“What do you get when you [...]]]> Crystal Delights Announces “Beary Beary Big Mother’s Day Give-Away” Breast Cancer Promotion

April 30, 2012– New Boston, NH – Partnering with some of their fellow industry peers, Crystal Delights is offering an amazing Mothers’ Day give-away that not only celebrates mothers but also supports several causes for all women.

“What do you get when you combine a gorgeous Crystal Delights toy with a Merci Toys Fairy Wand, beautiful nipple jewelry from NippleCharms.com, and a shimmering massage oil candle tin from Scandle, all with one large cuddly Teddy Bear?” asks the AVN-nominated company. “You get a chance to win a Beary Beary Big Bundle, a one of a kind Mother’s Day promotion only from Crystal Delights!”

The “Beary Beary Big Bundle” features the brand new Crystal Delights Colors Against Cancer (CAC) Atomic Rose pink anal plug available in a clear, smooth finish or frosted finish. This new plug is adorned with a stunning Atomic Rose vintage glass medallion from the Czech Republic and can only be described as an objet d’art.

The Tyler Hope Love Bear has a special secret – it hides your most personal items in the most adorable way. This cuddly teddy bear is 24” tall, with soft brown fur and sparkling button eyes. He also features an easily accessible opening with a magnetic closure behind the neck where you can discreetly store your favorite toys, and also comes with a soft drawstring bag to hold smaller items together.

Crystal Delights donates annually 10% of the profits from the Colors Against Cancer product line, an AVN 2012 Nominee for best overall sex toy line, to cancer charities. The Tyler Hope Company graciously supports charitable causes by donating 5% of their profits to Breast Cancer research and Battered Women’s shelters.

“We think all those special Moms in our lives will just love our Beary Beary Big Bundle,” explains Shellie Yarnell, Creative Director for Crystal Delights. “We always love the chance to partner with our business allies, especially in support of good causes.”

Anyone can enter to win the Beary Beary Big Bundle at http://crystaldelights.com/2012/04/28/bear-with-us, but only one prize will be rewarded to one lucky winner. Those who would prefer not to wait can also purchase the Beary Beary Big Bundle directly at a special price and a shipping discount at http://crystaldelights.com.

For media inquiries, please contact Shellie Yarnell of Crystal Delights at info@virtuallyabout.com.

Keywords: crystal delights, merci toys, tyler hope, nipple charms, breast cancer awareness, adult toys, toy giveaway, mothers day

About VirtuallyAbout:
VirtuallyAbout, LLC dba Crystal Delights, not only manufactures their line of upscale adult toys, the company has a mission to always give back to the community that supports them. They founded “Crystal Causes,“ and the “Colors Against Cancer” toy line, and donate a percentage of net profit annually to cancer charities. Crystal Causes also helps raise funds for worthwhile adult charities. They strive to be a green company, doing their best to produce and package with a low-carbon imprint, keeping the environment in mind. All in an effort to support the world community that supports them.

Contact Information:

Virtuallyabout, LLC | +1.603.296.1045 | info@virtuallyabout.com | www.crystaldelights.com

This post, Win your mother the sex toy package of the year!, originally appeared on Shanna Katz M.Ed, ACS -- Board Certified Sexologist and Sexuality Educator on May 3, 2012.

Did you know that April is a lot of different months relating to sexuality? One of them happens to be National Get Yourself Tested Month, and I think everyone should be celebrating!

How? It’s easy! Head on over to www.GYTnow.org for information, coupons, ways of find [...]]]> Repost from last year, but still, and always important:

Did you know that April is a lot of different months relating to sexuality? One of them happens to be National Get Yourself Tested Month, and I think everyone should be celebrating!

How? It’s easy! Head on over to www.GYTnow.org for information, coupons, ways of find places near by you and more. Whether you’re single, in multiple relationships, sleeping with lots of folks, or in a monogamous relationship, you should know your status regarding STIs. Being “Clean” has nothing to do with whether or not you have a sexually transmitted infection; 75-80% of sexually active Americans have or have had an STI at some point. That’s the majority — it’s OK to have an STI, but you need to know so a) you can get treated either to cure it or help the symptoms (depending whether it is bacterial or viral) and b) so you can make decisions along with your partner(s) about what type of safer sex you’d like to be having. It’s really tough to make those decisions and have those conversations if you don’t even know where you stand.

So whether you choose to head over to Planned Parenthood, your local STI clinic, your primary care physician, your gynecologist, your country health center, your campus clinic, etc, I commend you for taking the first step to power- knowledge. If you need cheap, free or sliding scale testing, it is out there. Take the plunge and get a full panel; find out where you stand so you can then take control of your sexual health and wellness to make decisions that are good for you, as well as for past, present and future partners.

Step up, and make a change!

Shanna

This post, Have YOU gotten yourself tested?, originally appeared on Shanna Katz M.Ed, ACS -- Board Certified Sexologist and Sexuality Educator on April 10, 2012.

*Sexual assault does not always involve penetration

*Sexual assault is not limited to females or women identified people

*Sexual assault [...]]]> Every year, I right about this. Most of my thoughts from it are summed up in my piece about National Sexual Assault Awareness Month from last year. However, some things to always keep in mind.

*Sexual assault does not always involve penetration

*Sexual assault is not limited to females or women identified people

*Sexual assault is not limited to straight people

*Sexual assault does not discriminate by age, ability, race, sex, gender, socio-economic status, size, education, etc.

*Someone YOU know has been sexually assaulted. It’s never funny to joke about it, to tell someone they are lying or deserved it, or anything like that. It is immature, small and rude. And it kind of makes you an asshat.

If you or someone you know has been assaulted, there are many resources. College campuses tend to have hotlines and/or sexual assault response coordinators. You can contact RAINN (the Rape, Assault and Incest National Network). If you need LGBTQ resources, here are some to get you started. Many states have anti violence programs (in Colorado, it is CAVP). Many doctors and social workers have awesome resources as well. If you cannot find any near you/the person you’re helping, please contact me and I will help you.

Together, we can work together to both support survivors, and to change our culture to make it a safer place for EVERYONE.

This post, Hey! It’s sexual assault awareness month!, originally appeared on Shanna Katz M.Ed, ACS -- Board Certified Sexologist and Sexuality Educator on April 1, 2012.

March 27, 2012 — The growing community of independent sex-positive shops has a new home thanks to the launch of the Progressive Pleasure Club (PPC), founders Molly Adler and Matie Fricker announced today. Adler and Fricker, owners of Self Serve Toys in [...]]]> A New Generation of Education-Based Sex Shops is Changing the Adult Industry

March 27, 2012 —  The growing community of independent sex-positive shops has a new home thanks to the launch of the Progressive Pleasure Club (PPC), founders Molly Adler and Matie Fricker announced today. Adler and Fricker, owners of Self Serve Toys in Albuquerque, New Mexico, started the PPC to share support and resources with other shops like theirs, which help people make informed decisions about sexuality-related products.

Says Adler: “We wanted to get people talking about the unique work we do and the challenges and joys we encounter at Self Serve, and so the Progressive Pleasure Club was born. We believe everyone has a right to enjoy sexual pleasure in a smart and healthy way, and the PPC will educate customers about local, independent stores where they can feel safe shopping, and can trust the safety of the adult products they buy.”

Today a new class of social entrepreneurs are taking the lead in opening sex-positive, independent shops all over the continent. Self Serve is one of a dozen or so like-minded shops in cities from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon, where trained sex educators offer a locally-owned, education-based, ethical place to shop for intimate goods. The Progressive Pleasure Club is a network of independent sex shops dedicated to helping people make informed decisions about sexuality products. Member shops are committed to the promotion of accurate and honest pleasure-based sexuality education, and to offering products that meet the highest standards of safety.  “We are thrilled that the PPC came into being,” explains Gina Rourke, owner of Nomia in Portland, Maine.  “Since 2004, Oh My in Northampton, MA and Nomia have been collaborating and sharing information, as well as our purchasing power. To have the opportunity to join with a cadre of similarly committed entrepreneurs with shared values is nothing short of revolutionary. We are excited to see how this collective will transform lives in our communities as well as the industry at large.”

In the next year PPC members will join forces to educate the public about adult toy safety, promote local support for small business, and lobby adult toy manufacturers to eliminate the use of phthalates and toxins in manufacturing.  “We have created a unique space for sharing marginalized voices, both ours and those of our customers. The PPC is bent on radicalizing the adult industry for the better of all,” shares Lea Caughlan, owner the Rubber Rose in San Diego.

As small business owners, the members of the PPC recognize that there’s power in numbers. And not unlike the healthy polyamorous folks they sometimes serve, PPC members seek to approach business from an ethical place of abundance and positivity. After all, PPC members share the goal of promoting sexual health and pleasure for all, and believe there is room for all to succeed as they strive to reach it.  Searah Deysach, owner of Chicago’s Early to Bed explains, “I am thrilled to be a part of an organization that is made up of small, local businesses that are committed to the same sex-positive, feminist values as I am. I love that we work together to help all of our shops thrive.”

Current Members of Progressive Pleasure Club
Early to Bed | Chicago, IL
Feelmore 510 | Oakland, CA
Good for Her | Toronto, ON
Nomia | Portland, ME
Oh My | Northhampton, MA
The Rubber Rose | San Diego, CA
Self Serve | Albuquerque, NM
She Bop | Portland, OR
Smitten Kitten | Minneapolis, MN
Sugar | Baltimore, MD
The Tool Shed | Milwaukee, WI

For more information about the Progressive Pleasure Club, email molly@selfservetoys.com

###

Contact: Molly Adler
505-265-5815
molly@selfservetoys.com
progressivepleasureclub.com

This post, Meet the Progressive Pleasure Club, originally appeared on Shanna Katz M.Ed, ACS -- Board Certified Sexologist and Sexuality Educator on March 30, 2012.

If you’d be so kind to click here and vote in the last write in box (where you can write in anything you want) and vote for [...]]]> Out Front Colorado is having a write in contest for all of the best things in Denver. They seemed to have left out the Best Local Sexuality Educator.

If you’d be so kind to click here and vote in the last write in box (where you can write in anything you want) and vote for Best Sexuality Educator: Shanna Katz, I’d really appreciate it!

Much love,

Shanna

Link to outstanding award nominations: http://outfrontcolorado.com/ofcblog/outstanding-award-nomination/

This post, Vote for Denver’s Best Local Sexuality Educator, originally appeared on Shanna Katz M.Ed, ACS -- Board Certified Sexologist and Sexuality Educator on March 12, 2012.

or their sister site, PassionateU.com?

They are amazing education sites for folks around the world to get accessible and affordable education around sexuality. Kink Academy is more focused on kinky fun, while Passionate U talks about sexuality from a more mainstream light, but both are incredible. They [...]]]> Have you heard of Kink Academy

or their sister site, PassionateU.com?

They are amazing education sites for folks around the world to get accessible and affordable education around sexuality. Kink Academy is more focused on kinky fun, while Passionate U talks about sexuality from a more mainstream light, but both are incredible. They feature clips from educators around the world, teaching their sexuality classes to you, regardless of whether you’re near by a hopping dungeon or rocking sex positive space. Wanna learn how to throw a single tail? Done. Wanna get some blow job basic? Done. Interested in gender 101 or the intersection of sex and disability? That is there too! Over a hundred educators (myself included) are excited to help you explore the spectrum that is sexuality.

Why am I pumping this up? Well, first of all, they are an awesome set of sites, and I’m happy to promote them. And second of all, I’m giving a FREE month of membership away to one of these two sites (winner’s choice) at the end of this contest.

How do you enter?

Must be 18 plus. Comment before by September 20th, 2011 (with a valid email please, so I can get ahold of the winner) with why YOU think it is important to have accessible sex education. It can be a sentence, a paragraph, a poem, a picture, but tell us why sex education is important to you, your community, etc.  Winner will get ONE MONTH FREE on their choice of either PassionateU or Kink Academy.

Time to try and win!

-Shanna

This post, Kink Academy and Passionate U Contest!, originally appeared on Shanna Katz M.Ed, ACS -- Board Certified Sexologist and Sexuality Educator on September 6, 2011.