Medical Student Won’t Perform Pelvic Exams on Anesthetized Patients | The Unnecesarean

What's most terrifying about this story is not the fact that medical students are regularly given the opportunity to preform pelvic exams on female patients who are anesthetized and unconscious waiting for another procedure, although that's frightening enough. No, what's most terrifying about this story is that it this invasive, nonconsensual practice has already been reported on; but in January 2010 AND – and here is where it gets really scary – in 2003, on the defunct medical blog ShamExam.com. This is not late breaking, this is re-breaking, from at least seven years ago, and clearly the practice is still going on. Dr. Michael Gerger says in the original '03 article " If you’re anesthetized and you’re in the OB/GYN department you probably have had students practice pelvic exams on you regardless of what you’re in the hospital for – even if the procedure you need doesn’t require a pelvic exam!" How is that not malpractice?

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Apple Hides Prop 8 Tweets from Lady Gaga Promo Page for Ping (Screenshots)

Apple, Inc. recently launched a new social music service, Ping. Among the features it has is social media integration that lets you view celebrity Twitter streams. In the launch, "Apple's promotional image for the new feature conveniently omits a string of Tweets from Lady Gaga's timeline in which she protests anti-gay marriage legislation Proposition 8," writes Marshall Kirkpatrick after being tipped to the inconsistency by Kevin Marks (on Twitter).

"Apple, we see you," Violet Blue writes on her blog, chiding the company. GLBT sites like The Daily Storm called the service "homophobic" and say the omission is an act of censorship. Now, Apple's certainly not the most sex-positive company, but is this homophobic censorship? That seems harsh. Either way, the controversy clearly shows that Apple's anti-porn position is a slippery slope.

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Kink On Tap 56: Hymen On A Budget

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Resentful feminists give New Zealand’s first male brothel a (ahem) hard time, China’s trendsetters take “cosmetic surgery” to new vaginal depths, American conservatives applaud activist judges for stemming stem cell research, and a German pop star gets nailed for screwing around with HIV.

This week, having turned on the tap a little early, we welcomed back Arvan Reese, the self-described “Joan Rivers of Kink On Tap” who runs the awesome community blogging site SexGenderBody.com. We were also super excited to welcome Kyle Munkittrick to the show for the first time. Kyle is the Program Director for the Institute of Ethics and Emerging Technologies, which is a sort of think tank that approaches new technologies from an ethically inquisitive point of view. Kyle is also an NYU graduate student whose specializations include transhumanism, a contributor to Discover Magazine’s “Science Not Fiction” blog, and keeps his own blog at PopTranshumanism.com.

Also, hey, if you’re going to be in the San Francisco area on Thursday, September 2^nd (that’s tonight, actually!) come down to the Harlot club for this month’s Forrplay music party, which will be featuring none other than yours truly! Great music by DJ Moxy will be paired with a free Vodka drinks menu featuring kinky specials inspired by Kink On Tap shows. Show up before 10 PM to learn what’s in drinks like a “Teledildonic Savior” and a “Vagina Overlord!”

Mojowijo Lets Users Turn Their Wii Remotes Into Vibrators for Virtual Sex – San Francisco Music – All Shook Down

With games like "Wii Sports" and other family-friendly titles, the Nintendo Wii isn't the console most people think of when they decry video games for "corrupting the youth." (That's what Sony PlayStation or PC-based first-person shooters do.) Nevertheless, the Wii's controller, the Wiimote, offers exciting possibilities for reinterpretation, kinda like Disney.

That's what Mojowijo has done: they took the computerized, vibrating capability of the Wiimote and turned it into an Internet-controlled cybersex toy that's turning heads, opening minds and thighs, of course! The company's website touts "Mojowijo's patent pending Motion2Vibration technology, the device is able to transform the varying motions of the control into appropriate vibration signals and send them to another selected device – in the same room or over the Internet […e]ssentially turning your Wii remotes into shared, remote controlled vibrators…!" Well then. I'm game!

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Oh, No, It’s a Girl! South Asians Flock to Sex-Selection Clinics in U.S. – New America Media

"Last time I checked," geneticist Dr. Mark Hughes says, "your gender wasn't a disease." But that's not stopping Dr. Jeffrey Steinberg and others like him from using techniques originally developed to cure diseases from running "Family Balancing" clinics in the United States that offer "100% sex-selection program"s. Steinberg says that "for every woman I see regarding the breast cancer gene, I see 400 women who want to choose the sex of their child."

Sex-selection is a very hot issue, and at $18,000 a pop, Steinberg's clinic is an extremely lucrative business. His patients often travel to the US from India, Canada, and other countries where sex-selection is illegal. However, there are significant gender biases in US families, too, especially among Indian, Chinese, and Korean parents. And pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, Steinberg's method, is just one method of sex-selection; another is actually abortion performed after an ultrasound. It all makes me wonder where to draw the line.

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Emotional Openness May Be Good for Males’ Mental Health – TIME

A recent study by Professor Carlos Santos found that stereotypically "girlish skills" like empathy and the desire for intimate relationships help boys lead mentally and emotionally healthier lives—and may even save young men's lives. His multi-ethnic study also found zero correlation between race and hyper-masculinity, countering media stereotypes that often depict minorities as delinquent.

But as Charlie Glickman points out, "if you read the Time article [by Eben Harrel], you'll see some of the sorts of language that reinforce the macho mindset." In yet another example of the media being part of the problem, Harrell uses phrases like "stop sniveling and 'be a man'" and "being a mama's boy," which is the headline, no less. If boys or men escape stereotypes, we risk being gay-bashed.

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SPOTLIGHT: Lifting the lid on Project Acumen’ | An Anthology of English Pros

Recently, project Acumen, by Association of Chief Police Officers in the UK, put together a report called "Setting the Record," which sought to discover how many sex workers, and particularly migrant sex workers, in the UK were "vulnerable" or "trafficked." Naturally, there were immediately headlines all over the Internet saying things like "1 in 10 Sex Workers Trafficked," with the number of trafficked workers being reported as anything from 2,600 to 12,000. Because, of course, most media sources want to get something published more than they want to read through appendices. Stephen Patterson of An Anthology of English Pros, however, did read through the whole thing. What he has to say about it not very surprising to us at Kink On Tap, but I bet it would surprise the heck out of a lot of the people reading the mainstream coverage of the report.

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Kink On Tap 55: Old, Crotchety Communists

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:39:25 — 43.1MB)

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Context gets critical as Wikileaks’ founder is accused of rape, British taxpayers pay for a virgin’s Amsterdam prostitute, mainstream media misreporting muddies a youth sex study, sex-negativity and censorship, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, and the motivation to ask for what you want is more important than being earnest.

Credit for this week’s stellar show goes to a stellar cast. Joining us for the first time each is author, editor, and activist Stephen Elliott, founder of the online culture site The Rumpus, and Anaiis Flox, self-described politically conservative editor-in-chief at the sex-positive online magazine Sex and the 405. Among Stephen’s more notable works are The Adderall Diaries, My Girlfriend Comes to the City and Beats Me Up (a personal favorite), and Sex for America: Politically Inspired Erotica. Anaiis is a regular columnist for BlogHer, Twirlit, and Manolith.

Also new this week, as promised, the Kink On Tap tip jar and donation page now offers you a Google Checkout option! As you know, Kink On Tap is funded entirely by listeners like you, and we rely on your generosity to continue to support our efforts. If you like our work, please take a moment and send us a contribution. And if you just can’t afford to (we understand a shoestring budget!) then consider giving us a star rating or writing us a review on iTunes, sending a copy of your favorite episode to a friend, or even just tweeting or blogging about an episode or two. :) Whatever you choose to do, thanks for helping us grow!

Wikileaks founders arrested for rape (EXPRESSEN)

It's no real surprise. When an individual becomes dangerous enough to a group in power, that group will try to discredit the individual in any way possible. That appears to be what happened to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who was arrested in absence (not physically detained) in Stockholm, Sweden, for rape allegations put forth by two unnamed women between the ages of 20 and 30, according to a report by the Swedish-language tabloid Expressen. Assange is the most public figure in numerous international scandals, the most recent of which is the largest US military secrets leak in history.

The rape allegations were announced after Assange gave a lecture in Sweden about the "victims of war," including "truth." There were few details released and police have stated only that there is "probable cause" for the arrest, but no evidence yet.

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Update: Sure enough, Expressen’s headline is now spreading to international news outlets, including CNN. Considering that election fever is just starting to infect America, this story, which may very well capture headlines for quite a while, seems well-timed to shift the focus of public debate away from the real issues—you know, that whole war thing—and onto Assange’s personal sexuality. A tried-and-true political tactic: when you can’t win, misdirect!

Update: Just one day after the charges were filed, Swedish police have canceled the arrest on Julian Assange and have withdrawn the charge of rape, according to a report by Charles Hoskinson. However, a second charge, sexual molestation, still stands. Clearly, sensitive issues are at play here so we may never know the truth, and the suspicious timing should raise eyebrows. That said, regardless of whether there was a rape or not, I hope that the Swedish police followed due legal process.

Kink On Tap 54: Recessive Rainbow Genes

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The US military is shooting itself in the face using DADT, a gay Florida cop gets fired for a 14 year old, 15 minute role in porn, Indonesia’s anti-porn zealots accidentally censor online news portals, a Russian dairy goes nutty with religious fervor, oxytocin pseudo-science gets a run for its money, and sex education tips go sensibly cross-generational.

Sometimes I just gotta get how I feel off my chest so, yes, I rant. In this episode, I go off on DADT and get a much-needed reminder to breathe from rockstar activist and breath of fresh air herself, Aida Manduley. Also joining us this week was sex journalist Rabbit White, who recounts interesting tales of working at an egg-donation agency and the endemic classism and racism in that environment. As usual, Emma somehow maintained her sunny demeanor in and among my crankiness at the state of the world today. (Cuz, yeah, she’s awesome.)

Also, we’re constantly bouncing ideas about how to improve this show and its associated media, link blog, community feed, and more. But we want to hear from you! How do you think we’re doing? What do you like? How do you think we can improve? Leave a comment or email us and let us know. And as usual, if you like what we’re up to and can help us produce this show at less of a loss, consider sending us a buck or two. Thanks!