Hello and welcome to the August issue of Boston's Sex-Positive Newsletter! As you may have predicted, each month that passes brings us closer to our much-anticipated 69th issue. What will we do to live up to the hype? Looks like you'll have to stay tuned to find out!
This month, I want to try something new. That new thing, I am delighted to say, is a GIVEAWAY!
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Why a giveaway? Because there's really no reason not to, and it sounds fun.
How to enter: Just respond to this email. That's it. In future months (if I do this again) there might be more required for entry, but let's keep it simple this first time. You can say anything you like (be nice please). Just make sure you mention the giveaway in some capacity so I know that you want to enter and aren't just emailing me for some other reason.
What you'll get: A free 4x6" or 5x7" art print of your choosing! I'll snail mail it to you. You can see our prints here.
Best of luck! And remember: You're all winners, even if you don't win this particular giveaway. ;)
Also, if you enjoy this newsletter and want it to keep going strong, here are some ways you can support it:
✎ Donate via Venmo @NicoleMaz.
✎ Become a monthly donor on Patreon.
✎ Buy Pleasure Pie's zines and art.
✎ Buy our sexy shirts and stuff.
✎ Share the newsletter with your friends.
Any support you are able to offer is fantastic!
Also, thank you to Katy Harrison (they/them) for helping to make this issue of the newsletter come together!
With pleasure,
Nicole Mazzeo
pleasurepie.org
P.S. Want to tell us what you think of this newsletter? What are we doing well, and what could be better? We are so curious about your thoughts! You can give feedback here.
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L O C A L + V I R T U A L
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Sun. 8/1: LGBTQ+: South Boston Queer Beach Takeover
10:00 am - 5:00 pm / M Street Beach (South Boston) / Free!
A space for lesbian, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, queer+ folks to chillax at the beach.
Sun. 8/1: TRANS: Let Trans Athletes Play
11:00 am / Cambridge / Free!
A day of sports, games, protesting, and action to advocate for the inclusion of transgender athletes in sports. There will be basketball, soccer, water balloon fighting, checkers, stickers, snacks, and sign making.
Sun. 8/1: RELATIONSHIPS: Relationship Jealousy Workshop
3:00 pm / Virtual / $15-19
As part of the threesome lecture series, co-hosts Lola Jean and Gabrielle Smith will specifically focus on breaking down jealousy and confronting the root causes. The first hour or so will be a lecture-style talk followed up by a 30-minute social.
Sun. 8/1: BOUNDARIES: Better Boundaries for Better Connection
4:00 pm / Virtual / $25
Learn about how setting boundaries in your relationships — romantic and otherwise — can help to deepen them and make them more satisfying. There will also be an overview of the wheel of consent.
Mon. 8/2: KINK: Boston Age Play Munch
7:00 pm / Somerville / Free!
An outdoor, friendly space to meet kinksters who enjoy age play. Open to vaccinated, masked people only.
Tues. 8/3: YOGA: Here & Now Presents Jessamyn Stanley: "Yoke"
5:30 pm / Virtual / Free!
Yoga instructor and body positive activist Jessamyn Stanley will lead a 30-minute yoga class. Following the class, Jessamyn will discuss her new book about the limitations and hypocrisies of yoga culture and how to use yoga as a means of reaching authentic self-acceptance.
Tues. 8/3: EROTICA: Between the Covers Virtual Book Club
7:00 pm / Virtual / Free!
Between the Covers is a social book group for readers ages 21+ that focuses on the romance genre. This book group meets on the first Tuesday of each month, and August’s genre is Cowboy Romance Books!
Wed. 8/4 - Sun. 8/8 : TANTRA: The East Coast Tantra Festival
Tolland, MA / $514-617
Attendees will explore the full range of Tantra – from spiritual awakening, to sacred sexuality, to just delighting in the experiences around you. The festival will offer various workshops and activities each day.
Thurs. 8/5: LGBTQ+: Queeraoke
9:30 pm / Jamaica Plain / $5 cover
Queeraoke is one of Boston's best and longest running queer events. Sing karaoke among your queer community. 21+, every Thursday.
Fri. 8/6 - Sun. 8/8: SEXY: Carnal Desires 2021: Carnal Camping Crusade!
Whitefield, ME / $125-150
A fun, sexy camping trip in a private, clothing-optional campground that’s off-grid with a beautiful river and a friendly group of swingers.
Fri. 8/6: QUEER: Fruitcake’s Queer Storytelling
8:00 pm / Wild Child (Somerville)
A storytelling night for queer folk, trans folk, ace folk, aro folk, the wlw, the mlm, the nonbinary loves, the genderfluid badbloods. Happens every Friday.
Sun. 8/8: DRAG: Drag Brunch
11:00 am & 1:30 pm / Cambridge / $20
This monthly Brunch Drag Series includes three drag performances with food and drink available for purchase. Tickets include 1 Pride Cocktail and a portion of all ticket sales will support the Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth (BAGLY). 21+.
Sun. 8/8: WOMEN: LesbianNightLife - Second Sundays TeaDance
4:00 pm / Dorchester / $10 Cover
Lesbian Night Life is continuing their second Sunday brewery takeovers! The venue will be transformed into a dance hall with various DJs and has a beautiful, rooftop venue in the heart of Boston. LGBTQ+ Women and friends are welcome. 21+.
Mon. 8/9: CAREER: How to Make Your Business Stand Out from the Crowd
7:00 pm / Virtual / $25 (sliding scale available)
Educator Renée Moore will teach sex educators how to create a niche for themselves in the ever growing sexuality education/counseling community.
Tues. 8/10 - Thurs. 8/12: LGBTQ+: Our Stories, Our Voices Festival
Virtual / Free!
This festival celebrates queer mental health stories told by LGBTQ+ filmmakers and artists. Over three days, filmmakers, mental health professionals, and community leaders will lead insightful, interactive workshops focused on the unique experiences of queer people and their mental health.
Wed. 8/11: TEENS: Embodied Sexual: Exploration as Self-Pleasure
4:00 pm / Virtual / Free!
This webinar is a guide to exploring our relationship with ourselves and our pleasure. Intended audience: centering Black youth and young adults, but all are welcome.
Wed. 8/11: POLYAM: Queer and Polyamorous Women's Group: Wednesday Social
7 PM / Somerville / Free!
Come join the Boston Queer and Polyamorous Women’s Group for their second Wednesday social that has been going for 15 years now. The event will consist of introductions and discussions on queerness, polyamory, and more.
Wed 8/11: CAREER: SEA Change in Sex Education Through Community
7:00 pm / Virtual / $25 (sliding scale available)
A discussion of how sexuality professionals of all types can form a global community with the Sex Education Alliance. Fun fact: Pleasure Pie’s very own Katy Harrison works for SEA, so check them out!
Fri. 8/13: KINK: Xmortis Midsommar Masquerade
9:00 pm / Cambridge / $13-$15
On Friday the 13th, come join Xmortis for a MASKerade, and wear your most creative attire, whether the theme is Fetish, Goth, Industrial, Cybergoth, Dark Cosplay, or more.
Fri. 8/14: LGBTQ+: Queer Scouts Boston Camp
Ashland, MA
Queer Scouts Boston, a skillshare group for friendly LGBTQ+ folks in the Boston area, is having a summer camp! More info coming soon.
Sun. 8/15 & 22: CAREER: Abortion In the US: Realities, Laws & Healing
1:00 pm / Virtual / $150-275
This webinar will cover pregnancy options, abortion options, policy, parental notification and consent laws, judicial bypass, violence abortion providers experience, impact of climate chaos, and more. Geared toward sexuality professionals AASECT CEs available.
Sun. 8/15: CONSENT: Dirty Talk and Consent in Conversation
3:00 pm / Virtual / $20
Do you feel like a robot asking “Can I?” and “May I?” in the bedroom? This workshop will demonstrate how you can weave discussions of consent into your dirty talk.
Mon. 8/16: SEX-ED: The People's Sex Ed: Safer Sex Pictionary!
6:30 pm / Virtual / Free!
This adult Pictionary game will explore the many amazing, creative, resourceful ways that we protect ourselves and our partners by minimizing the risk that comes with sex beyond condoms (though condoms are great too!).
Tues. 8/17: SUPPORT: Unpacking Barriers to Support Queer & Trans Survivors of Sexual Violence
3:00 pm / Virtual / Free!
Queer and transgender people are disproportionately affected by sexual violence, and are among the least likely to disclose our experiences to those in our lives. This talk will show healthcare providers who to offer queer-centered and gender-affirming support to queer and trans survivors.
Tues. 8/17 & Tues. 8/24: SEX-ED: A More Inclusive History of the US Sexuality Field
7:00 pm / Virtual / $100-275
Wondering where all the Black, Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) are in the history of the US sexuality field? This 2-day course fills in the numerous gaps in the contributions, research, labor, and lives of BIPOC to the US.
Wed. 8/18: ACTIVISM: Activist Academy - Info Session
12:00 pm / Virtual / Free!
This is an opportunity to join Activist Academy, a program intended to mobilize the community to work toward zero HIV transmission. The 2021 cohort will focus on sexual health education, sex work decriminalization, overdose prevention, and housing. A stipend will be provided to fellows who participate in the 2021 academy.
Wed. 8/18: FILM: Online Movie Screening: Jennifer’s Body
8:00 pm / Virtual / $8 suggested donation
Jennifer’s Body: the cult horror classic, and queer classic from the early 2000’s. Come enjoy this film screening with the Math community and enjoy great conversation, themed DIY drinks, and dinner.
Fri. 8/20: DATING: Tantra Speed Dating
6:30 pm / Arlington, MA / $35-60
This tantric speed dating event is a place to meet new singles in an intentional, spiritual community.
Sat. 8/21: BISEXUAL: Biversity Brunch
11:30 am / Somerville/ Free!
If you’re bisexual and love brunch, check out Biversity Brunch! Meeting on the 3rd Saturday of each month in Davis Square, this brunch welcomes bisexual and bi-friendly people of all genders from the Greater Boston area to come together, meet new people, and converse over brunch food.
Sun. 8/22: LGBTQ+: SummaLuvin Boat Cruise
1:00 pm / Seaport / $40
Join Lesbian Night Life LGBTQ+ Women and Friends for a Day Party on a Party Boat. There will be dancers, a DJ, and hundreds of women. 21+.
Wed. 8/25: CONSENT: Creating Cultures of Consent: What Parents and Educators Need to Know
7:00 pm / Virtual / $25 (sliding scale available)
This talk will give research-based guidance on how to create a culture of consent. Hosted by the Sex Ed Lecture Series.
Thurs. 8/26: LGBTQ+: Skip the Small Talk: Speed-Friending
7:00 pm / Boston / $16.50
Speed-friending: it’s like speed-dating, but for friends! If you are looking for more LGBTQ+ friends in your life, this event is a great place to find them. Featuring structured conversation topics designed to get past "small talk" and into conversations about stuff you actually care about.
Thurs. 8/26: COMMUNITY: Living Your Fears Everyday (LYFE) Social
5:00 pm / Boston / Free!
Living Your Fears Everyday (LYFE) is a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth of color, ages 18-29 to talk about various topics including health and wellness, social awareness, and resiliency. Drop by every 4th Thursday for exciting dialogue, group oriented games, food, and films and other media.
Fri. 8/27: INJUSTICE: Medical Racism: A Look at the Past, Present and Future
4:00 pm / Virtual / Free!
Join the People’s Sex Ed, hosted by Fenway Health, to learn how medical racism has affected BIPOC communities historically and today. There will also be a discussion of changes happening within the healthcare realm to combat medical racism and envision our path forward. Participants will also learn how to advocate for ourselves and others.
Sun. 8/29: RELATIONSHIPS: Threesomes, Group Play, & More
3:00 pm / Virtual / $15-19
Group sex isn’t going to solve a cheating issue on its own. This workshop will discuss how you can engage in group play while working on your past discretions Co-hosted by Leanne of Polyphilia Blog.
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Learn: Makeshift Boston is hosting this virtual Mainstreaming Disability Justice workshop as a part of their School of Arts and Social Justice program. It's on Thurs. 8/5 at 7pm and is free to attend.
Become a foster parent: Learn about what it means to foster a child at this Virtual Foster Parent Info Session on Mon. 8/16 at 7pm.
Volunteer: The Sanctuary Boston Supply Drive Against Domestic Violence is looking for volunteers to help their event run smoothly. They will be collecting items to donate to a local domestic violence shelter. The event is Sat. 8/14 from 9am - 3pm. Sign up to volunteer here.
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Jobs in the Sexuality Field
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Survivor Support Case Manager
Louis D. Brown Peace Institute
Special Projects Manager
BARCC
Teen Mentor - TeenSafe
Jewish Family & Children's Service of Greater Boston
Development Officer - Events
Planned Parenthood
Bilingual Get Real Educator
Planned Parenthood
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Boston Area Rape Crisis Center offers free counseling for people who have been sexually assaulted (and their loved ones).
The Network / La Red provides support for people experiencing relationship abuse.
Planned Parenthood's Sexual Health Counseling & Referral hotline is 877-686- 5772, option #3.
AIDS Action offers free STI testing in Boston and Cambridge. Registration required.
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The Transgender Emergency Fund offers financial assistance to transgender residents of Massachusetts who need it.
Harbor Health Services offers free HIV & Hep C testing in Dorchester.
The Sexual Freedom Legal Defense and Education Fund helps people with alternative sexual lifestyles.
Here's a list of culturally competent local resources for LGBTQ survivors.
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Good news: The Hyde Amendment has finally been repealed! This means that there will be less federal barriers to accessing an abortion. Read about it here. See a celebratory cake here.
Follow recommendation: Poly Philia is an Instagram account that posts lots of great non-monogamy related content. Case in point: They recently posted this very cute video.
Quality viral post: This post made me smile this week.
Want to support this newsletter? You can make a donation to Pleasure Pie here. Donations start at $1 a month. There are perks!
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