Right now, as I type this, mere blocks from my house, people are masturbating for up to eight hours straight. Seriously. Chafing aside — not to mention the focus involved! — I have to tip my hat (or my underpants) to the participants of the 12th Annual Masturbate-a-Thon at San Francisco's Center for Sex and Culture.
Founded in response to the firing in 1995 of US Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders, after she recommended that teens be taught that masturbation is a healthy alternative to sex (horrors!), Masturbation Month was the brain-child of sex-activist Carol Queen. The idea was to promote a healthier attitude toward self-sex — to take the shame out of it and banish for good the notion that it's just something you do when there's nothing better going on.
Within a few years, it had become a live event.
Like Woody Allen said, don't knock it. At least it's sex with someone you love.
At first, the Mast-a-Thon was a simple fundraiser: Participants would accept pledges for every orgasm, and every minute they could "keep it up." Since then, it has become a party where people pay $25 to $40 to either participate as a performer, to compete, or just to be a voyeur. The event also streams live (for a $5 fee) from Masturbate-a-Thon.com and features local sex-celebs like porn star Nina Hartley. The money goes to various sex-education non-profits. Similar events are now held in Washington, DC; Portland, Oregon; London, England; and Copenhagen, Denmark.
And in case you're curious, past event winners of the San Francisco event include:
Longest Time Spent Masturbating/Male: Mr. Masanobu Sato
2008: 9 hours, 33 minutes
2009: 9 hours, 58 minutes
Longest Time Spent Masturbating/Female: Ms. Kitty Kat
2008: 7 hours, 6 minutes.
Most Orgasms/Male: Michael Hariprem
2008: 31 climaxes
Most Orgasms/Female: Lady Monster
2008: 20 climaxes
Men's Distance Record: Mr. Flint Greasewood
2009: 5 feet 4 inches
What was the longest you've masturbated?
