UK Sex Sells News

Congratulations to Sh! Women's Erotic Emporium that was voted by Erotic Trade Only as the Most Innovative Retailer.

Sh! Women's Erotic Emporium have stores at

• 57 Hoxton Square, London N1 6HD.
• 253 Portobello Road, Notting Hill, London W11 1LR

Targeting sex toys for women tends make for a very different atmosphere to many shops. The store has a unique restriction of being basically women only, although guys are welcome if accompanied by a woman.

Sh! writes: Interestingly the men who vist Sh! tell us they enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and non in-your-face stock as much the women it was created for"….

Shades Gentleman's Club in Leamington's High Street had its licence renewal rejected down by Warwick District Council after opposition from nutters claiming it degraded women as sex objects .

It follows a change in licensing laws which meant lap dancing clubs had to reapply for a sex entertainment licence to operate.

Campaigner Ian Davison, of South Leamington Green Party, said: I'm delighted.

Update: Moral censorship

30th June 2011.  From coventrytelegraph.net

Shades Gentlemen's Club, in Leamington High Street, employs nearly 30 people and there have been no complaints from the police or direct neighbours about its activities since it opened three years ago.

But a licence committee refused the application supposedly because of the club's impact on the character of the surrounding area, in particular its close proximity to residential flats, places of worship and charities.

The committee also felt the presence of a sex entertainment venue in Old Town destroyed attempts to regenerate the area and decided it was not in the public interest.

Although objections on religious or moral grounds cannot be taken into account, licensing services manager David Davies told the Times: You can't say 'I object to striptease dancers because I don't agree with them', but licences can be refused because of the venue's locality and proximity to schools, churches, homes and so on.

Bosses of Shades have 21 days to appeal the decision to the magistrates court, should they wish.

Vicar, can you help us fight lap dancing at the Coven. Love your neighbour and all that.

Not my neighbour!

The management of lap-dancing club The Lodge announced last week that they are intending to move their business to West Oxford nightclub Coven.

The Lodge was unsuccessful in renewing its sexual entertainment licence on its current premises on St Ebbes Street, after a campaign by the neigbouring St. Ebbe's Church to have the establishment relocated.

Vaughan Roberts, the Rector of St. Ebbes, said: Our passion at St Ebbe's Church is to share the good news of God's love for all people through Jesus Christ, and to serve our city in any way we can. We [were] reluctant to object to the application...not least because it could make us look like spoilsports ...HOWEVER... we decided that we must.

Oxford City Council has confirmed that an application has been made by The Lodge to acquire a sexual entertainment licence for Coven, and said that although the application is still going through the consultation stage. If no objections are raised the application will be granted.

Vaughan Robertssaid: We believe that lap dancing clubs demean women, undermine marriage and depersonalise God's good gift of sex but declined to say if the church would object to the new location.

Artist: Xue Wang (China)

Born in northern China, Xue Wang came to London, aged 22, to complete an MA in fashion at the University Of Westminster. But, as she says, the self-reflective intimacy of art, which has always been latent in me, forced my transition from fashion to painting. Combining the iconography of childhood with the cultural heritage of Victoriana, vintage fashion, classic films and pin-ups, she places cartoon-like girls in risque' settings to create pop surrealist images possessing both eroticism and a hint of menace.

Campaigner: John Constable

During the 16th century countless prostitutes were buried in the unhallowed ground of Cross Bones, an ancient burial site near Borough High Street, SE1. Since the mid-1990s, London poet John Constable has fought to have their last resting place recognised as a heritage site and to establish a garden of rememberance. His cycle of poems and plays, the Southwark Mysteries, which pays homage to the Winchester Geese , who plyed their trade in the stews of the South Bank, has been performed in settings as diverse as Shakespeare's Globe and Southwark Cathedral.

Erotic Film Society Award: Score: Uncensored Version (USA)

Starring Claire Wilbur, Calvin Culver, Lynn Lowry, Gerald Grant, Carl Parker. Director Radley Metzger. Distributor Cult Epics

Radley Metzger is one of the finest film-makers ever to work in erotic cinema and Score (1974) is his comic masterpiece of polysexual seduction, by turns hilarious and horny. Previously only available on DVD in a cut version, this new, high-definition transfer (DVD and Blu-Ray) by Cult Epics restores the imagery which includes graphic gay action and group sex. Plus there is extensive on location footage, an interview with star Lynn Lowry and -- for the first time ever -- a commentary track by Radley Metzger himself .

Fashio: Engineers of Desire (UK)

Cassie Carpenter's truly personalised service promises to turn your unique fashion fantasies into reality. Her corsets are not just distinctive; they are also ecologically sound, making use of recycled leather and rubber. Unusual colours and styles are customised with beautiful feathers or leather wings, etched aluminium panels for body armour, and silver jewellery. Should you wish to take your look to extremes, Engineers of Desire even offer matching vehicle makeovers!

Film: Till Sex Do Us Part (Spain)

Starring: Lesly Kiss, Manuel Falcon, Dunia Montenegro, David Galant Director Roberto Valtuen~a, Distributor Thagson Deluxe No formulaic porno cliche's here, this is a fresh and funny tale of an adult model with an unpredictable, interesting sex life. Manipulative Helen has a regular partner who is loyal but dull. She's also attracted to a moody conceptual artist... but to entice him she must first corrupt his innocent girlfriend. Wittily written and imaginatively directed, with performers who really can act, it's as well made as many mainstream, art-house movies but with sex scenes as scorching as the Spanish sun.

Innovation: Handisex (Denmark)

This Copenhagen-based service offers practical help for disabled people who can't masturbate due to their impairment. The client selects a sex toy, the helper attaches it and the client is left alone to enjoy themself. The helper only re-enters the room when called to remove the toy. Handisex also provides opportunities for disabled people to talk about their sexuality and to attend lectures, which are open to carers and families as well as people with disabilities. Our goal is to make eroticism acceptable, approachable and loveable for everyone!

Lifetime Achievement: Dian Hanson (USA)

Aged 24 and stuck in a dead-end town studying medicine, Dian Hanson made a momentous decision: to devote her life to fun. She has never looked back. Moving to New York, she helped launch the glossy adult magazine Puritan. This was the golden age of men's publications and Dian worked on many of the most successful, including Oui, Adult Cinema Review, Juggs, Tight and many, many more.

But even more significant than the titles in this illustrious list was the one which may be considered her crowning achievement, Leg Show, which she edited from 1987 until 2001. Through Leg Show, she discovered a sub-culture of fetishists whose needs, until then, had been largely ignored. Studying the intricacies of their tastes and translating them into words and photos was a challenge that totally stimulated and engrossed her.

Following the death of her boss, Dian decided to join Taschen, the highly respected German publishing house. She knew Benedikt Taschen to be a fearless publisher of sexual imagery who truly respected his customers -- something of a rarity in her experience. Her role as Sexy Book Editor offers her the pleasure of showing the world that good pornography is the equal to good art. And she's still having fun.

Lifetime Achievement: William Margold (USA)

Next year, the Renaissance Man of porn celebrates four decades working at almost every level in what he refers to as the Playpen of the Damned . We are damned not on religious grounds but for sociological reasons by a hypocritical society, he explains.

He's been an actor in over 160 hard-core films; a scriptwriter and director; an agent and critic; an activist, a fund raiser, a welfare counsellor... and the voice of conscience in an industry commonly thought to lack one. Over the years he became the first point of contact for many who wished to enter XXX and quickly saw him as their Papa Bear . Among his notable discoveries are Seka, Serena, Amber Lynn, Viper and, more recently Anita Cannibal.

He has been a tireless campaigner for free speech, notably telling the anti-porn Meese Commission, in October 1985: In a society that is drug-infested, violence-wracked and polluted by chemical greed...no one has ever died from an overdose of Pornography.

As a journalist, he was influential in creating the X-Rated Critics Organisation (XRCO). And, in response to the industry's growing disdain for consumers, he founded Fans Of X-Rated Entertainment (FOXE) which, from 1990 to 2006, gave devoted members of the public a chance to mingle with their favourite stars.

But his crowning achievement is Protecting Adult Welfare -- the PAW Foundation -- a not-for-profit organisation which provides advice, awareness training, peer counselling and a support network for anyone and everyone involved in the adult industry.

Bill continues to preach the gospel of X at every opportunity, acting as guardian of the industry's history and campaigning for 21 in 2012 , a voluntary agreement by US producers not to use performers below that age.

Outsiders Award: Ian Hudson (UK)

Ian is an artist who regularly attends the Night of the Senses. At the 2008 Ball, he approached Tuppy to say that one of her sites, TLC was not working properly, adding: If I may, perhaps, offer my assistance...? Since that time, Ian has been beavering away, first on the TLC web pages and then on the Outsiders site, making them not just technically perfect but gorgeous to look at. The new Outsiders site was launched in April 2011.

Comedian of the Year: Ophelia Bitz (UK)

Sharing stages and screens with Derren Brown, Tim Burton, The Tiger Lillies, Paul Zennon, The Puppini Sisters and popstar Mika, with her own brand of outrageous sexy comedy, Ophelia is the ultimate all-round entertainer. She is the sharpest razor-tongued wit in London, a vocalist, ring-mistress, compere and performance artist with a reputation for stealing hearts, drinks, and anything else not nailed to the table. Hang on to your hats!

Fetish Performer: Boykitten (UK)

A beautiful, 22-year-old FtM transsexual who enjoys his femininity and expresses himself through auto-suspension. Knowing about his painful arthritic condition increases the impressiveness of his act, leaving people spellbound and on the edge of their chairs, captivated by his androgenous body and sense of purpose.

Male Striptease Artist: Drew Passion (UK)

A classic male striptease artist with a great body, sweet sense of humour and a heart of gold. Perhaps it's his face that wins the girls over: impish, street-wise, dashing. Drew's stage presence is perhaps the most laid-back ever witnessed, bringing girls up from the audience and spontaneously allowing the audience into his secret thoughts.

Male Performance Artist: Equador (UK)

This talented magician is changing the face of male striptease of male striptease by presenting a masculine allure that is both whimsical, comical and dramatic, as well as generous, sensuous and not at all cockcentric.

Female Striptease Artist: Mistress Euzebia (Poland)

She's a crazy tom-boy hardcore striptease artist and an international wrestler. Wildly alternative, she manages to be both vulgar and elegant at the same time. Her show is unpredictable, yet polished.

Singer of the Year: Rooh Star (UK)

Rooh uses her rich soulful earthy voice to sing a joyful celebration of holiest of holes. The Holy Hole is Rooh's song, in praise of vaginas and reclaiming of the word cunt. With her song, comes with two gorgeous dancing girls, Katie Sarr and Sarah Robinson, graphically acting out the words. Rooh is a heartfelt, funny, quirky and engaging carrier of songs from deep inside the feminine psyche.

Female Performance Artist: Sabrina Sweepstakes (Canada)

This highly competent performer possesses a perfect figure, zany amusing talent, contortion and ballet skills and an ambition to create much more than striptease. She's the talk of the London Cabaret circuit, appearing at The Box, where audiences find her delightful and unforgettable.

Photographer: Gregory Brown (UK)

Gregory graduated in graphic design and worked for many years in commercial media but now specialises in photography, especially artistic and fine art nudes, fashion and fetish genres. Widely published on both sides of the Atlantic, his work has taken him through Europe, the Americas and the Far East, creating limited edition prints and taking on commissions for international clients. Gregory began life as a saxophone player, playing with the Temptations, Big Sound Authority and Paul Weller, among others.

Pioneer: Luca Darkholme (France/UK)

A male sex worker who co-founded the London Sex Worker Open University. It began as a week of events by and for sex workers and allies to explore the richness and contradictions of their industry. Academics, sex workers, activists, feminists, psychologists from London, Denmark, New Zealand, U.S debated and networked. They even aimed to understand the abolitionist feminist argument.

The Sex worker Open University brought many new sex workers to the world of activism and community, building internationally.

Sex Worker Female: Lara Latex (UK)

Lara is a busy, funny, multi-tasking woman who works as an escort, model and film-maker and porn star. She is tall, leggy, fully tri-sexual, and possesses a passion for sexual deviance. She offers OWO, GFE and the ultimate PSE (Porn Star Experience) and absolutely loves watching clients leave with a smile on their face. Lara says, My dreams are to legalise safe working environments for escorts; stop sex trafficking and enforced marriages; and campaign for these things because the freedoms I enjoy through my jobs, I am fully aware that others see as the chains that bind them.

Sex Worker Male: Josh Brandon (UK)

From the start, Josh, just up to London from Wales, decided that if he was going to have sex for money, he had to do so as a properly run career. Since then, his confidence has grown from all the compliments he's been given and from the realisation that his clients are increasing in confidence themselves from their experience. As well as running www.gayescorts.net he is currently writing an escort guide. Josh revealed, One client in the US told me how his family life is better, he felt more at ease in himself with his kids and his wife. As strange as it was to me, this was the nicest reward of all.

Story Teller: Madeline Moore (Canada)

Madeline is an experienced and widely published erotic short story teller who began her career when a writing tutor told her You write great sex without metaphor, which isn't easy to do. The publication of her first short pieces led to a commission from Black Lace for a novel. Her story Get Up Stand Up appears in the recent publication and e-book, The Cougar Book. Believable, moving, intelligent, unpretentious, unpredictable, highly erotic and original, it says lots about life, love and lust and is a joy to read.

Website: FetLife (Canada)

An exceptionally friendly (not bitchy!), welcoming, easy-to-use website which is free to join. They call themselves a small community of 750,000+ kinksters around the world. Each new member is welcomed in person and there's a wide range of choices and things to do on the site, including a group for disabled people and those who like disabled people, and even car-share to events! It's great for meeting people locally and learning more about yourself in the comfort of your own home. www.fetlife.com

Writer: Kate Bornstein (US)

Legendary transgender activist, author, playwright and performance artist, Kate Bornstein is best known for her ground-breaking books on postmodern gender theory, including Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us and My Gender Workbook. Her most recent work, Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation, written with S. Bear Bergman, brings together personal stories and comic drawings to reveal a whole spectrum of possible gender identities. Shifts in subculture move in waves through the meta-culture, she says.

Volunteer of the Year: Martin Disney

Our production manager who took on a huge challenge with producing the Night of the Senses in the blank canvas, and we hope he's still standing to pick up his Golden Flying Penis Trophy on the night.

Nutter MPs want to block an American TV show, which entices drunken girls on the street to strip off and perform 'lewd' acts in front of the cameras, from coming to the UK.

The show, called Girls Gone Wild , is produced by a Californian company that also makes pornographic films. Its producers want to bring a tour bus to Britain.

MPs from around the UK have claimed it to be exploitative and want the Home Office to ban the production company from operating here.

MPs from North East England believe the show's producers are likely to target the Newcastle area because of its reputation for drunken party-goers roaming the region's night clubs.

Ian Mearns, MP for Gateshead, has tabled a motion in Parliament which has attracted widespread support from other North East MPs, including Pat Glass, MP for Durham North West and Mary Glindon, MP for Tyneside North.

The motion states:

That this House is deeply concerned that US pornography production company Mantra Films Inc is filming Girls Gone Wild in the UK, which approaches young women, many of them intoxicated, in public places, and encourages them to expose their breasts, simulate sex acts and have sex on camera in exchange for Girls Gone Wild merchandise.

It concludes that this is a form of demeaning, exploitative and casualised prostitution; and urges the Government to examine, as a matter of urgency, how it can protect young women and halt this attempt at sensationalist entertainment.

A spokesman for the Girls Gone Wild show said:

We are really excited about bringing the brand and its road show to the UK and we expect British young men and women to have a fantastic time at the events which are a really fun celebration of freedom and youthful expression.

Erith and Thamesmead MP Teresa Pearce launched a petition calling on Bexley council to set a sex policy such that the borough remains a lap dancing-free zone.

She claimed: Lap dancing clubs fuel a sexist culture in which it is acceptable to treat women as sex objects, not people, and areas surrounding the clubs can become 'no-go' areas for women. So it's time for Bexley to use its new powers and take action: introduce a 'zero' policy on sexual entertainment venues and ensure our community stays a lap dancing club-- free zone.

A spokesperson for Bexley council said: To set a 'nil quota' the authority must have a 'sex policy'. Bexley has decided at present not to have a policy. Setting a nil policy does not prevent applications being made or authorities having to consider such applications.

On March 29th 2011 Bexley Council dropped the price of a sex establishment licence from £ 22,537 to £ 8,995 after they carried out a study into licence charges. The EU Services Directive which came into affect on December 28, 2009, requires that councils only charge for the admin cost of the licence and the required inspections and not the enforcement work carried out on unlicensed businesses.

In Greenwich, a sex shop licence costs £ 20,360 while in Westminster it is £ 29,102.

Blue Bar at the Robert Peel (UK)

Pub striptease is a time-honoured tradition in Britain but, in recent years, it has become an increasingly hard and less-pleasant way to make a living. Kingston's Robert Peel, which has hosted striptease for over 30 years, has set out to change all that, thanks to the new manager, Lee, for both dancers and audiences. As regular performer Solitaire says, The Peel makes me remember all the reasons I ever wanted to be a striptease artist and how much I still love it.... It's the one pub left where I feel valued and respected .

Robert Peel, Cambridge Road, Kingston, www.PeelBlueBar.co.uk

Luca Darkholme (France/UK)

A male sex worker who co-founded the London Sex Worker Open University. It began as a week of events by and for sex workers and allies to explore the richness and contradictions of their industry. Academics, sex workers, activists, feminists, psychologists from London, Denmark, New Zealand, U.S debated and networked. They even aimed to understand the abolitionist feminist argument.

The Sex worker Open University brought many new sex workers to the world of activism and community, building internationally.

www.sexworkeropenuniversity.com

David Miller and his Loving Links (UK)

David started Loving Links in 1995 as a printed newsletter for married people seeking extra-marital relationships. Its first on-line incarnation, in the early days of the internet, was as a forum then, as the web grew, it developed into a fully fledged dating site. David actively promotes the rights of people trapped in celibate and cold marriages both in the UK and overseas.

He collaborated with Desmond Wilcox to produce the ITV documentary Adultery or Therapy? which brought extra-marital relationships into the mainstream.

www.lovinglinks.co.uk

Daikichi Amono (Japan) This extraordinary visual artist creates powerful photographs and extreme videos involving girls with octopuses, eels and other aquatic creatures.... all of which are eaten afterwards! He explains his work by saying: I felt that the relation was amusing and that it was lascivious and then beautiful. Asked if he is an artist or pornographer, he replies: I think that the people who have an interest in my work should decide... For the way of taking a picture, the pornography and the art are the same. www.daikichiamano.com

[Note that some of Daikichi Amono's images tick most of the boxes to meet the legal definition of illegal to possess 'extreme pornography'. Hopefully the artistic intention, as opposed to being intended to arouse, lets them off the hook. Take a look on Google images.]

Gregory Brown (UK) Gregory graduated in graphic design and worked for many years in commercial media but now specialises in photography, especially artistic and fine art nudes, fashion and fetish genres. Widely published on both sides of the Atlantic, his work has taken him through Europe, the Americas and the Far East, creating limited edition prints and taking on commissions for international clients. Gregory began life as a saxophone player, playing with the Temptations, Big Sound Authority and Paul Weller, among others. www.gregorybrownphotography.com

Rod McDonald (UK) The body fills me with wonder and awe, says Rod, whose work with models from late teens to middle-age, reflects a range of physical types as his ideas and feelings about photography of the human form grow and change. Images of the body make a powerful connection with us. They are us - as we are, as we were, as we would like to be, as we fear to become - or perhaps they are the Other we desire or fear. www.eveproductions.com

Dian Hanson (USA)

Aged 24 and stuck in a dead-end town studying medicine, Dian Hanson made a momentous decision: to devote her life to fun. She has never looked back. Moving to New York, she helped launch the glossy adult magazine Puritan. This was the golden age of men's publications and Dian worked on many of the most successful, including Oui, Adult Cinema Review, Juggs, Tight and many, many more.

But even more significant than the titles in this illustrious list was the one which may be considered her crowning achievement, Leg Show, which she edited from 1987 until 2001. Through Leg Show, she discovered a sub-culture of fetishists whose needs, until then, had been largely ignored. Studying the intricacies of their tastes and translating them into words and photos was a challenge that totally stimulated and engrossed her.

Following the death of her boss, Dian decided to join Taschen, the highly respected German publishing house. She knew Benedikt Taschen to be a fearless publisher of sexual imagery who truly respected his customers -- something of a rarity in her experience. Her role as Sexy Book Editor offers her the pleasure of showing the world that good pornography is the equal to good art. And she's still having fun.

William Margold (USA)

Next year, the Renaissance Man of porn celebrates four decades working at almost every level in what he refers to as the Playpen of the Damned . We are damned not on religious grounds but for sociological reasons by a hypocritical society, he explains.

He's been an actor in over 160 hard-core films; a scriptwriter and director; an agent and critic; an activist, a fund raiser, a welfare counsellor... and the voice of conscience in an industry commonly thought to lack one. Over the years he became the first point of contact for many who wished to enter XXX and quickly saw him as their Papa Bear . Among his notable discoveries are Seka, Serena, Amber Lynn, Viper and, more recently Anita Cannibal.

He has been a tireless campaigner for free speech, notably telling the anti-porn Meese Commission, in October 1985: In a society that is drug-infested, violence-wracked and polluted by chemical greed...no one has ever died from an overdose of Pornography.

As a journalist, he was influential in creating the X-Rated Critics Organisation (XRCO). And, in response to the industry's growing disdain for consumers, he founded Fans Of X-Rated Entertainment (FOXE) which, from 1990 to 2006, gave devoted members of the public a chance to mingle with their favourite stars.

But his crowning achievement is Protecting Adult Welfare -- the PAW Foundation -- a not-for-profit organisation which provides advice, awareness training, peer counselling and a support network for anyone and everyone involved in the adult industry.

Bill continues to preach the gospel of X at every opportunity, acting as guardian of the industry's history and campaigning for 21 in 2012 , a voluntary agreement by US producers not to use performers below that age.

www.billmargold.com
www.pawfoundation.org

An Open Invitation: A Real Swingers Party in San Francisco (USA) Starring: Lorelei Lee, India Summer, James Deen, Mickey Mod Director Ilana Rothman. Distributor Private Independent. Described as first and foremost a love story , this tale of a young married couple's tentative steps beyond their staid sex life into the world of swinging, has won rave reviews. Adult Video News gave it its highest rating, calling it, A real game-changer... the best couples film to come along in years. For its wild conclusion, director Ilana Rothman let her actors lose among 127 amateur swingers, capturing some of the most authentically passionate sexual acrobatics ever committed to video.

See more from hotmovies.com

The Lovers' Guide 3D: Igniting Desire (UK) Written by Emily Dibberly. Director Kenneth D Rye, Distributor Optimum Releasing. Twenty years after it first revolutionised British sex education videos, the latest incarnation of this truly informative and detailed series adds an extra dimension! The imaginative 3D photography sensitively captures several couples -- all of whom are believably attractive rather than artificially glamorous -- as they demonstrate a variety of intimate techniques, while the commentary also emphasises emotional and psychological aspects. And, to make it the perfect, sharing guide to love-making, 21st century style, two pairs of stereoscopic glasses are thoughtfully provided!

• UK 2011 Optimum RB Blu-ray at UK Amazon
• UK 2011 Optimum R2 DVD at UK Amazon

Till Sex Do Us Part (Spain) Starring: Lesly Kiss, Manuel Falcon, Dunia Montenegro, David Galant Director Roberto Valtuen~a, Distributor Thagson Deluxe No formulaic porno cliche's here, this is a fresh and funny tale of an adult model with an unpredictable, interesting sex life. Manipulative Helen has a regular partner who is loyal but dull. She's also attracted to a moody conceptual artist... but to entice him she must first corrupt his innocent girlfriend. Wittily written and imaginatively directed, with performers who really can act, it's as well made as many mainstream, art-house movies but with sex scenes as scorching as the Spanish sun.

Presented by the Erotic Film Society in recognition of a significant contribution to the appreciation of the art and history of erotic cinema made during the past year.

Score: Uncensored Version (USA) Starring Claire Wilbur, Calvin Culver, Lynn Lowry, Gerald Grant, Carl Parker. Director Radley Metzger. Distributor Cult Epics

Radley Metzger is one of the finest film-makers ever to work in erotic cinema and Score (1974) is his comic masterpiece of polysexual seduction, by turns hilarious and horny. Previously only available on DVD in a cut version, this new, high-definition transfer (DVD and Blu-Ray) by Cult Epics restores the imagery which includes graphic gay action and group sex. Plus there is extensive on location footage, an interview with star Lynn Lowry and -- for the first time ever -- a commentary track by Radley Metzger himself .

A British study has found that in the next 10 years, sex toy sales will keep pace with smartphones to the tune of 400 million globally. Right now, nearly 4 million sex toys are said to be sold in the UK every year.

According to the Women, Sex and Shopping report from the Hewson Group, thanks to more mainstream acceptance of sex the pleasure goods industry is poised to explode.

The findings also found that more than 40% of British women view online porn and said that women have a strong desire to buy products designed to enhance their sex lives.

The study as reported in the Daily Mail, was based on a survey of 700 women, plus a second group of customers at five female-owned sex shops.

The report noted that the new data reflects a trend that began in the 70's and that the industry has been held back in the past due to an association with the sleazy, male-dominated porn industry. But a "revolution" has occurred, driven by women who are more powerful at home and in the workplace with higher incomes who could spend more than $300 a year on these items.

The report stated that more than 60% of women find the idea of buying a sex toy to be exciting. Women are motivated by far more basic instincts than are commonly ascribed to them. The erotic, the naughty, the forbidden and even perhaps the slightly sordid all have their appeal.

The study pointed to the success of upscale lingerie chains like Agent Provocateur and smaller outlets such as Coco-de-Mer and Sh! Women's Erotic Emporium as examples.

Adult Industry Trade Association (AITA)

See www.aita.co.uk

With a turnover of hundreds of millions of pounds every year, adult trades and services are no longer part of a seedy underground but they are still frequently maligned. Headed by Chair, Jerry Barnett, AITA works tirelessly to ensure that the industry is properly represented before Government and regulators; it counters media misrepresentation of adult entertainment; and it aims to raise standards for the business as a whole, providing everything from information on practical matters to social gatherings with international guest speakers.

John Constable

See www.crossbones.org.uk
See www.southwarkmysteries.co.uk
See www.gopetition.co.uk/petitions/cross-bones-graveyard-heritage-site/signatures.html

During the 16th century countless prostitutes were buried in the unhallowed ground of Cross Bones, an ancient burial site near Borough High Street, SE1. Since the mid-1990s, London poet John Constable has fought to have their last resting place recognised as a heritage site and to establish a garden of rememberance. His cycle of poems and plays, the Southwark Mysteries, which pays homage to the Winchester Geese , who plyed their trade in the stews of the South Bank, has been performed in settings as diverse as Shakespeare's Globe and Southwark Cathedral.

Onscenity

See www.onscenity.org

This network of academics and educators, health and legal experts, producers and activists, aims to develop new approaches to the relationships between sex, commerce, media and technology. Drawing on the work of leading, international scholars, it will map the contemporary landscape of sexual practices and co-ordinate a new wave of research. A lively and informative seminar on Sex And Regulation was held in London in February 2011, and further events include an international conference in 2012.

A lap dancing chain is to challenge the power of Scotland's local authorities to impose their morality on licensed venues after a decision taken in Glasgow to shut a bar.

Brightcrew, which traded under the Spearmint Rhino banner in the city, is seeking to overturn a sheriff's decision last year to revoke its licence after several dancers stripped naked.

A three-day hearing is now scheduled for the Court of Session and is expected to cost Brightcrew and Glasgow City Council a combined sum of around £ 70,000.

It comes as Spearmint Rhino announces plans for a venue in Glasgow, although the location and expected timescales are still undisclosed. The US-based chain said that the Glasgow branch which lost its licence in 2009, was an affiliate club with which it is no longer connected.

Industry sources said the real Rhino would be watching developments in the Court of Session intently and that if the decision went against Brightcrew the Rhino can forget all about Glasgow .

The Glasgow club challenging the sheriff court decision is based on Drury Street in the city centre and now called Platinum Lace. It was denied a licence in May 2009 after Glasgow Licensing Board heard how CCTV footage showed two dancers at Spearmint Rhino stripped naked, breaching local rules. The board was told: Officers, while conducting an inspection relative to the code of conduct, viewed premises' CCTV and witnessed two dancers removing their lower garments to knee level, thereby exposing their genitalia. Officers also witnessed several dancers making considerable contact with patrons while performing.

Henley's lapdancing club is set to close after being stripped of its licence. South Oxfordshire District Council's licensing panel agreed to revoke the licence in response to an application by Thames Valley Police.

The owners have until next month to appeal during which time the clubs can remain open.

The panel was told that the police had found evidence of licence breaches, including: Drug taking on the premises; Prostitution; Assaults by members of staff on customers; and Operating out of hours.

Laura Morris, licensing officer for Thames Valley Police, said: There have been 106 incidents at the premises since it opened and the force is concerned that just over 40 per cent of assaults have involved staff and the majority were after 2am. There has been an alarming number of reports of credit card fraud . Those who have reported it to the management have been refunded but it does beg the question what has happened to those who didn't.

Leno Borg, owner of Latino’s nightclub at the same premises, said: The club is not a trouble spot in itself. 106 incidents to the novice reader is alarming and a source of complaint but if one delves deeper, aggrieved customers who think they were charged too much or simply want to do damage to a sound business can make a complaint and it is logged but it may be completely bogus.

A councillor who has campaigned to have Diamonds and Pearls shut down is claiming victory. Barry Wood claimed the club would increase crime and disorder in Henley and after this week's licensing panel hearing he said: I told you so.

He added: Henley is a welcoming and tolerant town ...BUT... it is important that our night-time economy conforms to our ethos, is well regulated and is effectively managed. We do not want any sections of our community threatened by crime or even the perception of crime, even if it is as a result of people supposedly enjoying themselves.

Update: Appeal

11th June 2011.  See  article from  henleystandard.co.uk

Andy Mags, owner of Diamonds and Pearls, and Leno Borg, owner of Latinos nightclub, which shares the building and is covered by the same licence, have lodged an appeal, meaning the clubs can remain open until it is heard.

The hearing will take place at Oxford Magistrates Court.

Update: Appeal Date

8th September 2011.  See  article from  henleystandard.co.uk

AN appeal by owners of Henley's lap-dancing club against the loss of its licence will be heard in December.

Update: Compromise

17th September 2011.  See  article from  henleystandard.co.uk

The owners have offered to shut Diamonds and Pearls in Greys Road car park if they are allowed to run a nightclub and wine bar in the building instead.

The City of London Corporation is proposing to ban all venues from staging lap dancing from September, claiming that it has a damaging impact on women.

Charlie's Bar near Tower Hill, the only remaining club in the City to offer lap dancing, is expected to be affected.

Under new legislation, such venues can be forced by councils to apply for a licence to continue operating. Charlie's Bar, which is thought to offer lap dancing for two hours once a week, would almost certainly be refused a licence if the Corporation's ban is confirmed by its policy resource committee.

Edward Lord, chairman of the licensing committee which recommended the ban, said there was a widely held view that this kind of normally male-only social activity serves to exclude women who work in financial services firms, or worse still makes them feel harassed and under-valued .

City workers said those who visited such venues would simply go to neighbouring areas, such as Westminster, where there is no ban.

Alex Smith from Southend, said: The new rules are a good thing but a lot of men won't think so : My niece is a dancer, she is treated well and they do get choices of what they do, but I don't agree with it.

Researchers Dr Teela Sanders & Dr Kate Hardy have released initial findings from a study of lap dancing. The report, The Regulatory Dance: Sexual Consumption in the Night Time Economy [pdf] investigates the experiences of dancers, their working conditions and how these are affected by law and licensing restrictions.

The team have published initial findings mainly from interviews with 197 dancers:

The research shows that lap dancing continues to be a popular employment option for some women who are working in low paid, unskilled jobs, but are motivated by the opportunity for future mobility. Dancers were attracted to the work because of its flexibility and instant remuneration, resulting in a steady flow of labour supply.

However, these exact characteristics also posed problems as dancing remained precarious in terms of a stable income, high overheads, no employee protection, and a competitive environment. Coupled with fewer customers and expenditure during the recession, dancing proved to be a difficult job without guaranteed income.

We found no evidence or anecdotes of forced labour or trafficking of women in the research. However, some migrant workers reported high fees for agencies and accommodation.

Although extra services were reported anecdotally by dancers, there was no evidence of lap dancing having connections to organised prostitution.

Dancers are open to financial exploitation, disciplinary measures and few employment rights. Many of the women felt that they didn't have access to knowledge about what the council imposed rules were and which had been instituted by the club.

Key Points:

• The continuous supply of dancers, rather than the demand for erotic dance, accounted for the expansion of the industry.
• The overwhelming majority of women were satisfied with their jobs as dancers, although they also identified negative elements.
• Advantages included: choosing own hours; getting money instantly; earning more than in other roles; being independent; combining fun with work.
• Disadvantages included: never knowing how much money they would make; keeping the job secret; customers being rude/abusive; competing with other dancers.
• Most women felt safe at work, although nearly half reported frequent verbal harassment and unwanted touching from customers.
• Only a minority of women were solely dancing, most combined dancing with other work and education.
• Dancing was used as a strategy to enable and facilitate career prospects and security in the future.
• Dancers' status as self employed workers resulted in exploitation as they had no rights or recognition in the workplace.
• Overheads were high: house fees, commission on dances, and fines (often arbitrary) for breaking house rules reduced capacity to earn and most dancers had left a shift not making any money.
• The current focus on licensing does not consider the welfare or working conditions of the dancers

... See The Regulatory Dance: Sexual Consumption in the Night Time Economy [pdf]

Sex entertainment venues in Sheffield are angry about planned new charges and conditions set to be imposed by the council.

Marie Calvert, who runs Attercliffe Road swingers' club La Chambre with husband Barry, has branded as a stealth tax new licence charges of £ 1,335 per venue, annual renewal fees of £ 1,000, and levies of   £ 1,000 to vary licences or £ 500 to transfer them.

The charges are part of Sheffield Council's new Sexual Entertainment Venues licensing policy, created after the Government gave councils powers to regulate venues.

Marie said:

For us it is a very worrying development. We cannot be compared to lap dancing clubs or indeed any other kind of sexual venue in that we do not offer sexual entertainment to our customers - they themselves consent to any fun they wish to have. We have been open for almost 13 years and have had no problems at all, in fact our customers arrive and leave as quietly as they can. We also fill the local hotels at weekends.

To be told we will have yet another expense is disheartening. This is yet another stealth tax from the Government but I suppose we will have no choice but to comply.

Julian Skeens, lawyer for Spearmint Rhino which has a lap dancing club on Brown Street, criticised a clause allowing advertising within 440 yards of a venue with council permission - but forbidding advertising elsewhere in the city: This would appear to be a severe restraint on trade as it would cover magazine and newspaper adverts, even within a national publication.

And Scores lap dancing club on Charter Square said whilst the council's fees were acceptable , conditions such as a requirement to have a register containing personal details of staff, and a signing-in book for workers open for inspection by police and council officials, appear to propagate a fictional and untrue image of the industry as a criminal and dishonest business .

Update: Licensed

3rd March 2012. See  article from  thestar.co.uk

Sheffield Councillors granted a new licences for La Chambre swingers club in Attercliffe. There were no objections to the application.

Cambridge Council is consulting over lap dancing licensing powers.

The adoption of national guidelines means that lap and pole dancing clubs can be barred from operating near churches. And the city's only lap dancing club, Talk of the Town, happens to be close to Christ Church in Christchurch Street.

Nutters at Christ Church predictably welcome the new rules and want the club to move out of the area.

Tarita Rumford, an administrator at the church, said:

We have about 80 children under the age of 18 coming to the church on a Sunday and in the week. With so many children in the building you really don't want to see a big sign promoting a lap dancing club.

They also have a van parked near the church with posters on it of women doing what they do in the club. We would welcome changes to the rules if they are a positive change, which would mean the club would move away.

Cllr Julie Smith, chairman of the council's licensing committee, said the club's licence would need to be reviewed. She said:

The licensing sub-committee would have to look at what would be the impact and how discreet the club is and take that into account, along with proximity issues, when making a decision.

The draft licensing policy says: we will not normally license premises that are in close proximity to a church or other place of religious worship .

The consultation ends on April 26.