"I masturbate..." Day Three

Copyright 2011 Shilo McCabe

I masturbate because it helps me work through my sexual shame. Don't get me wrong, it feels great and is, as Woody Allen said, "sex with someone I love," but it is also one of the most culturally charged acts in America. Heck, if a United States Surgeon General can get fired for recommending that masturbation be taught as a form of safer sex, then you know its got some cultural stigma.

And because I've "inherited" a decent amount of sexual shame, and because I'm an educator who is passionate about getting people to talk in more empowered ways about sex and intimacy, masturbation is the perfect place to put my attention if I want to help free myself of the guilt and sex negativity that so many of us carry. And those stigmas are so strong, that, well... Sometimes you shouldn't do it alone! Bring backup! Happy Masturbation Month, everyone! (Ps. If you think masturbation is dirty, just do it in the tub!)

~Sex and relationship expert Reid Mihalko of ReidAboutSex.com