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 Sato2008: 9 hours, 33 minutes2009: 9 hours, 58 minutes
Longest Time Spent Masturbating/Female: Ms. Kitty Kat2008: 7 hours, 6 minutes.
Most Orgasms/Male: Michael Hariprem2008: 31 climaxes
Most Orgasms/Female: Lady Monster2008: 20 climaxes
Men’s Distance Record: Mr. Flint Greasewood2009: 5 feet 4 inches
What was the longest you’ve masturbated?
