The Next Big Sexual Revolution

Even though it’s common to consider the revolution that rocked (and rolled, of course) America during the 60s and 70s, there have actually been many sexual revolutions that each, in their own way, forever altered how we human-folks look at physical pleasure, gender, sexual orientation, and pretty much every other aspect of sex.

Like the one in the 60s and 70s, what exactly caused them is complex. Reasons ranged from oral contraception to a new generation rejecting the idea that sexual desire and experiences should be shameful (in the case of that one decade); to women’s liberation working with the walk-on-the-wild side lifestyle of speakeasies during Prohibition (back in the 20s); and even the glorious decadence of the Weimar Republic (which was a little bit afterwards).

With sex, it’s common to look at the present as, and I say this not in any way to dismiss those who struggle with this mental condition, bipolar: that while we are seeing real progress in some areas, such as with sexual technology, the growing popularity of polyamory and BDSM, as well as the steadily increasing acceptance of the LGBTQ community, many countries are also seeing a dip towards the sexual dark ages, with bigotry, ignorance, intolerance, religious fundamentalism creating an atmosphere of guilt, shame, and fear.  

Despite this, there are many excellent reasons to believe that the next big sexual revolution is right around the corner, that the positives we’ve achieved as a society will gain more and more momentum, and the negatives many of us are currently suffering through will become nothing but horror stories to tell the next, sexually evolved generation.

So here are a few of my personal thoughts about what will drive this next big sexual revolution and even some ideas of how we all can do our own to make it arrive sooner.

Technology 

Sextech used to be clumsy, crude, and worst of all ineffective: something more often than not considered a joke and not a way to have a good time. Not anymore, though: now we have dozens and dozens of developers and manufacturers, many of which are women-run and female-pleasure focused, who are creating mind-boggling, sophisticated, and sexually enticing devices.

Not only do these new toys talk to each other over Bluetooth as well as WiFi, meaning that they can be a key part of having, for the first time, an erotically fulfilling long-distance relationship, but they have been carefully engineered for maximum pleasure.

Better yet, they are rapidly losing their stigma: no longer relegated to the dark alleys of the Internet. They can be bought practically everywhere, including mainstream sites like Amazon.  

This all means that the right to sexual pleasure, as well as the recognition of masturbation being not just healthy but also really pleasurable, is gaining more and more momentum. It's definitely a big part of our next sexual revolution.

How can you help? Well, buying some of these great products would be a great start: as well as being open, so far as you are comfortable, about enjoying them: with or without a partner.  

Embracing fluidity

This may be a tad abstract but bare we with me: the world used to be tragically limited by narrow, confining sexual orientations like gay or straight and genders like male or female. Now, though, we are beginning to really understand, and accept, that orientation, gender and human sexuality exists on -- yes, I am going to go there -- a rainbow of possibilities and options.

Sexuality and gender self-determination is a right: that you can, and should, be who you are and not what other people say you have to be. Add to this the understanding that, even then, none of this is fixed in time, that the sexual self I am now may not be the sexual self I am tomorrow, and we begin to see what could very well be the start of a deep transformation of human society, and a part of our next big sexual revolution.

How can you help?  First and foremost, be part of the solution and not the problem by growing up yourself, respecting people's preferred genders; looking at what you have in common with other people, instead of any illusory differences. And, most of all, abandoning your irrational biases or bigotry in favor of empathy and self-education. 

Everyone instead of minorities

I touched briefly on how BDSM, polyamory and other so-called sexual minorities are becoming more and more visible, and through this visibility gaining greater acceptance.  In the next few years, though, this will get better and better, with a majority finally abandoning the myth of 'normal' sex.

As with the previous rainbow, this will also mean a wide-scale acceptance that each of us, in some way or another, bucks this sexual delusion of normal, and so nothing, and no one, is ever a sexual minority: we are all in this together.

How can you help?  As with the section above, education and sensitivity are some of the best ways to combat a narrow, toxic worldview.  So instead of seeing the world as “normal” and “not”, expand your vision and embrace options and possibilities.

Gaining knowledge

There are other things to touch on, like how virtual reality is giving us ways to experience all kinds of sexual activities and life experiences, and so, move beyond things like homophobia, or how artificial intelligence is on its way to either help us find a human date or be the lover of our wildest erotic dreams.  

Then there’s sexbots, and how they’re becoming an accepted fetish, or, getting really out there, how we’ll soon be 3D printing body parts: meaning our next big sexual revolution will involve modular genitalia.

But what I feel is really ushering in our next big sexual revolution is you, right now, reading my humble little article: things are changing because we are experiencing a massive pushback against ignorance, and thus prejudice, through sex education.

And sites like Tickle.Life and others are leading the way.  By providing a safe place to learn all about sexual health, erotic pleasure, gender fluidity, LGBTQ experiences, birth control options, sexually transmitted infections, dating and accessing sexual communities... The list goes on and on. They are at the front of the next big sexual revolution.  

How can you help? Clearly reading sites like Tickle.Life and so many others is a big help, but so is sharing what you’ve read and learned as well as supporting them as much as possible. Do this, and whatever you think will be a force for good, and you’ll be playing your own crucial part in bringing about the next big sexual revolution.

And, better yet, when it comes it will not only change everything for the better, giving us all a world of acceptance, education, and conscientious passion but--like so many of those other sexual revolutions--be a lot of fun to be part of!