Tristan Taormino

Template:Short description Template:Infobox writer Tristan Taormino (born May 9, 1971) is an American feminist author, sex educator, and pornographic film director. She is most recently known for her book Opening Up: A Guide to Creating and Sustaining Open Relationships, which is often recommended as a starter guide to polyamory and non-monogamy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Early life

Taormino is the only child of Judith Bennett Pynchon and William J. Taormino. On her mother's side of the family, Taormino is a descendant of William Pynchon, an early English-American settler. She is also the niece of author Thomas Pynchon.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Her parents divorced before she turned two years old. She was raised primarily by her mother on Long Island. She maintained a close relationship with her father Bill Taormino, who died of AIDS in 1995. Taormino attended Sayville High School on Long Island and was salutatorian of her graduating class. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor's degree in American Studies from Wesleyan University in 1993.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Career

Books

Taormino is the author of eight books, including the Firecracker Alternative Book Award-winning The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

She has edited anthologies including the Lambda Literary Award-winning annual anthology series she created and edited from 1996 to 2009, Best Lesbian Erotica, published by Cleis Press.

She was a regular columnist for The Village Voice from 1999 to 2008, where she wrote the bi-weekly sex column "Pucker Up."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In print, her column appeared opposite Dan Savage's column Savage Love. She popularized and re-defined the term "queer heterosexual," in her 1995 column "The Queer Heterosexual." She wrote: "In some cases, it's based on either one or both partners having non-traditional gender expressions ... or they actively work against their assigned gender roles. Some queer heterosexuals are strongly aligned with queer community, culture, politics, and activism but happen to love and lust after people of a different gender. I also consider folks who embrace alternative models of sexuality and relationships (polyamory, non-monogamy, BDSM, cross-dressing) to be queer, since labeling them "straight," considering their lifestyle choices, seems inappropriate."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She was laid off from The Village Voice in 2008.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She has written "The Anal Advisor" column for Hustler's Taboo magazine since 1999, and she is a former columnist for Velvetpark. She is the former editor of On Our Backs, the US's oldest lesbian-produced lesbian sex magazine.

Lectures and controversy

Taormino has lectured at many colleges and universities, where she speaks on gay and lesbian issues, sexuality and gender, and feminism.<ref name='Daily Emerald Article'>Template:Cite news</ref> Some of her college appearances have stirred controversy, as at University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2004,<ref name='2004 Article in The Carolinian'>Template:Cite news</ref> Princeton,<ref name='The Princetonian'>Template:Cite news</ref> and, most famously, Oregon State University in 2011, where administrators un-invited her as keynote speaker at the Modern Sex Conference.<ref name='2011 Portland Mercury Article'>Template:Cite news</ref> There was a huge uproar on the internet, and many accused OSU of anti-sex bias. The incident received national media attention. Eventually, students raised the funds and re-invited her themselves.<ref name='LGBT POV Article'>Template:Cite news</ref>

Film and television

Taormino hosted the television show Sexology 101 on The Burly Bear Network in 2001, a college cable network owned by Lorne Michaels' Broadway Video.<ref name='Burly Bear'>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She was a regular expert and panelist on Ricki Lake for two seasons in 2002 and 2003.<ref name='Ricki Lake Cast 2002-2004'>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2003, she signed a development deal with MTV Networks. She served as host and executive producer on the pilot for The Naughty Show, but the series was never picked up.<ref name='IMDB Naughty Show'>[https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 1043515

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Taormino worked with Spike Lee as a script consultant and with the cast on the set of his 2004 movie She Hate Me.<ref name='Interview with Spike Lee in The Advocate'>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2006, she appeared as a so-called "sextra" in John Cameron Mitchell's film, Shortbus, participating in an unsimulated orgy that was filmed for the movie. (Her presence is confirmed by the director on the DVD commentary.) She also appeared in Becky Goldberg's 2003 documentary Hot and Bothered: Feminist Pornography and in Mr. Angel, the documentary about Buck Angel (2013).<ref name="imdb.com"/>

Taormino holding a Feminist Porn Award for her work Chemistry (2007)

In addition to writing, speaking and sex education, she considers herself a feminist pornographer.<ref name='Feministing Interview'>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She made two videos based on her book The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women. The first (1999) was co-directed by Buttman (John Stagliano) and Ernest Greene. The second (2001) was directed by Tristan herself. In both videos, she takes part in the on-screen sexual activities. Subsequently, she directed Tristan Taormino's House of Ass for Adam & Eve, which shows a number of "porn stars" (from famous to unknown) interacting without a script. In 2006, she directed Tristan Taormino's Chemistry,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which is the first in a series of full-length "behind the scenes" movies for Vivid Entertainment where the performers choose who they have sex with, what they do, where and when.<ref name='Sex in the Public Square Interview'>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She directed four volumes of the Chemistry series as well as sex education films for Vivid Ed, Vivid Entertainment's sex education line that she was instrumental in creating.<ref name='Gamelink Biography'>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Criticism

Rebecca Whisnant argues that Taormino work's represents a profit-based ‘‘feminist porn’’ within the mainstream pornography industry based upon thin conceptions of feminism and sexual ethics.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Sexual identity

Taormino uses the terms "queer" and "dyke" to describe her sexual identity.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the past, Taormino stated: "I don't really identify with the label 'bisexual', nor does it feel like it accurately describes me ... I see myself as queer, since queer to me is not just about who I love or lust, but it's about my culture, my community, and my politics. The truth is, even if I were with a heterosexual guy, I'd be a queer dyke."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In addition, "she describes herself as 'equal opportunity'. She doesn't like the word 'bisexual' – and says "it's too polarizing."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In addition to being a vocal advocate of non-monogamy, Taormino supports gay marriage: "I support gay marriage being legalised in every state. I do however think it’s unfortunate that in some cases gay marriage opponents have used the issue against polyamory."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Bibliography

• The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women (Cleis Press, 1997/2006) Template:ISBN – winner of a Firecracker Book Award and named Amazon.com's No. 1 Bestseller in Women's Sex Instruction in 1998. Second edition was released in February 2006, Template:ISBN
• Pucker Up: A Hands-on Guide to Ecstatic Sex (ReganBooks, 2001) – re-issued in paperback as Down and Dirty Sex Secrets (2003) Template:ISBN
• True Lust: Adventures in Sex, Porn and Perversion (Cleis Press, 2002) Template:ISBN
• Opening Up: Creating and Sustaining Open Relationships (Cleis Press, 2008) Template:ISBN
• The Anal Sex Position Guide: The Best Positions for Easy, Exciting, Mind-Blowing Pleasure (Quiver, 2009) Template:ISBN
• The Big Book of Sex Toys (Quiver, 2010) Template:ISBN
• Secrets of Great G-Spot Orgasms and Female Ejaculation (Quiver, 2011) Template:ISBN
• 50 Shades of Kink: An Introduction to BDSM (Cleis Press, 2012) Template:ISBN
• A Part of the Heart that Can't Be Eaten (Duke University Press, 2023) Template:ISBN

As editor

• Pucker Up: the zine with a mouth that's not afraid to use it (Black Dog Productions, 1995–?) publisher and editor
• Best Lesbian Erotica (Cleis Press, 1996–2009) as Series Editor
• Ritual Sex (Rhinoceros Books, 1996) co-editor
• A Girl's Guide to Taking Over the World: Writings from the Girl Zine Revolution (St. Martin's Press, 1997) co-editor
• Hot Lesbian Erotica (Cleis Press, 2005) editor
• Best Lesbian Bondage Erotica (Cleis Press, 2007) editor
• Sometimes She Lets Me: Best Butch/Femme Erotica (Cleis Press, 2010) editor
• Take Me There: Trans and Genderqueer Erotica (Cleis Press, 2011) editor Template:ISBN
• The Ultimate Guide To Kink: BDSM, Role Play and the Erotic Edge (Cleis Press, 2012) editor Template:ISBN
• Stripped Down: Lesbian Sex Stories (Cleis Press, 2012) editor Template:ISBN
• The Feminist Porn Book: The Politics of Producing Pleasure (Feminist Press, 2013) co-editor Template:ISBN
• When She Was Good: Best Lesbian Erotica (Cleis Press, 2014) editor Template:ISBN

Journal articles

• Template:Cite journal Pdf.
• Template:Cite journal

Awards

Year	Ceremony	Result	Award / Category	Book / Film
1998	Firecracker Alternative Book Award	Won	Sex	The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women
2003	Lambda Literary Award	Won	Lesbian Erotica	Best Lesbian Erotica 2003
2004	Lambda Literary Award	Won	Lesbian Erotica	Best Lesbian Erotica 2004
2006	Feminist Porn Award	Won	n/a	"House of Ass"
2007	AVN Award	Won	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Chemistry
	Feminist Porn Award	Won	Hottest Gonzo Sex Scene & Hottest Diverse Cast	Chemistry
	Adam Film World Award	Won	Best Couples Movie	Chemistry
	AVN Award	Nominated	Best Oral Sex Scene	Chemistry
2008	Feminist Porn Award	Won	Smutty Schoolteacher of the Year	Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Oral Sex 1 & 2
	AVN Award	Nominated	Best Anal-Themed Release Scene	Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Anal Sex
	AVN Award	Nominated	Best Director, Non-Feature	Chemistry 3
	AVN Award	Nominated	Best Oral-Themed Release	Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Oral Sex 1: Cunnilingus
2009	AVN Award	Won	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Oral Sex 2: Fellatio
	AVN Award	Nominated	Best Educational Release	Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to the G-Spot
	AVN Award	Nominated	Best Oral Sex Scene	Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Oral Sex 2: Fellatio
	AVN Award	Nominated	Best Gonzo Series	Chemistry
2010	Feminist Porn Award	Won	The Trailblazer Award	Template:N/a
	Feminist Porn Award	Won	Smutty Schoolteacher of the Year	Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Anal Pleasure for Men
	AVN Award	Won	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Threesomes
	AVN Award	Nominated	Best Educational Release	Midori's Expert Guide to Sensual Bondage
	AVN Award	Nominated	Best Educational Release	Penny Flame's Expert Guide to Rough Sex
	AVN Award	Nominated	Best Educational Release	Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Anal Pleasure for Men
	AVN Award	Nominated	Best Specialty Release, Other Genre	Rough Sex
	Feminist Porn Award	Nominated	n/a	Rough Sex
	Feminist Porn Award	Nominated	n/a	Penny Flame's Expert Guide to Rough Sex
	Feminist Porn Award	Nominated	n/a	Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Threesomes
2011	Lambda Literary Award	Won	Lesbian Erotica	Sometimes She Lets Me: Best Butch/Femme Erotica
	NLA Samois Anthology Award	Won	Lesbian Erotica	Sometimes She Lets Me: Best Butch/Femme Erotica
	Feminist Porn Award	Won	Hottest BDSM Movie	Rough Sex 2
	AVN Award	Won	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Advanced Fellatio
	AVN Award	Nominated	Best Vignette Release	Rough Sex 2
	AVN Award	Nominated	Best Couples Sex Scene	Rough Sex 2
	AVN Award	Nominated	Most Outrageous Sex Scene	Rough Sex 2
	Feminist Porn Award	Nominated	n/a	Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Female Orgasms
2012	Lambda Literary Award	Won	Transgender Fiction	Take Me There: Trans and Genderqueer Erotica
	Feminist Porn Award	Won	Smutty Schoolteacher of the Year	Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Advanced Anal Sex
	AVN Award	Nominated	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Advanced Anal Sex
	AVN Award	Nominated	Best Educational Release	Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Female Orgasms
	AVN Award	Nominated	Best Group Sex Scene	Rough Sex 3: Adrianna's Dangerous Mind
	AVN Award	Nominated	Best Anal Sex Scene	Rough Sex 3: Adrianna's Dangerous Mind
	AVN Award	Nominated	Best Three-Way Sex Scene	Rough Sex 3: Adrianna's Dangerous Mind
	AVN Award	Nominated	Best Vignette Release	Rough Sex 3: Adrianna's Dangerous Mind
	AVN Award	Nominated	Best Director, Non-Feature	Rough Sex 3: Adrianna's Dangerous Mind
2013	Feminist Porn Award	Won	Smutty Schoolteacher of the Year	Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Pegging
	AVN Award	Nominated	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Pegging

External links

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• Template:Iafd name
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• Sophia Smith Collection zines collection at the Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, containing zines collected by Taormino