Sex Issue 2013

Has Valentine’s Day become nothing more than the emblem of holiday-themed consumerism, or is there value in having one day of the year devoted to love? We asked several Cal students for their opinions about February 14th.

The weekly Bondage-a-Go-Go event at the Cat Club in San Francisco is not only bedecked with gimp suits, chains and industrial metal that would put any Marilyn Manson music video to shame. But it’s also a space for an inclusive community that just happens to love BDSM.

“So, lesbian sex ... how does it work?” It’s a question I’ve encountered more than once. In fact, if I got laid every time someone inquired as to how it is I get laid, I’d be on par with Shane McCutcheon.

Coming from the unincorporated town of rural Hockinson, Wash., then relocating to the hub of gay culture has rocked my world in more ways than one, I have never felt fully comfortable identifying as either dominant or submissive. But since being in the Bay Area, I have learned that this binary doesn’t need to exist. I am only beginning my life as a young rookie in the sexual world, and San Francisco has been my biggest challenge yet.

Bluntly put, I am an avid supporter of the one-night stand. That doesn’t mean I spend all my weekends seeking out and partaking in boozy sex with random strangers, but rather that I find true value in the experience.