College Times

Issue date: 5/29/08 Section: Sex

Media Credit: Ryan Ruiz This photo is self-explanatory.

Happy National Masturbation Month, and no, I didn't make that up.

In December 1994, Surgeon General Jocelyn Elder was asked at a World AIDS Day event in New York City whether she thought masturbation should be included in comprehensive sex education in schools.

Dr. Elder's reply, which is quoted in White House transcripts, was, "I think that is something that is a part of human sexuality and it's a part of something that perhaps should be taught."

No, she wasn't suggesting sex education classes teach young people explicit masturbation techniques, but she believed that masturbation was a part of human sexuality and, therefore, should be included in comprehensive sexual health curriculum.

Makes sense, since 53 percent of men and 25 percent of women masturbated for the first time by ages 11 and 13 according to a study by Janus & Janus.

"But we've not even taught our children the very basics. And I feel that we have tried ignorance for a very long time, and it's time we try education," she continued saying that day.

Soon after, she was fired by President Bill Clinton, the man who single-handedly put oral sex squarely in the middle of dinner-time conversation.

In response to Dr. Elder's firing, in 1995 the San Francisco-based sex retail store Good Vibrations declared May the month to get your masturbation on and teamed up with The Center for Sex & Culture to hold an annual online Masturbate-a-thon.

Participants are asked to get pledges (dollars per minute) and try to masturbate as long as possible on a given day in order to raise money for The Center for Sex & Culture, which is dedicated to supporting sex education, sexual safety and masturbation, the most common and still frequently scorned sexual practice on the planet.

Tens of thousands of dollars have been raised and the current world record for a female participant, Norine Dworkin of San Fransisco, is six hours and 30 minutes and for a male participant in San Francisco is eight hours and 40 minutes.

Masturbation may still be taboo in most of America, but a 2002 study by Pinkerton, Bogart, Cecil & Abramsom of undergraduate college students showed 98 percent of men and 44 percent of women reported masturbating.

The Center for Sex & Culture hopes with their Masturbate-a-thon to shed the sex act of its negative stereotype and help people feel less shameful for stroking.

If you're interested in lending a helping hand, literally, to keep sex education safe, accurate and fun, contact The Center for Sex & Culture at 415.255.1155.

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