Introducing: Masturbation Conversations - a mini-doc by Erika Lust Films

Masturbation Month is a worldwide celebration held for 26 years every May to protect and celebrate the right to masturbate and to adequate education about self-pleasure. I’m celebrating it this year with a #MasturbationConversations campaign and a new mini-doc! My team and I invited people to join us in cultivating a positive, shame-free mindset on self-pleasure via conversation. Subscribe here to receive a notification when it's released on May 27th & watch a free movie while you wait!

Today, masturbation is considered less of a taboo in many areas of the world. Sex toys and adult entertainment have become more mainstream. Although, self-pleasure is still kind of perceived as a sensitive subject in many corners of the world. Sexual freedom, women's rights and LGBTQI+ rights have gone into reverse, indicating that the battle for sexual autonomy and education is far from over.

Many people are still worried about masturbating, never mind talking about it, because there are a lot of myths out there. Many of us have been told that masturbation is dirty, or even sinful and dangerous. But the truth is, masturbation is the safest and most healthy sexual activity you can find. A countless number of surveys show that the majority of people of all genders masturbate.

However, there are a lot of double standards when it comes to masturbation. Penis-owners are often told that masturbation is natural, almost a biological need for them. Vulva-owners, on the other hand, are rarely taught a positive narrative around masturbation. Masturbation shame is a result of a culture of silence and lack of education.

In 1994, US Surgeon General Dr Joycelyn Elders was fired by President Bill Clinton for publicly advocating sex and reproductive education. Elders openly argued that adequate sex ed can not only save young adults from a lifetime of feeling shame towards themselves and others, but can also save lives by preventing diseases and unwanted or high-risk pregnancies. Her progressive views outraged the American government at the time. They blamed her for advocating to teach children how to masturbate in schools. As a result, she was bullied out of office and censored.

In 1995, the infamous sex shop Good Vibrations took action and declared May 28th as National Masturbation Day in honour of Dr Elders and her sacrifices. Since then, Masturbation Day has grown into Masturbation Month; an enormous international campaign and celebration around the world.

We still have a long journey ahead of us to keep unlearning that deeply indoctrinated shame and guilt about masturbation and sex. But I believe the journey is worth it, because it will lead us to a healthier relationship with ourselves and others. We can only achieve this goal, if we engage people in conversations and if we refuse to be censored and silenced. To kick off Masturbation Month 2022 and #MasturbationConversations, we invited people from the Erika Lust community to spend a day with me and my team in the studio talking about masturbation & self-love. We asked people of different ages, genders, sexualities & relationship statuses about their relationship with masturbation, why and when they masturbate and what they were taught about self-pleasure growing up.

I had such a blast meeting people from my community and hearing all their unique stories and perceptions. Our sexuality is not a fixed entity. It is always changing and evolving. Discovering your sexuality is a life-long journey and by celebrating masturbation month and advocating for people’s right to sexual autonomy and education, we’re moving one step closer to making that journey a joyous one for more people in the world.

I would like to thank everyone who came and talked to me and my team in such an intimate way. It was a truly inspiring day that reminded me how important it is that we encourage and enable people to own their sexuality.

To help you make the most out of this Masturbation Month, you can now enjoy a 50% discount on my platforms Lust Cinema, XConfessions, and Else Cinema. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Lust Zine to receive a notification when our Masturbation Conversations mini-doc is released & watch a free movie in the meantime!