College Lectures

 

Tristan Taormino at OSUTristan speaks on variety of topics including sex education, relationships, GLBT issues, feminism, and pornography with her signature style that’s direct, down to earth, and hilariously entertaining; some of her latest talks include: “Sexploration on College Campuses,” “The Path to Sexual Empowerment,” “Beyond Monogamy: The Case for Open Relationships,” “My Life As a Feminist Pornographer,” and “Queer Sex Now.” In addition, Tristan is available to give keynote addresses for events such as Sex Week, Women’s History Month, Take Back the Night, V-Day, National Coming Out Day, LGBT Pride Week, and others. She is well versed in numerous topics and also available to create a presentation customized for your needs. To get more information about booking an appearance, contact Tristan today.

Selected College Lectures (click for details about each lecture)

Sexploration on College CampusesTristan Taormino
The undergraduate years are an amazing time of sexual exploration and education, where women can learn about sexual health, pleasure, and embark on new adventures. From her popular columns and website to her videos and lecture series, Tristan Taormino has garnered raves for her unabashed straight talk about sex. Now, you can hear it from the sex expert herself in the Human Sexuality class that most people never get to take! She’ll cover a wide variety of topics, including sexual anatomy, masturbation, orgasms, improving your erotic communication skills, finding the elusive g-spot, myths and truths about female ejaculation, sex toy tips and techniques, and the wonders of anal sex. There will be an extensive question-and-answer period where students are encouraged to ask her anything.

Beyond Monogamy: The Case for Open Relationships
Who are your role models when it comes to successful relationships? What kind of partnership(s) are you in or do you see yourself in? How do you create a relationship that works? Monogamy is touted as the relationship ideal and a goal we should all strive for, but it’s no secret that many people feel dissatisfied with it. The “sexless marriage” is a talk show staple, cheating and dishonesty in relationships run rampant, and divorce rates continue to climb. Yet you don’t have to blindly accept this dominant model. Relationship and sex expert Tristan Taormino offers a bold new strategy for creating loving, lasting relationships. Drawing on in-depth research, interviews with over a hundred women and men, and her own personal experiences, Tristan explores the real-life benefits and challenges of open relationships. With her refreshingly down-to-earth style and sharp wit, Taormino argues that we must question the fairy tales and challenge the myths we’ve been taught about love, sex, intimacy, and commitment- only then can we create relationships that are honest, fulfilling, and really work.

The Path to Sexual Empowerment
What does it mean to be sexually empowered? How is our sexuality affected by the mixed messages we get from the media and other cultural institutions? How can we make sense of it all, shed sexual shame, and develop sexual confidence? Why is sexual health fundamental to our lives? Tristan Taormino shares what she has learned on her journey from law school reject to sex expert with stops along the way as author, anal sex guru, Village Voice columnist, and feminist pornographer. Regardless of your gender or sexual orientation, you’ll learn how to decipher who you are as a sexual person, figure out what you want, and communicate it with others. She’ll explore the concepts of sexual health and erotic power, discuss why they are important, and share her unique recipe for how everyone can become sexually empowered.

Tristan Taormino

My Life As a Feminist Pornographer
Award-winning author and director Tristan Taormino shares her personal journey from writer and sex educator to self-identified feminist pornographer. Hear about her first foray into porn on and off camera and what led her to form her own company, Smart Ass Productions, and become an exclusive director for Vivid Entertainment, one of the largest adult companies in the industry. She will share her definition of feminist porn, what she hopes to accomplish with her films, and the challenges she faces in the adult industry and in her professional career as a sex educator. She will bring an old argument to a new level of discussion: Is feminist pornography a paradox or can we really create sex-positive empowering porn? Tristan will address the recent controversy over Oregon State University canceling her keynote appearance at the Modern Sex conference because of her involvement with pornography. She’ll discuss why it was an anti-sex statement, the implications on free speech and sex education, and why a feminist is the most “dangerous” kind of pornographer.

Tristan Taormino & Reid MihalkoQueer Sex Now
As the founding Series Editor of Best Lesbian Erotica and former Editor of On Our Backs, Tristan Taormino has had her finger on the pulse of queer sexuality for more than a decade. She’ll discuss current erotic trends, including the explosion of queer porn, the development of public sex spaces, and the growing exploration of alternatives to monogamy. Plus, she’ll explain why she thinks the LGBT Movement has had broad, significant effects on the sex lives of everyone (not just queer people) and has lead to the emergence of “the queer heterosexual.”

Dangerous Bodies: Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming People in Erotic Spaces
While transgender and gender non-conforming people disrupt the normative gender binary in a diverse array of contexts, perhaps no context is as highly-charged as the arena of sex. Community-created sexual spaces—including sex and BDSM parties, clubs, and events—have been created as a haven from the oppressive, sex-negative, disempowering images and messages of our society. In these spaces, desire, fantasy, and the body take center stage as people strive for sexual agency, empowerment, and fulfillment. But within these spaces, transfolk and genderqueers still challenge the status quo, including fixed notions about “same sex” space and sexual identities. Because of this, they are often excluded, policed, or marginalized. Why are trans people and their bodies so dangerous in erotic environments? What does it mean to create a truly safe erotic space for people of all genders?

Tristan Taormino at UW MilwaukeeConfessions of a Sex-Crazed Mind
From studious undergraduate activist to sassy sexpert! Tristan Taormino will take you on her personal journey from struggling writer to author, columnist, sex educator, and adult film director. She’ll dish all the juicy details of her adventures along the way with swingers, strippers, dominatrixes, drag kings, porn stars, a masturbation guru, and Howard Stern. Plus, she’ll map out the current trends in sexuality: what’s new, what’s hot, what’s on the horizon. She’ll reveal what she’s learned from her job and the pleasures and pitfalls of writing about sex from such a personal perspective.

Something Old, Something New: The Gay Marriage Debate
Gay marriage has become the defining issue for gay and lesbian politics and a central one in recent state and federal politics. The rhetoric around this issue has grown increasingly hostile and hateful as gay and lesbian people come under attack by conservatives. Should queer people even be fighting to get a piece of the patriarchal institution or should we push for civil unions instead? Tristan will examine the pros and cons as well as what’s at stake: equal protection under the law, basic civil rights, and redefining a sacred American institution. She’ll tell you why she believes everyone (yes, straight people, too!) has something to gain if gay marriage is legalized.

Click here for a list of past appearances, then read feedback from students, professors, and staff.

Don’t see what you want? Email Tristan with your course idea.