In the news

A selection of recent news items that might be of use or interest to pleasure activists.

Please note that inclusion of a news item on this page should in no way be taken as an endorsement by Pleasure Activism Australia of the news provider, the views of the news provider, the article author(s), or the views of the article author(s). News items are listed solely on their possible relevance to pleasure activists and/or their work.

If you would like to suggest a news item, please send your suggestion to inthenews@pleasureactivism.org.

• Abbott still 'threatened' by homosexuality

  "Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is standing by his comments that homosexuality makes him feel "threatened"."

• Madrid anti-abortion protest draws thousands

  "Thousands of anti-abortion demonstrators have thronged central Madrid to protest against changes to Spanish law which will make it easier for women to seek a termination."

• Spencer Tunik and the body beautiful

  "When stripped raw, literally, society’s hypocrisy is exposed and its bubbles of self-righteousness are pricked. His latest piece, Mardi Gras: The Base, with 5200 participants aged from 2 months to over 80 wearing nothing but their personalities, proves the point."

• Whose Mardi Gras?

  "Sex sells. So this year’s Mardi Gras flaunted itself. Its cod-piece was the python-esque parade snaking up Oxford Street, a ribald, risque body of bodies-politic. Marchers fed off a frenzied live street audience of more than 100,000 with even more watching on TV. It’s a show with a capital S, buoying pink-dollar tourism and state coffers by $30 million."

• Life After Porn: The Retirement Challenge

  "It’s a common problem in the world of adult entertainment. Porn stars, you see, don’t get 401k plans. They don’t have pension plans. And when their careers end, they really aren’t able to carry their most notable skill to another job. It can be a daunting thing to face – especially for those who have broken through and found longevity in the industry."

• The Brave New World of Sexual Addiction

  "Sex addiction is the latest star in America’s sexual burlesque. Sex addiction has of course been a malaprop from its first usage. Addiction was originally and properly defined as a physiological dependence on a substance to which the body had grown accustomed, such as alcohol, nicotine, heroin and various other drugs."

• Woman Sues Over Botched Boob Job, Doc Adds Two More Breasts

  "A 47-year-old woman goes in for a new set of breasts and comes out with four; she now wants $5 million to pay for her pain and suffering."

• IU study finds no consensus in definitions of 'had sex'

  "When people say they "had sex," what transpired is anyone's guess. A new study from the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University found that no uniform consensus existed when a representative sample of 18- to 96-year-olds was asked what the term meant to them."

• Gay marriage legalised in Washington

  "Same-sex marriage is now legal in the capital of the United States, although opponents are still attempting to overturn the law in court."

• Viagra Abuse Rises Among Argentine Youth

  "A new drug epidemic is sweeping Argentina. One in three Argentine males aged 17-25 years reportedly takes Viagra, the erectile dysfunction drug, before each sexual encounter."

• Lesbian, gay, bisexual individuals risk psychiatric disorders from discriminatory policies

  "A Mailman School of Public Health study examining the effects of institutional discrimination on the psychiatric health of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals found an increase in psychiatric disorders among the LGB population living in states that instituted bans on same-sex marriage."

• Why We Really Need to Get Over the G-Spot

  "The G-spot has fueled endless debates among researchers and sexperts, while driving a mini sex industry. But does it matter at all?"

• Mardi Gras parades very little

  "Back then, Mardi Gras screamed: we're here, we're queer, get used to it. The thing is: everyone got used to it."

• Sydney stripped bare for Opera House shoot

  "Naked Sydneysiders of all shapes, sizes and colours gathered on the steps of the Sydney Opera House this morning to be the subjects of an art installation."

• Censorship: The New Wedge Issue of the Religious Right

  "First you have Focus on Family playing the victims of “censorship” attempts by feminists trying to get an anti-choice ad off the air because it violated CBS’s long history of not airing advocacy ads, and now you have the dishonestly named Feminist for Life sending out a press release decrying censorship of ads at the University of Victoria, under that university’s rules against student clubs harassing other students."

• The pheromone myth: Sniffing out the truth

  "In my book, The Great Pheromone Myth, I argue on both empirical and theoretical grounds that mammalian pheromones do not exist. Parodying Lewis Carroll's 1876 children's poem, The Hunting of the Snark, I suggest the half-century-long search for mammalian pheromones has been a snark hunt."

• I get moody and violent if I don't get my sex fix

  "Sex addiction is big news after Tiger Woods and Ashley Cole both blamed it for the womanising that destroyed their marriages. Here, two self-confessed sex addicts tell how their obsession has ruined relationships and driven them to despair, and a leading psychotherapist gives his view on the condition."

• The Big Penis Book - celebrating supersized stiffies

  "The penis has an enormous fan base. Penises are beautiful - that's why we design planes, skyscrapers and Twinkies in their image. They're cheerful. Can you think of anything more optimistic than an erection?"

• Neb. lawmakers discuss fetal pain abortion bill

  "A group of lawmakers is pushing to make Nebraska the first state to outlaw most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy based on the argument that the fetus might feel pain during the procedure."

• Does promiscuity prevent extinction?

  "Promiscuous females may be the key to a species' survival, according to new research by the Universities of Exeter and Liverpool. Published today (25 February) in Current Biology, the study could solve the mystery of why females of most species have multiple mates, despite this being more risky for the individual."

• Sex at the museum: Swingers in Vienna art hall

  "In the name of art, an Austrian landmark is encouraging visitors to confront their sexual inhibitions by having them walk through a swingers club to reach one of Gustav Klimt's masterpieces."

• Coital conservatism ended before birth control pill arrived, says researcher

  "The pill did not give birth to the sexual revolution despite the widespread belief in its libidinously liberating effects that persists to this day, says a University of Florida professor."

• How long till we wipe out HIV for good?

  "Screening everyone in high-risk areas for HIV and treating all those infected with antiretroviral drugs could be the best way to block the spread of the virus. A similar strategy could even allow the disease to be wiped out completely."

• Senate votes down same-sex marriage bill

  "An attempt by the Greens to legalise same sex marriage has been voted down in the Senate."

• Spain Declares Abortion a Woman's Right, Removes Threat of Imprisonment

  "Today, Spain approved a sweeping new law that eases restrictions on abortion, declaring it a woman's right and removing the threat of imprisonment."