Lesbian Sex and Sexuality

- Season 1

(2007)

In this episode, we explore the world of lesbian porn, which has come a long way. Far from the days when women shot on consumer video cameras with friends and lovers in their own living rooms, today's lesbian pornographers come equipped with film degrees, storyboards, and the latest in digital technology. While the tools have changed, their goal remains essentially the same--to make authentic lesbian porn with real queer women who are having real orgasms. Shine Houston is the up-and-coming porn director of the breakout hit "The Crash Pad". Her second feature "...

Not long ago, if you walked into a lesbian bar or club, you would not expect to find a scantily clad woman collecting dollars for a dance. Go-go girls were seen as politically incorrect and relegated to the domain of men. Not so today. Almost every lesbian bar and club has a sexy dancer on the bar, a stand or onstage. There is an underground cult of celebrity among the girls based on talent and creativity. And for any woman who has ever felt vulnerable or protective of the girl dancing on the bar for men, in an all women's setting the dancer's power over the patrons' ...

This episode traces the beginnings of lesbian porn made by lesbians for lesbians. Reacting against the widespread anti-porn bias in mainstream feminism, and fed up with the showy girl-on-girl action typically found in porn manufactured for straight men, these sex-positive pioneers decided to put the cameras and control in their own hands. They created an emerging genre of lesbian pornography and erotica dedicated to representing lesbian desires from a lesbian perspective that has turned into a mega-business. We talk to Nan Kinney about creating On Our Backs, the ...

Perhaps no stereotype rings more loudly and painfully in the ears of lesbians than "lesbian bed death." But today, lesbians are not only discussing their sexual fantasies openly--but also actively finding ways to fulfill them. In this episode, comedian Julie Goldman walks us through a few possibilities dykes are exploring including creating pin-up calendars for femme fetishists and setting up sexual encounters on the Internet. We also take a look back at the work of erotic photography vanguard Phyllis Christopher.

While "what do they do" may be the oldest question, the oldest stereotype about lesbians is what they bring on a second date--a U-Haul. Lesbians, at least within the gay community, are noted as being much more committed to long-term monogamous relationships. While statistics do bear this out, many in the community are diehard subscribers to alternative lifestyles such as polyamory, open relationships and swinging. In this episode, we talk to Karen Everett, a filmmaker whose commitment to a polyamorous life includes making an obsessive autobiographical film about her ...

Madison Avenue has long realized that for the straight world, the idea of two women together is a titillation that can translate into huge profits. This episode explores this phenomenon by talking to queer women who have realized that lesbian sex sells. At the other end of the spectrum are lesbian-identified women who do sex work catering specifically to straight men. Mistress Leda organizes the largest "BDSM Ball" in the country and runs an all woman BDSM studio in New York. Skye Blue was a major mainstream porn star for over a decade, yet only performed girl on girl...