Dildo Diaries (2002) and the Downunder Toys Hot Banana Rod. Buying a sex toy is a snap these days. Simply type “adult shop” into your Yelp app, or enter the product name into Google, and in mere seconds you can find a place to purchase the dildo or vibrator of your desires. We take this for granted. I take it for granted. But as recently as 9 years ago, it wasn’t that easy — especially in the South. Dildo Diaries (2002) is a documentary chronicling the absurdity of Texas’ anti-sex toy legislation. Directed by Laura Barton and Judy Wilder, it’s a joyous defense of our right to purchase and use sex toys. It’s also an invaluable historical artifact, a reminder that in . . . read more

It’s all over the news right now that We-Vibe is settling a lawsuit over their app-enabled vibrators, and naturally, everyone wants to know my opinion. (Thank you, by the way, for thinking of me whenever sex toys are in the news.) According to the plaintiffs, We-Vibe was collecting app usage data without their knowledge. One headline reads, alarmingly, We-Vibe vibrator creator to pay damages after spying on user sex lives. Obviously, privacy and consent are important, but so is context. So, what kind of data was collected and how was it used? When the issue was brought to We-Vibe’s attention in September, they explained: We do collect certain limited data to help us improve our products and for diagnostic purposes. As a matter . . . read more

It’s a simple but horrifying question. Are we, as reviewers, protected from companies that may not like what we have to say about their product — and may overreact with legal threats? Considering how unabashedly cruel I can be, it’s astonishing that I never really looked into this question. Also astonishing: I’ve only ever had one small tangle over legal issues, and it was long ago. But due to recent events, I decided I wanted clearer answers than a bit of Googling could provide. So I reached out to Davis, attorney and founder of Sexquire. Davis was kind enough to answer all my questions — and surprisingly, her answers made me feel way better about continuing to massacre the products I . . . read more