Feminist Porn Awards 2011!

Oh how we wish we could be in Toronto right now for the 2011 Feminist Porn Awards with Good For Her.  This ground-breaking film festival highlights erotic films that strive to provide erotic entertainment that is smart, sexy, and appreciates women as viewers.


Learn more in our Self Serve interview with Director Alison Lee:





Want to see some feminist porn?  Check out this year's nominees.

My first time... at AVN/AEE

What an amazing week we had in Las Vegas.  There was a whole lot of sexy going on this past weekend, and not just because of the AVN awards (the Oscars of porn). 

I was turned on by seeing so many amazing sex educators and sex toy innovators in one place.

At the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo, Matie and I were able to meet up with sex educators and sex shop owners from around the country, discuss the industry with sex bloggers and writers, and talk ideas with hot queer porn stars and directors.  What a weekend!

We at Self Serve are building beautiful relationships with sex positive shops all over the country, and we got to hang out with folks from the Tool Shed in Milwaukee, Sugar in Baltimore, Good for Her in Toronto and Smitten Kitten in Minneapolis and Denver. 

We also enjoyed talking shop with the creators of Je Joue's G-Ki, Njoy's gorgeous stainless steel, Sex is Fun writers and podcast stars and innovators at Sliquid lubes.

It was an honor and pleasure to share brunch with queer porn stars Tina Horn, Syd Blakovich, Jiz Lee, and Directors Shine L. Houston and Courtney Trouble.  We heard about new exciting projects like QueerPorn.tv and Qtube.  Look for new glass toys from porn star Buck Angel soon, too. 

Look for interviews and panel discussion from the trade show on our blog soon.  Also check out Lynn Comella's coverage in LV Weekly.

Matie and I had lots of fun checking out the newest and coolest toys, which we'll be proudly sharing soon! 

Best Porn Spoken Word Ever...

Our friend just came into the shop today and shared an amazing spoken word performance. 

If you love porn, hate porn or wish porn was a little different -this is for you.  Especially if you want nerd porn...  Spoken word like this was meant to be heard, so definitely listen when you can!

Here's the text if you can't listen now:

Nerd Porn Auteur
by Ernest Cline

I've noticed that there don't seem to be any porno movies
that are made for guys like me.
All the porn I've come across
was targeted at beer-swilling sports bar dwelling alpha-males
Men who like their women stupid and submissive
Men who can only get it up for monosyllabic cock-hungry nymphos
with gargantuan breasts and a three-word vocabulary

Adult films are populated with these collagen-injected
liposuctioned women
Many of whom have resorted to surgery and self-mutilation
in an attempt to look the way they have been told to look.

These aren't real women. They're objects.
And these movies aren't erotic. They're pathetic.
These vacuum-headed fuck bunnies don't turn me on.
They disgust me.
And it's not that I'm against pornography.
I mean, I'm a guy. And guys need porn.
Fact.
"Like a preacher needs pain, like a needle needs a vein,"
Guys need porn.

But I don't wanna watch this misogynist he-man woman-hater porn.
I want porno movies that are made with guys like me in mind:
Guys who know that the sexiest thing in the world
is a woman who is smarter than you are.

You can have the whole cheerleading squad,
I want the girl in the tweed skirt and the horn-rimmed glasses:
Betty Finnebowski, the valedictorian.
Oh yes.
First I want to copy her Trig homework,
and then I want to make mad, passionate love to her
for hours and hours
until she reluctantly asks if we can stop
because she doesn't want to miss Battlestar Galactica.
Summa cum laude, baby!
That is what I call erotic.

But do you ever see that kind of a woman in a contemporary adult film?
No.
Which is why I'm going to start writing and directing Geek Porno.
I shall be the quintessential Nerd Porn Auteur.
And the women in my porno movies will be the kind
that drive nerds like me mad with desire.

I'm talking about the girls that used to fuck up the grading curve.
The girls in the Latin Club and the National Honor Society.
Chicks with weird clothes, braces, four eyes, and 4.0 GPAs.
Brainy articulate bookworms, with MENSA cards in their purses
and chips on their shoulders.

My porn starlets will come in all shapes and sizes.
My porn starlets will be too busy working on their PhD to go to the gym.

In my kind of porno movies the girls wouldn't even have to get naked.
They'd just take the guys down to the rec room and
beat them repeatedly at chess
and then talk to them for hours about Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle
or the underlying social metaphors in the Aliens movies.

Buy stock in some hand cream companies
because there is about to be a major shortage.

And I'm not just talking about straight porn. Oh no.
There should be fuck films for my nerd brethren
of all sexual orientations.
Gay nerd porn flicks with titles like "Dungeons and Drag-queens."

This idea is a fucking gold mine.
I am gonna make millions,
because this country is full of database programmers
and electronics engineers
and they aren't getting the loving they so desperately need.
And you can help . . .

If you're an intelligent woman is interested in breaking into the adult film industry,
and if you can tell me the name of Luke Skywalker's home planet,
then you are hired.

It doesn't matter if you think you're overweight or unattractive.
It doesn't matter if you don't think you're beautiful.
You are beautiful. . .
And I will make you a star.

On Psychology Today blog: Women DO Watch Porn and it's Okay!

Psychologist David Ley offers a healthy perspective on the not-so-scary reality of adults enjoying porn. He makes the critical connection between government regulation of sex information and entertainment and the unnecessary shame of enjoying it in our society. Thanks for the refreshing take on it!

Pornotopia's Plight at SexIs

Tina of Sex Is Magazine summed it up pretty well. She writes of the zoning conundrum in trying to host Pornotopia Film Festival 2010. Isn't it lovely when we can see Jack Ass in 3d at most major theaters, while Pornotopia remains unfit for any location in Albuquerque?

Pornotopia's Censorship Saga as told by an Insider

One of the star volunteers of the Pornotopia Film Festival Planning Committee tells the story of the festival's recent censorship woes.

Autumn in Albuquerque: the chile is harvested, the state fair brings the whole of New Mexico to town, the hot air balloons rise (weather permitting), and the perverts gather to celebrate healthy sexuality at Albuquerque’s only erotic film festival, Pornotopia. At least that has been the narrative of the last three years; this year the city of Albuquerque’s zoning enforcement division has finally succeeded in eliminating any legally-approved site to host the festival.

Conceived as a way to bring erotica that is “healthy, tender, raw, real and beautiful” to a willing public, Pornotopia has grown increasingly popular over its three year history. Put together in hundreds of hours, donated by dozens of volunteers, Pornotopia 2010 was ready to roll Nov. 5-7 at the Sunshine Theater in downtown Albuquerque. That is until the third call to the zoning commission was made and it was revealed that things had changed.

Pornotopia has endured a contentious relationship with the zoning regulations in its short lifetime. At the inaugural festival in 2007, before the first film had even been introduced by Matie & Molly, the zoning office presented the Guild Cinema with a letter, threatening legal action for potential zoning violations. Despite its history as an adult theater, the Guild is not now zoned to show adult entertainment on their screen.

For six months, the Pornotopia committee researched zoning, looking for any space that was approved for adult entertainment. Narrowing the options were additional codes for public safety. Minimizing the list further was finding proprietors who were sympathetic to a porn festival on their property.

When the Sunshine Theater appeared both sympathetic and appropriately zoned, we verified its category with the zoning office. When negotiations with the Sunshine were coming together, the theater also researched regulations thoroughly. One month before the festival, just before contracts were to be signed, we decided on a triple-check with the zoning office. This time, however, we found a previously-forgotten, newly-passed “downtown corridor plan” that overrides the zoning code and expressly forbids new commercial adult entertainment ventures. No exemptions, exceptions, ifs ands or buts, even for a special event. One weekend of an erotic film festival would not be allowed downtown.

While no one is arguing that the content of Pornotopia isn’t “adult entertainment,” it might surprise you to learn what else qualifies as adult entertainment: Anything that shows the male member, anything that shows pubic hair, and anything that shows the female breast below the top of the areola.


That’s right; every time you’ve seen a movie that contained a fully-exposed breast, you’ve technically been watching ADULT ENTERTAINMENT. Do you feel dirty? No one is saying that we CAN’T show this pornography. But we can’t show it here…or here…or here…or, it turns out, ANYWHERE in Albuquerque without intentionally violating the zoning codes.


Zoning codes have historically been used to limit adult entertainment, and truly, any sexual information, education or art. It's problematic, and even in this twenty-first century, intelligent and open-minded adults should realize the censorship going on here.


We tried to play by the rules; we tried to play nice. Censorship is trying to screw our festival, but without buying us dinner or even complimenting us on how nice our hair looks. And we’re not putting out anyway. We will not take this lying down. We will not take our sex toys and go home (well, we will, but we’ll be back shortly.) We are adults, you are adults; we have a legitimate right to show this pornography, and you have a legitimate right to see it. You should care that your rights are being restricted.

Pornotopia is not canceled; it is simply postponed until we can find a home. The further we go from Nob Hill and Downtown, the more dollars we take from those local businesses. But we will find a home for our porn. We will find a way to bring the hottest, most real, diverse sexy films to a public screen for you perverts.

With Love,
Elisa
Pornotopia Volunteer Coordinator, Pornducer and Big Supporter of the 1st Amendment

Pornotopia is censored again?! Really? Seriously?

Pornotopia Film Festival 2010 Update

The City of Albuquerque's highly restrictive zoning regulations have effectively banned the festival from all potential venues and censored all new erotic speech from our city.

In protest over Albuquerque's blatant attempts to censor films protected by the 1st Amendment, are announcing Pornotopia - CENSORED, Cirque de Sex, a live celebration of eroticism, sensuality and the joys of free speech. Cirque de Sex will feature September Smith, Cookie Fortune and many other circus, drag and burlesque stars of the Southwest. Cirque de Sex will be held November 6 at 8 pm at the Sunshine Theater, 120 Central Ave SW in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Doors open at 7 pm. General Admission is $10-$20 sliding scale.

Pornotopia has not been canceled. We are not giving up on finding a home for Pornotopia 2010 and a home for free speech. We will not let these erotic films be censored.

Learn More and Support Free Speech! Self Serve is hosting all sorts of events in the next few weeks. We will not go quietly, or fully clothed.

Saturday, October 23
2:00 pm
Save Pornotopia Press Conference
at the Guild Cinema

Saturday & Sunday, October 23 & 24
2:30 pm
The People vs. Larry Flynt
at the Guild Cinema $7 general admission

Thursday, November 4
7 pm
Kicked Out! Event
at Self Serve free to attend, space is limited
Learn more about free speech, censorship and how you can support Pornotopia Film Festival.

Pornotopia Censored : Cirque de Sex

Sat, Nov 6th at 8 pm
at the Sunshine Theater
Burlesque, Circus, Comedy and More! Featuring September Smith, Cookie Fortune, and many more stars of the Southwest. Dancing and revelry will follow the show.
$10-$20 sliding scale
Advance Tickets will be available October 29th at Self Serve

The Volunteer Committee is working long, hard hours to plan this year's festival. If you are interested in volunteering, email us at ptopiavolunteer@gmail.com.

Follow the news here and the Save Pornotopia Facebook page.

The Censorship of Sex Positive Facebook Gets Attention

I am proud and pleasantly surprised at the growing attention on Facebook's unfair censorship. The Self Serve page was disabled, Violet Blue's Our Porn, Ourselves Page was disabled, and now folks are talking about it on Jezebel, Carnal Nation and even in Psychology Today's blog.

I was just thinking how Matie and I didn't mean to raise this issue. People use facebook everyday to discuss life, relationships, culture and share it with their friends and communities. That includes talking about soccer, politics, music and yes -- sex. The freedom to do so, even on privately owned Facebook, is critical. Paying attention to who gets shut down and who doesn't is key.

When will images of the bodies we all have not be considered obscene?

We are feminist and we love porn

Violet Blue is leading the way for sex-positive feminists that love porn. This weekend a conference in Boston is aiming to stop porn culture. The feminist sexuality educators at Self Serve would rather see porn revolutionized.
http://www.selfservetoys.com/

The Pornotopia Community

It's pretty amazing how much work it is to put on a porn festival. The 3rd Annual Pornotopia Erotic Film Festival takes place in nine days according to the countdown clock on our website, and I continue to be grateful for all the individuals and organizations making Pornotopia 2009 possible.

Tickets are about to be printed, Pornotopia T-shirts are being designed, flyers are being distributed, sponsors are preparing their screen ads, all so we can enjoy a unique weekend of excellent porn on the big screen. It truly takes a village to produce a one-of-a-kind film festival. I love that our committee of volunteers includes married couples, LGBT women and men, kinksters, swingers, and people of various ages, ethnicities and backgrounds. A cross-section of sexual preferences and desires all unified in pursuing good porn and a sex-positive community.

I laugh and think of a sticker I saw yesterday on a presumably conservative car bumper: "Freedom is Not Free." I agree. Your right to go see porn on the screen of the last independent cinema in Albuquerque is hard work. More than thirty volunteers have watched good and bad porn and argued about its merit for the Pornotopia audience. The brave folks at the Guild Cinema join us at Self Serve in risking all sorts of silly zoning violations to exercise our first amendment rights. A UNM class is studying the politics of pornography, attending the festival, and even writing papers on feminist porn. The size-positive group Brickhouse Betties, which started at Self Serve, raised over $250 in support of the festival at the Curvy Carnival. Eight core volunteers have been strategizing for months on everything from showcase selections to printing and marketing. The ACLU works tirelessly to defend our constitutional rights. The staff of Self Serve and event volunteers do all sorts of organizing and coordinating with sponsors, filmmakers, vendors,and community members. Award-winning sex toy manufacturers are donating raffle items worth hundreds of dollars for our Sexy Silent Auction. Most of our featured filmmakers are donating their films and charging no rental fees. Members of Fetlife are donating time and money to help bring feminist pornographer, writer, and sex educator Tristan Taormino to Albuquerque. Local businesses support the film festival with their already-limited funds. Superstar performers Saywut, September Smith, Burlesque Noir, Gender Offenders, Eve and others are donating their time to put on spectacular live shows at Vintage & Vaudeville.



The freedom to see porn is certainly not free, and Matie and I are ever so grateful for the liberated, sexy, proud people of New Mexico exercising their right to enjoy Pornotopia. There are only a handful of erotic film festivals in the country, and we know why. It's not easy. But the people of Albuquerque have a special opportunity to take a deep breath, giggle or smile, and sit down to watch indie porn with complete strangers in nine days. In our too-often sexually repressed society, this is one freedom you don't get to exercise everyday.

If you are in the Albuquerque area and wish to join us for an exciting weekend, check all the details and film schedule online. Tickets will be available starting this weekend at Self Serve. Don't miss our kick off party November 5th, 6 pm at Self Serve. We'll celebrate indie porn, drink locally-brewed Marble beer, introduce the sexy silent auction and have a whole lot of fun. You must RSVP to attend- so sign up now!