Sex and Sexuality

the Week of September 8, 2014
Wire wool spinning in a metal whisk, creating a bright central light with many neon wires emerging from it.

We explore technology’s complicated role in our sex lives, the politics of running sex tech startups, and social media as a space of sexual exploration and acceptance. We look at online dating and poly culture, the double-standards of in-office affairs, and power and sexuality in Silicon Valley. We discuss being gay on the internet and the hazards of OKCupid in patriarchal society, plus the tech industry’s relationship to the LGBT community. Header image CC-BY Jamie Manktelow, cropped.

A tweet from user LynnMagic that reads 'pls read the sign. GAYS ONLY !' Attached is a photo of the author pointing to the words 'gays only' written sideways on her chest.

Gay Internet Witches on the Internet Get More Kisses

Go out into the twitters. Become more gay. More powerful!

Piers and the ocean at night.

My Apparatus

Many of us do not know what a private body looks like.

by Neve Be
Screenshot of eHarmony relationship status question.

Poly Culture and Online Dating

The search for more inclusive polyamorous options on dating sites.

San Francisco in fall.

Online Dating in the SF Tech Industry

What gives men the idea that sending these kinds of sexually explicit messages off-the-bat, unsolicited, and before getting to know a person is okay?

People in Google shirts holding a banner that says 'Google' with rainbow detailing.

Trans Challenges to the Tech World

By placing improvements for trans tech workers within a systems perspective, transgender rights advocates can make tech more accessible to the most marginalized parts of the trans community.

A man in a business suit, adjusting his tie, his face turned from the camera.

Silicon Valley’s Cult of Male Ego

It creates an environment where a woman’s sexuality is an item for public consumption, a thing which can be approved of or rejected, valued or denigrated by the community.

Sketch of a lamp.

That Time I Was Caught Cheating, Sucking Face, and Sitting on a White Man’s Lap at Work

Men walk away virtually unscathed by their acts of extra-marital sexuality. Women get contempt and professional backlash.

Rope wound around a metal cylinder.

Sex and Tech: The Sexual Revolution

There is another sexual revolution happening, and it's online now.

The author pointing to a neon sign that says 'Sex'.

SexTech Startups in a Hostile Business World

How is this environment fair? And who really pays in the end?

This issue is made possible in part by some of our generous readers: Jason Pontin, Thom Baynes, AV Flox, Bernard Yu, Jez Humble, Alex Clemmer, Rob Harrop and Joey Echeverria.