A Journey Into the Heart of Girl Pleasure
Sex educator Allison Moon is working on a book — think On The Road, only instead of whiskey and questions of mobility, conformity and masculinity, this journey focuses on women, sexual experimentation, fulfillment and pleasure. Girl Sex 101 is a book for queer women, lesbians, bisexuals and those who might be curious that emphasizes pleasure-positive and consent-oriented sex. This book is part story, part how-to guide, filled with the insights of over 15 other sex educators such as Tristan Taormino, Reid Mihalko and Carol Queen. It’s being illustrated by kd diamond, founder of the queer and beautifully-illustrated Salacious magazine.
“Each chapter opens with a story featuring our diverse cast of characters that illustrates the rest of the info in the chapter,” Moon writes. “In the first chapter, Layla has a hard time speaking up about what she likes in bed with a hot femme she picks up. Then, Jamie finds herself in bed with a trans guy and doesn’t quite know how to ask him about his body. Later, Layla has to figure out how to communicate about her STI status with a new flame, while Jamie navigates fooling around with an old crush with a disability. There’s plenty of fuel for your own girl sex tanks!”
Moon and diamong are currently at work on the book, but they need help to make sure they bring it to press. The duo is looking to raise $13,500 through Kickstarter — with $9,186 pledged, they’re off to a good start, but they still have a chunk of cash to raise if they mean to get this project off the ground.
“There’s plenty of sexual information available on the web and in books, but precious little of this is specific to lesbian, bisexual, and queer women,” writes Moon. “Some of the books are outdated or use language that many of us find alienating. Girl Sex 101 fills a void in the market: an accessible, funny, and info-packed book that’s both easy to read and good for women of all experience levels.”
Girl Sex 101 is also trans-inclusive, and will feature viewpoints from genderqueer activists like Julia Serano, Ignacio Rivera, and Jiz Lee.
The book was inspired by Moon’s workshop which was originally designed for newly-out lesbians and the bicurious. Its lessons, which offer practical tips and deep-reaching philosophical questions about consent and pleasure, make it perfect for beginners. Though not created for teens, parents may find it useful in opening up the conversation with their adolescents.
“Girl Sex 101 includes frank talk and images of bodies and pleasure,” says Moon. “It’s not porn, but it’s pretty sexy. Everyone should know how their bodies work, how to communicate with their partner(s) and how to know when something isn’t right… And your kids should definitely learn about consent before they start dating. It’s going to be up to you whether or not your kid is ready for this book, but it may help broach the subject with them.”
Follow @GirlSex101 on Twitter to participate in conversations — the creators are always crowd-sourcing ideas.
