MuniDiaries.com is a place for Muni riders to read and share tales on the bus. They publish submissions from anyone who rides SF’s beloved public transit system. The idea is: If you have something to say about a ride, about a route, or even about politics surrounding public transit in the city, Muni Diaries is your forum to let the world know.

The site has been in existence for two years and most recently they were the audience winner of Best Local Blog from the San Francisco Bay Guardian Best of the Bay contest.  This time they’re holding their own contest, and an erotic short fiction one at that!

About MuniDiaries.com’s first Erotic Short Fiction Contest:

This summer we’ve received a number of photos of used condoms on the bus, which beg the question: how did this condom end up on the bus? To encourage people to write and be creative, we are holding our first erotic short fiction contest. We are challenging Muni riders and writers to answer the question, “how did the condom end up on the bus?” in 250 words or less. The winning entries will be read on stage at our second spoken word party, Muni Diaries Live! Under the Influence at the Make-Out Room on Friday, Oct. 30. If you’d like to get an idea of what our spoken word parties are like, check out this summary from our first event in June.

Details of the contest: http://www.munidiaries.com/2009/09/24/contest-how-did-the-used-condom-get-on-the-bus/

So whether you enter or want to attend the event on October 30th in SF, do catch up on MuniDiaries.com (who also run BARTdiaries.com) and join the stories which make public transit so rewarding.

This weekend is the 3rd Annual National People of Color Cabaret, Kaleidoscope, and if the performers aren’t hot enough get this: they’re teaching workshops, too! You have got  to check out the classes, a must-do for any burlesque or cabaret performer and a good time for fans! The performance is Saturday, so the classes are also a great way to meet the performers before seeing them do their thing!

Kaleidoscope Workshops

Explore your understanding of desire and racialized performance and learn the history of burlesque performers of color while learning saucy choreography, burlesque on a budget, make-up application, tassel twirling, glove removal and other tricks of the trade from the pros.

Friday, September 25th & Saturday, September 26th
10am – 4pm
Class list PDF

Location: Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts
2868 Mission Street, San Francisco CA 94110
(415) 821-1155

Cost: FREE and Sliding Scale (most classes are $10-15)
Kaleidoscope workshops are sponsored by the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts

Walk-ins welcome but registration encouraged. Please call 915-252-9252
or email lachicaboom@gmail.com Scholarships available.

Kaleidoscope 2009 has outstanding performers.

Many of the folks you’ll see performing are San Francisco Bay Area finest. But it doesn’t stop in the Bay Area; performers like Vagina Jenkins are out here from Atlanta, Georgia. There’s also one of Burlesque’s Greats, Toni Elling, who is considered by many a Burlesque Legend.  Here’s a archival photo from back in the day of the beautiful Toni Elling. Read her story.

Image Courtesy of Toni Elling

Kaleidoscope founder is Miss La Chica Boom, who if you’ve had the thrill of watching, blends politics and pleasure in a sassy mixture of hot burlesque. Do do do read more about her or on her website: www.lachicaboom.com.

Image Courtesy of La Chica Boom

Check out SF Boylesque, Simone De la Getto, Shanghai Pearl, and so, so many more at www.kaleidoscopecabaret.com and if you are out of town or can’t make it to the show, click over to their site and consider scrolling all… the way…. down…. to the bottom to make a paypal donation! Kaleidoscope 09 is also supported by: Communities United Against Violence, The Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, Mama Calizio’s Voice Factory, Main-tain.com, & Mangos with Chili.

Buy your tickets at Kaleidoscope event on BrownPaperTickets.com.

Saturday September 26, 2009 8:00 PM
The Brava Theater
2781 24th Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

And to wet your appetite, here’s a peek at previous performances:

The concept was to take the April Flores Love Toy (aka a cyberskin mold of April’s lower torso) and make a plaster mold. That mold was then given to eight eclectic Los Angeles-based artists to use as their canvas. Participating artists were Coop, Kime Buzzelli, Small Paul, Misha, Jim Mahfood, Kozyndan, Axis and Carlos Batts himself.

Now the show has come to San Francisco! Tonight, September 16th, April and Carlos will be at the Polk St. Good Vibrations Store with world- renown Los Angeles and San Francisco artists who have designed one-of-a-kind creations using plaster molds of her torso as their canvas.

Participating artists include Axis, Carlos Batts, COOP, Jim Mahfood, Kime Buzzelli, Kozy & Dan, Misha, Small Paul, Brian Donnelly (Toronto), Stephan Kasner, Dr. Carol Queen, Ph.D. and Robert Lawrence.

The event is FREE, so if you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area please come on by and check it out! Here’s a peek at one of the works from the LA show. Can’t wait to see what our very own Carol and her love Robert will come up with!

Here’s the official announcement:

Grrl Toys presents April Flores’ Love Toy Art Show & “Glamazons DVD Release party

Wednesday, September 16th

Good Vibrations is proud to present limited edition artist renditions of leading Big Beautiful Women (BBW) star April Flores’ Voluptuous CyberSkin Love Toy. Twelve world-renown Los Angeles and four San Francisco-based artists designed one-of-a-kind creations using plaster molds of the April Flores toy as their canvas. Participating artists include Axis, Carlos Batts, COOP, Jim Mahfood, Kime Buzzelli, Kozy & Dan, Misha, Small Paul, Brian Donnelly (Toronto), Stephan Kasner, Dr. Carol Queen, Ph.D and Robert Lawrence.

When: Wednesday, September 16th
Time: 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Cost: FREE!
Where: Good Vibrations Polk Street Gallery
1620 Polk Street (at Sacramento Street) San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 345-0400

What’s wrong with loving a product for its design? That’s really why Apple fanatics love all things “i.” And that’s why we lust after sex toys from Jimmyjane, the Potrero Hill pleasure purveyors whose vibes, games, and accessories would look as natural in a museum gift shop as they would in your minimalist, modern bedroom. The Form 6 vibrator looks like a cross between a stylized pen and a high-end electric toothbrush, while the Little Chromas model has the sleek grace of a bullet, or a small cigar (we refuse to make that joke). And Jimmyjane’s Usual Suspects line is nothing short of inspired — celebrating both form and function by interpreting classic toys, in flawless white. Yes, the company does seem to cater to Audi drivers and iPhone users — collaborating on expensive special editions with well-known designers and bragging about appearances on cable TV shows. But we can’t argue with the nontoxic materials and the unprecedented one-year warranty. And the fact that they just look so cool.

BEST QUEER PORN

The problem with mainstream porn is that most of it is made in the San Fernando Valley by brainless douche bags and lazy ex-cheerleaders looking for a quick buck. But this is San Francisco. This is the art capital of the world, the home of the free thinker, the land of the awesome. Can’t we get some porn made for us? Yes, we can! Yes, we can! If you’re as sick of Barbie Doll smut as we are, then you should know about local filmmaker-producer-writer-artist Courtney Trouble. Trouble is the founder of a queer porn site called Nofauxxx.com (”queer” as in not just homo, but alternative as well). She’s the final word when it comes to smut with attitude, character, and soul. Not only is No Fauxxx the oldest running queer porn site on the Internet, it’s also the only spot that mixes alt, gay, lesbian, straight, trans, kink, and BBW content. It’s sexy, artsy, entertaining, all-inclusive, and totally DIY. In a word: ours.

(Courtney’s latest projects include Roulette, and the upcoming Nostalgia and Speakeasy, films coming up down the line with Reel Queer Productions and Good Releasing.)

BEST CONTEST FOR WANKERS

The Masturbate-a-thon is an annual pledge drive for the Center for Sex and Culture (who also one the Readers’ Poll for “Best Sex Education Resource”) during which people gang up in a hot and sweaty room to watch each other jerk off for an entire day. Sounds like fun, right? But what if you’re not an exhibitionist? No worries. The whole show (held in May, which is Masturbation Month) is broadcast live on the Internet so that shy people can join in too. Categories include “Most Money Raised,” “Most Orgasms,” and “Longest Squirt,” and the winners in each division receive sexy prizes from Good Vibrations (and perhaps a lifetime of wishing Google and YouTube were never invented). Score! Exhibitionists, porn addicts, and the rest of us are encouraged to ogle, vote, and even participate alongside certified wank-masters such as Dr. Carol Queen, Fellatio Brown, and Masanobu Sato, a Japanese toymaker who holds the world record for “Longest Time Spent Masturbating” (to be fair, it should be noted that his company, Tenga, makes masturbation cups for men). The time to beat next year is nine hours and 58 minutes, so fire up Fleshbot.com now and start practicing. You can be sure that’s what Masanobu is doing.

BEST XXX XX IN THE CASTRO

Remember when the Castro was just a big boys’ club? That’s changed somewhat, thanks in no small part to Femina Potens, the nonprofit art gallery dedicated to women, transgendered folk, kink, and the sex worker community that anchors the corner of Market and Sanchez. Cofounded by renaissance porn star and queer BDSM queen Madison Young, the cozy spot has been hosting exhibits, workshops, spoken word performances, film screenings, and readings by queer literary and artistic legends like Michelle Tea, Annie Sprinkle, and Inga Muscio since 2001 — and recently has added health and wellness programming into the mix. With showcases tackling topics from body image to safer sex, suicide prevention, and breast cancer awareness, there’s no question that what Femina Potens does is important. But we think art shows about bondage and performances about breasts are also just damn sexy. Plus, it’s about time the Castro got a little more double-X (chromosome) action.

(Check out Madison Young’s Videos at Good Vibrations)

We also noticed some friends, such as “Best Local Writer” Stephen Elliott, “Best Couples Counselor” Dossie Easton, and “Best Sex Writer” Violet Blue (tinynibbles.com). And the icing on the cake, Good Vibrations won Best of the Bay Readers’ Poll for Best Place to Buy Sex Toys. Thank you to all our customers, staff, and supporters who make the San Francisco Bay Area such a sex-positive place to live and play!

Gallery: Pink Pleasure Party at Valencia Good Vibrations:

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From Misty, Senior Buyer:

After spending a few hours taking in the sights at the hot-in-the-shade Dolores Park I headed over to our Valencia store to get ready for the Dyke March. It was amazing – Dykes on Bikes, bicycles, and scooters rolled past revving their engines, cheering and waving to us as we cheered back waiting to hand out discount cards to the marchers! As usual the march was a blur as person after person came through – in all states of dress, undress, costumed and more!

Our Pink Pleasure Party was a flurry of activity with people coming in off the streets to enjoy our Lusty Lady Go-Go dancers, take a spin on our Wheel-of-Pleasure, nibble the treats (including a rainbow & unicorn themed cake), buy raffle tickets benefiting the Center for Sex & Culture and taking in loop-preview of Reel Queer Productions first release – Roulette. Both director and a few of the stars were on hand for signings and chatting people up!

Sunday was incredible – our shimmer-and-shine float was packed with queens including THE Dr. Carol Queen and an amazing country band who twanged along the entire route! We were all decked out in our country-western best and handing out coupon cards and give-aways from our some of our vendors! There were marchers from our three Bay Area stores as well as folks Vibratex and LELO! We had country dancers, representatives from Olivia Cruises and more… it was a blast and amazing to hear the crowds cheer for us when we walked by! It was a long hot route but I was thrilled to be a part of it!

From D in Merchandising:

Good Vibrations turned up the heat in the city on one HOT pride day! The crowds and participants were all enthusiastic and amazing!

From Managing Director Jonathan Plotzker:

Floating down Market St to the cheers of adoring fans (customers) was exhilarating!

From Steve Duncan, Creative Director:

SF Pride is such an amazing celebration of diversity and self expression It was an honor to be able to celebrate it this year with all of the fans of Good Vibrations and with our wonderful vendors, Olivia Cruises, Dr. Carol Queen, our LGBTQ community partners, the Foggy City Square Dancers and the Western Star Square Dancers and “the all-gal, honky-tonk” band, the Dosie Dildos, who rocked our float all the way down Market Street”.

It is an honor to start Good Vibrations’ Pride Celebration curating Joey Plaster and Gabriela Hasbun’s multimedia presentation “Polk Street Stories Project; Lives in Transition” at our Polk Street Store. It is a moving and honest testament to the many people who pioneered San Francisco’s first gay neighborhood and the transitions, over the last three decades, that neighborhood has undergone. The exhibition runs through August 25 in Good Vibrations Polk Street Store’s Gallery Space.

Good Vibrations’ Post Dyke-March Pink Pleasure Party at our Valencia Street Store is always one of my favorite SF Pride Events. This year we celebrated with over 1,100 fans of G.V., partying with a live DJ, Olivia Cruises (whom we’re partnering with on their Halloween Cruise), LELO and queer artist and NoFauxxx.com film director Courtney Trouble. This was the third year that I’ve been involved with the party and each year it gets better and better.

Marching with Good Vibrations in this year’s Pride Parade has a very special meaning to me. My family was with me marching in the contingent, including my gay partner and our 19 year-old gay son. What a way to spend Pride Sunday than to march with Good Vibrations promoting sex positivity and true family values!

Gallery: Marching on Sunday

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From Camilla Lombard, Events Coordinator:

I cannot imagine a bigger thrill than performing and participating in the best parade in the world! There was so much love and creativity expressed, it’s a memory I will always cherish. The Dosey-Dildos were thrilled to be a part of the Good Vibes float. That’s one for the grand-kids!

From Nyx in Marketing:

It was so inspirational to watch the Dykes on Bikes roar down Valencia Street outside of Good Vibrations’ Mission store. As one woman rode by and flashed her post-mastectomy breasts, she shouted “5 year survivor!” I thought about how all of these women were survivors in their own way. I felt proud to support them as they celebrated themselves and their community.

While waiting to march with the Good Vibrations contingent, I considered the place this Pride Parade held in the current political climate. I thought about how much this community had struggled in the past, just to get where they were today, facing more struggles in the future. I felt like I was a part of something important, the fight to recognize rights, and the truth that everyone deserves equality.

From Joel:

I’m still feeling giddy from having such a great weekend with GV and pride. The Pink Pleasure Party at Val on Saturday and being “inside the ropes” on Market St. on Sunday…seeing all the diverse smiling faces while handing out shwag made me proud. It was worth traveling 3000 miles to be there.

From the Internets

Our award winning float! (Earphone warning: the crowd is cheering very loudly!)

Camilla is interviewed!

Related Links:

Violet Blue’s Miss California’s Pride Guide * SF Pride’s Website * NowPublic Pride Parade

Related Products at Good Vibrations:

Shopping Guide for FtM and Transmen * Gay DVDs * LGBT / Queer Erotica

A good session usually begins for me earlier in the day, often on the street. Not masturbating on the street mind you, as that would be vulgar. It’s also illegal; maybe not in San Francisco but in most other places.

What I meant to say was that a good masturbation session for me usually begins when I see something worth masturbating too. Most often it is a person though certain orchids, the right pair of shoes, or a naked mannequin can help me set sail.

Yes, a naked mannequin can arouse my senses. Perhaps it is because of a young Kim Cattrell coming to life in the movie “Mannequin” making a young, shy boy wish that he too would get trapped inside a department store at night and find love. Perhaps it is because I am an abstract thinker and so the mere suggestion of the female nude is enough.

In any event, even if I do see one of those sexed up mannequins it only serves to heighten my vigilance to seek out a live beautiful woman, the erotic in the everyday. Living in the Bay Area, this might be why I have trouble masturbating.

I grew up in New York City where the streets are awash in feminine beauty. I’d see a pair of sculpted calves rise out of sharp heels, an asymmetrical hem slicing the air with every step. That woman would follow me home in my fantasy; or the slinky purple off shoulder number at 9 a.m., or the Ibiza girls falling out of a car on their way into a club.

People in the Bay Area don’t place such a premium on physical beauty. In Berkeley a woman is more likely to brush her aura than her hair. In San Francisco a woman is more likely to work her freak factor as sexy than have stepped out of the pages of a magazine. Even the Heights social set looks like a casting call for New York castoffs.

Even the architecture in New York has a sex appeal. Who wouldn’t mind tapping the Guggenheim’s ass? But do you really want to do anything more than cuddle with a Victorian?

The advantage to the Bay Area is people are more likely to actually find out who you are – and care. They are more likely to be on a journey towards understanding and to want to talk about it. Sometimes they want to talk about it ad nauseum, but communicate they will.

In New York you are more likely to find attitude, a refusal to admit uncertainty or weakness of any kind. But wow will they be beautiful. Which brings me back to my trouble masturbating last night.

The Bay Area is not a particularly good place for generating masturbatory fantasies for heterosexuals. If you’re a hetero woman you had better love really soft men or the fantasy of being licked all over by a posse of gays. If you’re a hetero man, well, you had better really love off center women or the fantasy of being licked all over by a posse of gays.

For both sets of heteros there is the occasional yoga toned body strutting by. But then you’re dealing with New York attitude.

When I first arrived on these shores I notice that my masturbating was a less intense experience. It took me a while to realize that I was resorting to old fantasies. I was having trouble generating new fantasies. And fantasies are kind of like gravity, the further away they get the less powerful they become.

So there I was last night, in bed, shaft in hand and what a soft shaft it was. There was no lift off. But I really wanted it. The old fantasies just weren’t cutting it. I tried to remember someone I had seen on the street of late, but girl’s who use hemp deodorant don’t do it for me, girls with big glasses and bad jeans don’t do it for me, girls in nice shoes, nicer dresses and blank faces don’t do it for me. What was I to do?

Then I remembered going to the water park in Concord the other day. On the other side of the Oakland hills lies another world, a world where women paint themselves for men; a world where looking hot is a full time job. Things began to perk up. I guess sometimes it’s important to leave the Bay behind you for a little bit.

I’m not saying any of what happens in Concord is good for the liberation of women. But it can be good for a fantasy or two. It may not be right, but it is true.

Probably the most distinctive parts of the video are the shots in the armory, which Princess Donna swinging on a man suspended in rope, and Kink.com owner Peter Ackworth prancing like the King of the castle.

For a slideshow of the behind the scenes shots during the filming, check out Kink.com’s Behind Kink post on SoundofNepal.com.

About the video:

“San Francisco” from Jill Sobule’s new record “California Years.” Directed by Margaret Cho, with lots of help from Lorene Machado and Mookey Goh.

Jill’s record comes out on April 14th via her own “Pinko Records” label. Pre-order it here: http://www.jillsobule.com/preorder.asp

Starring Jill Sobule, Margaret Cho, Henry Lewis, Violet Blue, Mike Davis, Monistat, Peter Acworth, Donna Dolore, Daphne, Lorelei Lee, Isaac Fitzgerald, Stephen Elliot, Ryan, Mark Eitzel, Cecelia Chung, Tita Aida and Christina. Special thanks to Chip Yamada, Everlasting Tattoo and Kink.com

Phyllis Christopher
Bedspring, San Francisco, 1996

Christopher’s intimate prints are regarded as “one of the most authentic representations of lesbians, incorporating butch dykes and femme girls, and the many degrees of gender fluidity between.”

Here’s more from their press release:

“I’ve always insisted on shooting what I find sexy,” says, Christopher. “To me, a woman who is excited about her sexuality is always going to look hot.”

The series explores concepts from light-hearted erotic escapades to hardcore bondage, domination and sadomasochism – in places it is voyeuristic, intimate – but always honest.

Christopher continues, “A lot of my work in the 90’s explored lesbian fetishes. I liked cruising hands and was always sure I could determine what a girl might be like in the bedroom by her choice of footwear. I’m very influenced by gay male erotica, especially US photographer, Robert Mapplethorpe. Men have never spent a second denying their fetishes so why should women.”

Christopher’s passion for photography started out as a way to push creative limits and take a closer look at real lesbian sex. “There weren’t many representations of lesbians when I started out, so I started taking risqué photographs of my girlfriends. I started taking photos of them kissing. I love to watch women kiss. I will never tire of it.”

And here’s more of Christopher’s work:

http://www.obsessionart.com/find.asp?manufacturer_id=Phyllis_Christopher

Thanks ObsessionArt.com for featuring this important work and allowing the prints accessible to a global market. The site has been promoting and selling works of over 60 artists in the past 3 years, and is worth checking out and bookmarking!

Just yesterday I took home a piece of our store’s history, our old Plexiglas sign that talked about the Mission of what was the Cooperative of Good Vibrations.

No longer being an owner of our company, I’ve looked at it as a blessing: the business end is taken care of folks that really have an understanding of business end so that we workers can focus on keeping on with the heart of the mission: To teach accurate sex information and promote HEALTHY attitudes about sex.
What the media gives us is not healthy. They shove it in our face and then yell at us to bury our own with double standards. Controlling people with fear based idea’s and telling them that they don’t deserve the right to pleasure!

“Pleasure is our birthright” my beloved co-worker Carol Queen has said. It has become our mantra.

I would get arrested for teaching people how to use a toy to enhance the experience with their partners in other states! This also applies to teaching folks about safer sex and use of a condom so that they can be empowered to lessen their chances of contracting diseases that plague the human race.

Sometimes I wonder, did someone create some of these diseases to get rid of a population that they fear? What rights do you fear that they will take away from you? Do you think that the LGBT community is going to take you all down into a life of sin?

Right now tour buses are driving in the Castro so that tourists can look at the Gay folks as if they were attractions in a zoo. The tourists are invited into the “wilds” of San Francisco to gaze upon happy people who have accepted their desires (not unlike their own) and their choices.
Here in my hometown I am viewed by some as a rarity. I am married to a “bio-male” who is accepted and loved in this community. A fave person of mine told me the other day that she felt my husband should have an award as a honorary Lesbian. Because he polite and respects all people regardless, they have felt he deserves this. Many women have told me they love him. I go to coffee bars in town and the women ask about him, profess their love! How lucky am I?
Just as I experienced, all, if not most of our friends, are of this community. They want the same things we want: love, acceptance and the right to live their life in the manner that makes them happy. California honoured our requests to let folks who love each other get married. Now others want to take it away.

This whole business about having to be this gender and that gender gets lost on me. I am so many genders, we all start in the womb as one and then hormones take over to assert other characteristics.

At first I was not ok with my lot. I am sure many a Tomboi like myself were not ok with having to put the shirt on when secondary sex characteristics kicked in. I relate most to 2 spirit people that define themselves and choose what makes them comfortable.I just can’t define myself. Others see what they want to in you. I feel I rather get on and not bother to classify myself.

I will respect whatever you choose for your self, name , gender (or lack there of) and lifestyle, all I ask for is the same.
In that respect I chose another route for myself. While somefolks change their bodies in one way, I have changed mine in another. I don’t feel there is much difference and I stick up for their right to do so. In fact, it is a factor in many of my decisions. I don’t feel comfortable in a place that is not available to a large part of humanity that is looked over in other areas, outside of San Francisco. Lack of acceptance? I take my business elsewhere. My choice of spiritual practices are the same: my higher power/god(dess) or what ever you choose to call it looks beyond gender into the person inside as I have always done.

How hard is that and why does it threaten you for someone to be themselves? Do you really know better?