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Masturbate-a-thon

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File:Masturbate-a-thon US.gif
Official Masturbate-a-thon Logo

The Masturbate-a-thon is an event where participants masturbate in order to raise money for charity and to increase awareness of, and dispel the shame and taboos that persist around, this form of sexual activity.[1] During the past six years, the Masturbate-a-thon has raised over $25,000 for women’s health initiatives and HIV prevention, education and treatment organizations, and has contributed to debates about safer sex and alternative safe methods of sexual expression.[2]

History

Masturbate-a-thon Logo used by 2006 London event

In May 1995 San Francisco-based sex toy and education shop Good Vibrations declared May to be "Masturbation Month." Since then, it has encouraged people to get sponsors as a fundraiser for charities with a sex-positive focus in that group's city.

In 1999, the Masturbate-a-Thon was originated by the collective Open Enterprises (Good Vibrations). The slogan "Come for a Cause" came from Rachel Venning, the founder of the sex toy shop Babeland. The Masturbate-a-Thon was built up by Good Vibrations who encouraged other modern sex-toy businesses such as Babeland, Madison, Wisconsin's A Woman's Touch, Toronto's Come As You Are and Boston's Grand Opening to also hold events coinciding with "masturbation month" (May in the United States). That year, the first live event was held at San Francisco's Campus Theater by the Center for Sex and Culture's Carol Queen and her partner Robert Lawrence. CSC is a education-based non-profit providing professional-level sex education. The annual events are used as a public health education device to increase awareness of self-pleasure as a strategy for safer and healthier sex and to de-stigmatise self-love.

In 2006, Europe’s First Sponsored Masturbate-a-Thon Event took place in London. The Masturbate-a-thon, also known as Wank-a-Thon, was filmed by ZigZagProductions of London as part of an international documentary of the event.[3] However, plans to broadcast this on Channel 4 as part of its Wank Week series were abandoned.[4]

London hosted Europe's first "masturbate-a-thon" on August 5, 2006 in which hundreds of men and women were expected to pleasure themselves for charity, raising money for the Terrence Higgins Trust and sexual and reproductive health agency Marie Stopes International.[5] [6] The final count at the location was over one hundred and fifty people, roughly two-thirds of whom were men. Although this seems like an over-balance, many of them were gay and uninterested in the women present, so the adjusted gender interest balance was even more than appearances belied. The remaining registrants remained at private locations and mailed or sent funds by computer at later dates. The 2006 London event set a few international records.

Current Records

Time records indicate duration (length of time for which a participant masturbated)

Current London Records as of September 4, 2006

  • Attendees: 154 (UK and World Record)
  • Time:
    • Female: 3 h, 30 min (UK Record, 2006)
    • Male: 7 h, 31 min (UK Record, 2006)
  • Most Orgasms:
    • Female: 49 (UK and World Record)
    • Male: 6 (UK Record)
  • Most money raised by an individual: $1116.00 (Richard Watts, London, 2006)

Current World Records as of June 1, 2007

  • Time:
    • Female: 6 h, 30 min (Norine Dworkin, San Francisco, 2004)
    • Male: 8 h, 40 min (San Francisco, 2007)
  • Most Orgasms:
    • Female: 49 (London, 2006)
  • Longest Distance Squirt 91 centimeters (36 inches) (San Francisco 2007)

The Official 2007 Masturbate-a-Thon was held in San Francisco, California on May 26, 2007 (Masturbate-a-Thon [Trade Mark] Open Enterprises Incorporated)

See also

References

  1. ^ Tristan Taormino. "The Female Hard-On". Retrieved 2008-04-24.
  2. ^ Queen, Carol (April 23, 2003). "The Royal Treatment: Time to Masturbate". Spectator, reprinted in Good Vibrations magazine. Retrieved 2007-07-24. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ Leigh Holmwood (2006-07-18). "More tossers on TV". Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-11-02.
  4. ^ Jason Deans (2007-02-02). "'Wank week' postponed". Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-11-02.
  5. ^ "Hundreds expected to come to Masturbate-a-thon". Reuters. 2006-08-04.
  6. ^ Masturbate-a-thon press release (retrieved August 6, 2006)

News articles

Sponsoring Organizations

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