It’s sad to say, but there’s no denying that the Trans folk in our LGBT family our often marginalized or excluded. Today, we here at SexToys.com are standing up to say that this is not OK. We’re all in this fight for equality together! Today is a great time to remind one another about this important group of friends and allies as we struggle to gain equal rights.

I stole this quote from our friends over at HotMoviesForHer.com because I think it’s an important message:

Our discomfort around the issue—I know I’m not alone in this—means that we’ve got some learning to do. Bravo to those trans people willing to come out and teach us.

Some gay people wonder why we get lumped with the transgender community at all. Sexual orientation is one thing, they say, and gender identity is another.

That’s true as far as it goes, and perhaps it’s better to talk about our overlapping communities than about a single GLBT community.

Still, the alliance makes sense insofar as both (overlapping) groups suffer from rigid social expectations about sex and gender. Compare “If you’re born biologically male, you should grow up to be a man” with “If you’re born biologically male, you should grow up to love a woman.” The similarities between the two inferences seem to outweigh the differences.

Click the picture to see if it properly illustrates the article to which it links

Verbal abuse, physical violence and deadly attacks are still common when associated with homophobia in Europe.  Reuters reports that the problems with homophobia are still serious in Europe and many people suffer from the hatred that exists.  From the Full Report:

“Homophobia is damaging people’s health and careers across Europe and the problem may be worse than reported because victims are scared to draw attention to themselves for fear of a backlash, an EU study said.

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights said police in most countries were incapable of dealing with homophobic crime — ranging from verbal abuse to deadly attacks — and said many governments and schools failed to take it seriously enough.”

Among the more serious problems listed were that people suffered from harassment in the workplace, that not enough countries allowed anonymous reporting to prevent backlash against victims, people were denied refuge (in spite of a dire need for it when fleeing countries with brutally repressive regimes and no tolerance for homosexuality) and discrimination in health care, with homosexual people being treated as defective.

While some progress has been made in tolerance across Europe, most people did not believe that homosexuals should be allowed to adopt children and the report also showed that media coverage tended to use eroticized images to illustrate stories about homosexual issues, further heightening the stereotype that homosexuality is about sex alone.

It appears as though some things really do not change.

Most likely to be found in a British bedroom

We’re big fans of the British people now.  A recent study reports that over half of the people surveyed in Britain admit to using sextoys during play time, and a quarter of them have a webcam in the bedroom.  Now that’s spreading the wealth!  According to the Cosmopolitan survey:

“In the study conducted by Cosmopolitan magazine more than half of the people admitted using a sex toy in the sack, while a quarter used a webcam.

Almost 20pct of the respondents agreed that they would even hook up with a stranger they met on the Internet for casual sex.”

It also added this:

“The survey involving people from six different countries UK, USA, Germany, Finland, Russia and Sweden showed that those from Finland were most likely to indulge in-group sex, while 54pct of Germans admit to having an affair.”

And, for the fantasy buffs, apparently Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom still have “it.”  They were the celebrities topping the “Who would you most like to have sex with” list.  The British also topped the safe sex list with 72% of them practicing safe sex.  Our swinging Finnish friends, however, severely dissapoint us with only 56% practicing safe sex.

Here’s a tip from Sextoys.com, if you’re going to have group sex, USE CONDOMS.  Please.  You can find them here.  Of course, our British readers already know where to find them.  Jolly good work, that.  Now you can return to your rooms and turn on the webcams!

5 Gates of Hell

Experimenting with kinky new ideas is one of the best aspects of play.  And if you’re looking for something fun and new, chastity may be just what you need to add excitement and anticipation to your play.  The 5 Gates of Hell are a device that bring delicious denial in a deviant way.  From Doc Johnson:

“5 metal rings attached with a strip of leather that go around the shaft of the penis. This product is used as a chastity device.

The metal rings are fitted, so if you are well endowed, you may wish to check the fit before using to prevent injury.”

Give it a try, you may find that you love the wait.  Also, check out our other fetish toys to find new ways to add kink to your play time.