Masturbate-a-thon

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Official Masturbate-a-thon Logo

The Masturbate-a-thon is an event in which participants masturbate in order to raise money for charity and increase the public awareness and dispel the shame and taboos that exist about this form of sexual activity.[1] During the past six years, the Masturbate-a-thon has raised over $25,000 for women’s health initiatives and HIV prevention, education and treatment organizations, and has contributed to debates about safer sex and alternative safe methods of sexual expression.[2] The event awards several honors for those who raise the most money as well as for multiple orgasms and endurance.

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[edit] History

Masturbate-a-thon Logo used by 2006 London event

In May 1995 San Francisco-based sex toy and education shop Good Vibrations declared May to be "Masturbation Month." Since then, it has encouraged people to get sponsors as a fundraiser for charities with a sex-positive focus.

In 1999, the Masturbate-a-Thon was originated by the collective Open Enterprises which operates Good Vibrations. The slogan "Come for a Cause" came from Rachel Venning, the founder of the sex toy shop Babeland. The Masturbate-a-Thon was built up by Good Vibrations who encouraged other modern sex-toy businesses such as Babeland, Madison, Wisconsin's A Woman's Touch, Toronto's Come As You Are and Boston's Grand Opening to also hold events coinciding with "masturbation month" (May in the United States). That year, the first live event was held at San Francisco's Campus Theater by the Center for Sex and Culture (CSC)'s Carol Queen and her partner Robert Lawrence. CSC is an education-based non-profit providing professional-level sex education. The annual events are used as a public health education device to increase awareness of self-pleasure as a strategy for safer and healthier sex and to de-stigmatise self-love.

In 2006, Europe’s First Sponsored Masturbate-a-Thon Event took place in London. The Masturbate-a-thon, also known as Wank-a-Thon, was filmed by ZigZagProductions of London as part of an international documentary of the event.[3] However, plans to broadcast this on Channel 4 as part of its Wank Week series were abandoned.[4] London hosted Europe's first "masturbate-a-thon" on August 5, 2006 in which hundreds of people raised money for the charities Terrence Higgins Trust and sexual and reproductive health agency Marie Stopes International.[5][6] The final count at the location was over one hundred and fifty people, roughly two-thirds of whom were men.

[edit] Current records

Time records indicate duration (length of time for which a participant masturbated)

Longest time:
    • Female: 7 h, 6 min (Ms. Kitty Kat, San Francisco, 2008)[7]
    • Male: 9 h, 58 min (Masanobu Sato, visiting from Tokyo, Japan and representing the Tenga company; San Francisco, 2009)[7]
Most orgasms:
    • Male: 31 (Michael Hariprem in 2008)[7]
    • Female: 94 (Pernille from Copenhagen, Denmark in 2008)[8]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

 This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (March 2009)
  1. ^ Tristan Taormino. "The Female Hard-On". http://www.villagevoice.com/people/0023,taormino,15433,24.html. Retrieved on 2008-04-24. 
  2. ^ Queen, Carol (April 23, 2003). "The Royal Treatment: Time to Masturbate". Spectator Magazine, reprinted in Good Vibrations magazine. http://magazine.goodvibes.com/2003/05/02/the-royal-treatment-time-to-masturbate/. Retrieved on 2007-07-24. 
  3. ^ Leigh Holmwood (2006-07-18). "More tossers on TV". Guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2006/jul/18/channel4.broadcasting. Retrieved on 2007-11-02. 
  4. ^ Jason Deans (2007-02-02). "'Wank week' postponed". Guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/feb/02/broadcasting.channel4. Retrieved on 2007-11-02. 
  5. ^ "Hundreds expected to come to Masturbate-a-thon". Reuters. 2006-08-04. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060804/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_masturbate;_ylt=A86.I1Xs8tNEbhABagIuQE4F;_ylu=X3oDMTA4cmUwbnA1BHNlYwMxNzAy. 
  6. ^ Masturbate-a-thon press release (retrieved August 6, 2006)
  7. ^ a b c Masturbate-a-thon Records
  8. ^ Masturbate-a-thon History

[edit] News articles

[edit] External links

[edit] Sponsoring organizations

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