Masturbation May

May is the international masturbation month, at VeganToys we see every month as a month for self-pleasure but in the spirit of masturbation may we reflect on where sex positivity movement really started and how we can take this journey further.

The month of May is not just chosen for its alliterative status but in fact comes in honour Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, who was fired in 1994 by President Bill Clinton for suggesting masturbation be part of the sex education curriculum for students.

After a speech at World Aids Day in 1994 she said “I think it is something that is part of human sexuality and a part of something that perhaps should be taught.” Following this she was forced to resign and that was the end of her career. We at VeganToys are trying to rid the stigma around masturbation and the month of May has major significance in this journey, as it is where the battle really began. Following her unfair dismissal San Francisco ‘Good Vibrators’ took on the fight and played a significant role in prompting people to be more open about masturbation. They first coined ‘Masturbation May’ in 1995, “lets us emphasize how great it is. it's natural, common, and fun!”.

"National Masturbation Month is still a necessary reminder that self-satisfaction is a healthy, accessible form of pleasure engaged in by almost everyone, of every gender and relationship status… It’s relaxing, allows people to learn more about their own sexual response, is a basic recommendation of sex therapists that can help people with many different sexual concerns, relieves menstrual cramps, and helps keep the genitals fully functional." sex therapist Ian Kerner.

Whilst we as a society have come a long way since the turn of the century there is still a long way to go. We must move past the old fashion conservative asinine cultural notions that masturbation is for "bad girls" rather than all women who want to do it. Extensive research shows that there is a significant difference in male and female masturbation. Swedish study found that of the 6,000 people surveyed only 75% of women masturbated compared to over 98% of men. This is not acceptable, and we are here to close the orgasm gap. We want everyone to know the benefits and not feel guilty in self pleasure.

Let's not be so private about what we do in our private time. Masturbation is healthy and a self-pleasure we should all experience. We set up VeganToys to tackle the stigma associated with self-pleasure and thank you for supporting such an important social cause

See our ‘Benefits of orgasm’ article for more details.



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