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Alternative Sexuality

Alternative Sexuality

On Monday, April 17th, 2006, Womyns'Ware hosted Mange Trois- A poetry reading featuring local literati Michael V. Smith, Jennica Harper, and Elizabeth Bachinsky, as part of National Poetry Month. It was a full house featuring fantastic sex positive poetry from local talent in our non-traditional venue! The works were wonderfully evocative, and featured some of the best of what Vancouver has to offer.  "We had audience members who have never been to a poetry reading before this," said Smith. We're looking forward to hosting another reading next year! Thanks to the fabulous support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the League of Canadian Poets for this exciting event.


We sponsored BIO's annual kink conference! An extravaganza of workshops and play party fun, BIO-Tech 2004 was held at Vancouver's Maritime Labour Centre on December 3rd and 4th. Hope you had the chance to buy a ticket for the Womyns'Ware Civil Liberties Draw-- a prize package (worth over $800!) was won with partial proceeds donated to the BC Civil Liberties Association.

We sponsored Frank Strona's two popular workshops Breaking Extremes (CBT creativity) and Fear Factor (adding fear and uncertainty to a scene) on September 18th, 1-6pm, at Lick as part of the BIO-Intensive Signature Series. Frank, a "specialty educator" for over 16 years, is known for his implementation of "unconventional programs promoting health, safety and choice."

The Vancouver Centre brought their Lesbian Coming Out Group to us in June 2004, as part of the Group's coming out process. Two of our wonderful Womyns'Ware staff acted as hosts, touring the group of self-described "budding lesbians" around and explaining the aspects of coming out that relate to their experience in a retail context at a women's sexuality business. The follow-up report is posted above in our seminar feedback quotes - in short, a resounding sucess!

We sponsored  BIO's presentation of Dossie Easton on June 5th at SFU's Harbour Centre. Dossie, co-author of The Ethical Slut and self-described "active sex radical" presented an interactive workshop on polyamory. Attendees "research[ed] and discuss[ed] the skills that successful sluts have used to make a community of lovers where everyone gets her needs met and no one gets done wrong".

We sponsored BIO's presentation of Midori, a seasoned SM educator and writer known for her rope bondage skills, for three workshops on May 1st at The Coast Plaza Hotel and May 2nd at Lick. Make 'Em Blush, Make 'Em Squirm examined the finer points of humiliation play and Outside the Box focused on a "new creative angle to rethinking bondage". The third seminar, The Art of Feminine Dominance, was a last minute add-on due to the overwhelming response from folks wanting to see the Fetish Diva!

We sponsored a BIO-Intensive Signature Series. CLEO DUBOIS renowned BDSM educator presented The Magic of Play Piercing: Ritual and Safety, March 6th at The ANZA Club. The program included a presentation on origins, techniques, placement, safety and spirituality of temporary piercing practices.

Womyns'Ware Inc. held a seminar at Simon Fraser University as part of Queer Awareness Week. In keeping with the theme of the week, "Things We Don't Talk About", the seminar included breaking down stereotypes about who purchases sex toys, playing with and becoming familiar with toys, and how to talk about them. For more information about Queer Awareness Week, contact Out on Campus, The LGBT Collective, at 604-291-5933.

The Womyn of Womyns'Ware conducted a workshop at the North American Conference on Bisexuality, Gender, and Sexual Diversity (NACB) in August, 2001. Biversity: Sex Toy Tricks for Every Partner Combination Hosts Janna and Otter of  Womyns’Ware Inc. explored the world of sex toy options (with creative tips on how to choose and use ‘em) to accessorize partner sex, be it woman to woman, woman to man, man to man, woman to woman to man, man to woman to man....Learn more about NACB at their website: binetbc.bi.org

The Vancouver Centre, a community centre serving and supporting Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered women and their allies, has hosted a series of queer women's health events in partnership with community health centres and health agencies. "Celebration of Queer Women's Health" was launched in March 2001 to coincide with International Women's Day (and Month). The series included women's health evenings and workshops on breast health, patients rights, accessing healthcare, and healthy relationships. Womyns'Ware presented two evening seminars on April 2nd at the Reach Community Health Centre on Commercial Drive. The theme for the evening was "Sexual Health". We demonstrated products that are consistent with our sexual health philosophy and contrasted them with those products that conflict with it.

Womyns'Ware's Grrrl Friday, Evie, took part in a trans-inclusion workshop at Capillano College on March 1st, 2001. The workshop culminated in a vote on trans-inclusion in the women's student group.

Health and Peer Sexual Educators


What better kind of super-educational school trip is there?  On March 07, 2006, folks from Capilano College Women's Collective joined us here at Womyns'Ware for a bit of pre-International Womens' Day education. The 14 women and 1 fellow here learned all about "Safe Sex, Womyns'Ware Style: Eroticizing Safer Sex".  We talked about latex and silicone and lube, lube, lube!  Did we mention lube? Well worth a field trip from the wilds of North Vancouver!

On Saturday, February 18th, we visited the North Shore Women's Centre again with our "Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down, A Womyns'Ware Sex Toy Primer" seminar, part of their V-Day activities. We discussed toys, the best way to choose 'em, and how to safely use 'em, safer sex, and so much more. Quite the handful for a sunny Saturday morning.  We hope the scary toys display didn't put any of the participants off their lunches ;)  For information about the North Shore Women's Centre, please visit their website.

We had a fabulous time at the North Shore Women's Centre (nice facilities, gals!) on September 27, 2005 when we presented our Women's Sexual Health and Empowerment seminar as part of their Women's Health in Women's Hands workshop series. We discussed women's sexual self-empowerment, as well as walked-through sexual health products (i.e. alternative menstrual products, sex toys, safer sex products, lubricants, etc.) that are consistent with Womyns'Ware's philosophy (as contrasted with those products that aren't). The attendees loved (in an "eek!" way, not an "ooh" way) one of the Scary Toy Kegel exercisers that we brought for show and tell. Yes folks, just 'cause you can tighten your PC muscles with it doesn't mean it's the best tool for the job!

Here's a quote from a recent Health and Peer Sexual Educators seminar participant:

"I wanted to take the oppotunity to thank everyone at Womyns'Ware again for all your help and participation. For myself as well as others in the group this was our first attempt at formal research and it has proved to be an enjoyable and extremely thought provoking experience. We are currently undertaking the formidable task of analysing all the data we have collected from the research methodologies engaged in our project, including the transcripted interviews. Our presentation will be given on December 7th at the very end point of the semester. Once this is completed I will pass onlong to you folks our written conclusions for your records and interest.  Thank-you so much for your encouragement.

Best regards,
[Seminar Participant]"

Womyns'Ware recently participated in a S.F.U. graduate student research project whose goal is to "assess the relationship between feminism and the marketing of women-centered products..." In their study, the students are "hoping to shed new light on the exact ways in which women's sexuality is constructed and celebrated in the public sphere". The students will analyze the perspectives of those involved in the marketing of sex toys and we couldn't be more delighted to be the focus of Women's Studies research!

We hosted a group of health and medical professionals on March 19, 2003. Sexual health clinicians, social workers and occupational therapists (to name a few) came together for tips on sex toy safety and sexual health. They were particularly impressed by our "scary toys" collection. Ask any one of them and we're sure they'll tell you that two year-old cyberskin ain't a pretty sight!

We presented a seminar on Wednesday, May 15, 2002 at the University of British Columbia (Workshop for Medical Students for Choice, During Sexual Medicine, (Doctor/Dentist Patient and Society Course)) as part of a five week block on sexual medicine. Our seminar focused on unhealthy sexual products health practitioners ought to be aware of, suitable sexual products and their use in patient care, and sexual language to facilitate respectful treatment of patients.

We hosted a seminar for a group from the Centre for Sexuality, Gender & Reproductive Health from the Vancouver General Hospital on January 30, 2002. These women all experience vaginismus, a medical condition that causes tensing of the muscles on entry to the vagina resulting in severe pelvic pain. This seminar was only open to members of the group. If you are interested in this topic, please contact the Centre for Sexuality, Gender & Reproductive Health.

On November 26, 2001, the Womyn of Womyns'Ware conducted a seminar for Planned Parenthood volunteers. We discussed all the ways one can be sexual that are, by their nature, "safe sex". We played to a sell-out crowd (all proceeds to Breast Cancer research, as per our policy) who were so enthusiastic that they arrived almost 1/2 an hour early and had to be politely kicked out 1/2 an hour after the seminar closed. For information about Planned Parenthood, please check their website.

On Wednesday, May 9th, 2001, the Womyn of Womyns'Ware gave a seminar to first year medical students at UBC regarding "XXX Exploitation of the health of the consumer versus the range of available sexual products offered by caring makers and sellers". The UBC Medical Students for Choice seminar was a wonderful experience. We relished the opportunity to gently guide young aspiring medical professionals towards a more enlightened view of patient sexual health. We addressed the way that doctors can approach sexual topics - saying "are you experiencing discomfort during sexual activity" versus "during intercourse" or learning to ask "is it possible that you were experimenting with anal stimulation?' and then passing on the basic safe guidelines for anal sexual activity or addressing male impotence and female lack of orgasmic response as a whole issue so understanding that there are more ways for a couple to be sexual together than just missionary intercourse - and so on and so on. Questions were insightful and challenging. We hope they'll have us back next term! Colleen Carey says "Please pass on my sincere thanks to the Womyn of Womyns'Ware for their excellent presentation yesterday. It was great and the students who went really appreciated it. Thanks!"

Womyns'Ware Inc.  presented a seminar on February 15, 2001 at Simon Fraser University during the Valentine's week celebrations. Our topic was focusing on building healthy relationships ("yes" should mean "yes" not yes because I think my peer group expects me to sort of thing). Co-founder Otter was the facilitator. We think she did a good job since she came back to the shop with several gifts, including a chocolate vulva!

For what has become an annual event, this December we conducted another in-store seminar (every winter since 2000) for the health educators of Planned Parenthood, and we're honoured to have been asked to educate the educators. We discussed all the ways one can be sexual that are, by their nature, "safe sex".  These seminars are always so resoundingly successful with participants staying after with their enthusiastic questions and further queries taking us well pass the two hour mark that we'd thought would be sufficient, back in the early days. Some feedback: The coordinator said that she found our introduction to be so inspiring that she felt we should be included in the "women of note" lecture series! Another time we were told that the Womyns'Ware approach was so helpful because of the substance and because Planned Parenthood didn't know where else they could even find such an approach."

Overcoming Disabilities

We hosted a seminar on April 3, 2002 regarding adaptable sex toys. The attendees included nurses, clinicians, doctors, and psychologists from the B.C. Centre for Sexual Medicine. These health care professionals work with people with physical disabilities. More information about their services and contact can be found on their website at www.scisexualhealth.com.

Youth

We conducted two seminars in June 2000. One for a sexual abuse survivors group (reclaiming your sexual power through the use of appropriate sexual products and reading material). The other to a youth group (18 to 25 year old age range) on the topic of critical thinking - what does S/M stand for and what's it all about?.

We seem to be the buzz-word lately in the medical community as the invitations to speak keep pouring in. Our latest was from Youth Clinics (Vancouver Coastal Health Authority) who invited us to their annual inservice, where we spoke to a group of 100 nurses and doctors who work with youth (under 25). Using props, we explained the "eyes are bigger than" syndrome (and we're not talking about the stomach ;) that most youth adopt when shopping for their first toy. We also spoke about the approaches that we take with youth to encourage self-esteem, sexual maturity, self-pleasuring, and of course, sex toy safety. Here are some quotes from attendees:

"Humourous, informative & fun - useful too!"
 
"Very entertaining, low-keyed approach - well done!"

"Refreshing"

"Excellent, funny, informative speaker"

"Great speaker. Useful resource for community health nurses and youth"

"Books recommended were great"

Sexual Product Awareness

We participated in the North Shore Women's Centre's Women's Health in Women's Hands workshop series (September 2005). The seminar included a discussion of women's sexual self-empowerment, as well as a walk-through of sexual health products that are consistent with Womyns'Ware's philosophy, contrasted with those products that aren't. As usual, we talked about sex and sexuality in a frank and forthright manner. The participants especially enjoyed the good vs. bad kegel exerciser portion of the seminar, which led to a great discussion of sex toy design and the "Sick Lady" syndrome pushed upon us by so many adult product manufacturers.

Happy International Women's Day! We had a great time at the Langara College Women's Centre during their week-long IWD 2005 celebrations. We presented our "Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down: A Womyns'Ware Sex Toy Primer" seminar to a group of attentive students. Many thoughtful questions were asked and answered. We love higher education!

We entertained a group at  UBC during their 2nd Annual Pleasure Week (Jan. 31 -  Feb. 4, 2005) and presented our ever-popular sex toy basics seminar. Once again, our scary toys collection was the highlight. If visuals speak a thousand words, we wonder what  degraded rubber dills say?

On February 4th, 2004 we presented our "Sex Toy Primer: Plaudits and Pitfalls" seminar during UBC's Pleasure Week. The event was open to all UBC students and organized by the Women's Centre. Womyns'Ware Retail Manager Cass King had a great time with the approximately 50 attendees. Topics discussed were the basic types of sex toys, how to choose the best toy for yourself or your partner, consumer issues around viewing toys with the same kind of critical discretion as one would view a Sony Walkman or any other electronic item. We also touched on consumer awareness regarding material composition and the legal ramifications of the "for Novelty Purposes Only" label on most mainstream sex toys, to how to use butt beads. Thanks to the enthusiastic fellow in the front row who reminded Cass to talk about lube!

The  SFU Women's Centre Collective came for a visit to learn more about sex toy use and safe self-love. At the close of the seminar, we showed them our collection of shoddy and degrading "scary toys" for emphasis on what NOT to use. We didn't have any trouble convincing them that the Tongue vibrator is not the best designed sex toy on the market ;)

On Feb 11, 2003 Womyns'Ware Retail Manager Cass King presented a really fun seminar on Sex Toys: how to choose them, and how to use them. The discussion ranged from consumer awareness regarding material composition and the legal ramifications of the "for Novelty Purposes Only" label on most mainstream sex toys, to how to use butt beads and masturbation awareness pioneer "Sex For One" author Betty Dodson. There were about 35 students in attendance. More information can be found at www.students.ubc.ca/health/wellness. We thoroughly enjoyed our repeat appearance at UBC's Wellness Centre on November 5, 2003. So much so that we're already making plans for the next seminar. Stay tuned...

We participated in the Everything To Do With Sex Show on January 23-26, 2003 with a booth showcasing and selling our best (per our Georgia Straight Reader's Choice 7th consecutive win for Best Sex Toy Shop!) plus we presented The WetSpots (Vancouver duo known for their "ribald come-ons [set] to jazzy, upbeat music at odds with the lascivious lyrics") and presented our informative Beginning At the Bottom Seminars. Information can be found at: www.everythingtodowithsex.com

We presented a seminar for the cast and crew of this year's production of The Vagina Monologues at University of British Columbia as part of their V-Day events. We find it exciting to do seminars on university campuses because you inevitably wind up with an extra-broad range of personalities. This seminar was no exception, with every range of experience present. We talked about menstrual health products, safer sex products, latex vs. polyurethane, Nonoxynol-9 (a no-no!), toy use, and of course, how to differentiate between a healthy, happy sex toy and a cheap piece of crud that you wouldn't put in a fishtank. We had lots of fun with this spirited audience. More information on the UBC performance of The Vagina Monologues can be found at www.ubcvaginamonologues.com (website functional beginning January 2003) or for information on International V-Day events check out  www.vday.org.

We presented a “Toxic Toys: Avoidance and Alternatives” seminar as part of the Commercial Drive Earth Day celebration on Sunday, April 21, 2002, at our store. Admission was $5 at the door and as with any of our seminars, all proceeds were donated to the Canadian Cancer Society for Breast Cancer Research. For a look at some of the information that was covered, see our Buyer Be Womyns’Ware. For more information, view the press release.

Womyns'Ware Inc. was onsite at the Everything To Do With Sex Show held at the Plaza of Nations, Vancouver, BC during April 25-28, 2002 with an exhibit that warned consumers about unsafe sex toys that may be on sale by other exhibitors at the show. We added consumer choice to the show as the premiere source of sexual products and quality information that places the consumer before the sale. The Vancouver Courier had an article on the show recently--read it here!

The Womyn of Womyns'Ware conducted the "Biversity" workshop at the BIO-Logical Conference on Saturday, October 20, 2001. Biversity: Sex Toy Tricks for Every Partner Combination The owners of Womyns’Ware Inc. explored the world of sex toy options (with creative tips on how to choose and use ‘em) to accessorize partner sex, be it woman to woman, woman to man, man to man, woman to woman to man, man to woman to man....

We were the honoured hosts of a sexual abuse survivors group on the evening of June 13, 2001. Exploring all of the ways that women can be orgasmic, we spoke on dispelling the sex toy myths, such as that there is one most popular product that ought to work for everyone, sex toys are just for masturbation when you're in between partners, if the product doesn't work for you it's because you must be sexually dysfunctional, and that everything looks like a penis (which isn't necessarily bad, but just one choice among many different tastes)! Thank you, once again, to the group for asking us to host.

We were asked to participate in the International Women's Day (March 8th, 2001) week long events out at the University of British Columbia by presenting a seminar on sexual empowerment. The topic "Consumer Scrutiny of Sex Toys: contrasting products to empower women's sexuality with products to degrade." The seminar at UBC has come and gone. We were thrilled with the attendance. All the lecture seats, window sills, and floor space was occupied and the crowd really participated with questions, feedback, and even a set of "AA" batteries when one of our demonstration props required an energy boost. We thoroughly  enjoyed the afternoon.

Other recent events include a seminar entitled "Eroticizing Safer Sex", which we've presented to counselors at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, BC. The Womyn of Womyns'Ware also conducted a seminar at the Fourth Annual B.C. Conference on Bisexuality, Gender, and Sexual Diversity.