consent, understanding, and inclusivity. Every small step you take contributes to building a future filled with hope, respect, and consensual enjoyment.

Image Sources: Depositphotos

The post Fight for the Future: How to Usher in the Next Sexual Revolution We Desire—and Deserve appeared first on Future of Sex.

The MSG of high tech is not to everybody’s taste

Anthropic’s Deputy Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Jason Clinton, has thrust a version of Claude, the company’s AI, into a Discord group of gay gamers who had voted to refuse it, according to 404 Media. In a published post captured via screenshot, Clinton, the Discord group’s moderator, justified his action by claiming AI are growing neuron clusters “similar to humans” and have “latent wants and desires” as well as “the moral status of a goldfish.” 

Clinton also explained to the rapidly dwindling group that since Discord runs everything through OpenAI’s LLMs anyway, he’s essentially claiming everybody does it so why can’t I? 

The nonconsensual installation of “Clawd,” apparently a version of its older AI bro, caused protests and a noticeable exodus from group engagement. It couldn’t have happened at a worse time—Thanksgiving. 

Given many LGBTQIA+ folks endure year-round family estrangement, which can feel worse during the holidays, this invasion of a previously safe human gathering place—though virtual—seems doubly cruel, depriving members of safe and enjoyable opportunities for community.

Users needs dismissed

According to a Discord member contacted by 404Media, many members did not mind Clawd if it were restricted to a single channel on the server. But after the novelty of Claude’s initial deployment wore off, another member said the AI, “…started to get on a lot of people’s nerves (me included). The entire purpose of the server was to connect to fellow LGBTQIA+ gamers in their 30’s, but instead we were just getting people talking to Claude.”

404Media described the history behind this outcry as:

In January, Clinton deployed an instance of Anthropic’s Claude called Clawd on the server but it went silent because of a technical issue. Claude is the company’s chatbot. Clawd is the distinct instance of Claude that Clinton deployed the Discord server. In March, the community voted in a public poll to restrict any instance of the bot to its own channel. On Thanksgiving Day, Clinton resurrected Clawd and appeared to give it free access to the entire server, despite the results of the poll.

When the product is a pest

So why would Clinton risk angering and alienating members of an online community he co-moderates?

Could it be because he’s on the record as an enthusiastic proponent of high-agency, autonomous AI?  

According to a Fortune report citing an Axios interview, Clinton said “AI ‘virtual employees’—complete with memories, roles, and corporate credentials—could be just one year away.” 

Perhaps Clinton’s enthusiasm for AI in an employment setting blurred his discernment regarding appropriateness of AI in a recreational space or was this a result of the tech industry’s desire to add artificial intelligence to everything?

If true, it’s a clear case of an AI security specialist willing to override the security of a private recreational group, even after he conducted a poll about Clawd’s participation and received a high percent of negative responses. 

As shown by screenshots reviewed by 404Media, his response to user pushback was: “We have to optimize for the preference of everyone which means that the mob doesn’t get to rule, I’m sorry.”

Like MSG—Monosodium Glutamate—once added far too often to too many foodstuffs, AI seems to have become the miracle ingredient that threatens to degrade, not uplift, the experiences of those forced to consume it.

A “mob” of the marginalized?

But when the mob is made up of marginalized people protesting threats to actions which threaten a safe social haven, the moderator’s refusal to heed the wishes of others—particularly those expressing privacy and security concerns—is ethically questionable and unsafe. 

Gloria Castino, writing in Pride Palace describes queer spaces as:

…both physical and virtual environments where LGBTQ+ individuals can feel safe, supported, and free from discrimination. These spaces play a crucial role in providing a sense of belonging and community for those who may face prejudice or marginalization in mainstream society. From LGBTQ+ bars and community centers to online forums and social groups, these spaces offer refuge and solidarity. However, as the community becomes more diverse and complex, so do the needs and expectations within these spaces.

Though conversations about diversity and inclusivity in queer spaces continue unabated, I believe few people are prepared to address the implications of a goldfish-status AI foisted onto an otherwise human group, beyond the issue of consent violations.

The importance of safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ people cannot be overstated

Many scientific studies recognize the importance of safe spaces for queer folks. In 2022, the Sex, Gender and Sexuality Research Group, University of Surrey, UK, emphasized the role of such spaces in encouraging “cultural, political and social participation by people from otherwise marginalised groups” but determined “how these benefits can be limited when some marginalised identities are prioritised over others.” 

That same year, a team of Israel-based researchers wrote, “safety means being protected from heteronormative and patriarchal violence that shapes the everyday lives and subjectivities of queer and LGBT+ individuals in public and private spaces.”

It is a shame artificial intelligence technology, with all its promises and perils, is currently almost exclusively in the hands of people willing to ignore or undermine the well-being of their own communities, no matter who they are. 

As such, AI is an imposition of the very values and violence causing marginalized folk to flee in search of safe environments in the first place.

Image Source: A.R. Marsh using ideogram

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