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The Consumer Electronics Show just banned a sex toy invented by and for women but awarded one made for men.

The Consumer Electronics Show just banned a sex toy invented by and for women but awarded one made for men.
via Lora DiCarlo

One would think that the forward-thinking minds behind the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas would be well beyond cowing to outdated double standards when it comes to sex. But, unfortunately, they’re not.

Lora DiCarlo, a woman-run start-up “determined to change the face of pleasure products" was selected as a CES 2019 Innovation Awards Honoree in the Robotics and Drone product category for the Osé personal massager.

According to Lora DiCarlo, CEO and founder Lora Haddock, this revolutionary hands-free sex toy for females uses “new micro-robotic technology that mimics all of the sensations of a human mouth, tongue, and fingers, for an experience that feels just like a real partner.”

The product also promises to help women achieve a blended orgasm which happens when clitoral and vaginal orgasms occur simultaneously.

No small feat.

The Osé personal massager was developed almost entirely by a female team of engineers.

After receiving the honor “My team rejoiced and celebrated,” Haddock wrote in an open letter. “A month later our excitement and preparations were cut short.”

Administrators with the Consumer Technology Association revoked the award, stating:

Entries deemed by CTA in their sole discretion to be immoral, obscene, indecent, profane or not in keeping with CTA's image will be disqualified. CTA reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any entry at any time which, in CTA's opinion, endangers the safety or well being of any person, or fails to comply with these Official Rules.

Haddock responded by calling the CTA out for gender bias saying, “a literal sex doll for men launched on the floor at CES in 2018 and a VR porn company exhibits there every year, allowing men to watch pornography in public as consumers walk by.”

So this is ok? But a Osé personal massager for women is “ immoral, obscene, indecent, profane or not in keeping with CTA’s image"?

“Men’s sexuality is allowed to be explicit with a literal sex robot in the shape of an unrealistically proportioned woman and VR porn in point of pride along the aisle,” Haddock continued. “Female sexuality, on the other hand, is heavily muted if not outright banned. You cannot pretend to be unbiased if you allow a sex robot for men but not a vagina-focused robotic massager for blended orgasm.”

Lora DiCarlo has asked people to respond to the controversy by sharing their thoughts on twitter at #CESGenderBias.

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Facebook group brings people together IRL to make meaningful friendships

True

Making new friends as an adult is challenging. While people crave meaningful IRL connections, it can be hard to know where to find them. But thanks to one Facebook Group, meeting your new best friends is easier than ever.

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“Witnessing the transformative impact our community has on the lives of our members is truly remarkable. We provide the essential support and connections needed to thrive amid the city's chaos,” shares Liza Rubin, the group’s founder.

Despite its name, the group doesn’t just do brunch. They also have book clubs, seasonal parties, and picnics, among other activities.

NYC Brunch Squad curates up to 10 monthly events tailored to the specific interests of its members. Liza handles all the details, taking into account different budgets and event sizes – all people have to do is show up.

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via UNSW

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Mom has something to say... strongly say.

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@ustheremingtons/TikTok

There's a lot to be gleaned from this.

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All in all, it enables couples to handle the daunting new chapter as a team, making it less stressful on both parties. Or at least equally stressful on both parties. Democracy!

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This time around, for baby number two, Remington had the privilege of taking seven weeks off (to be clear—his employer offered four weeks, and he used an additional three weeks of PTO).

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Library of Congress

When we think about the era of American slavery, many of us tend to think of it as the far distant past. While slavery doesn't exist as a formal institution today, there are people living who knew formerly enslaved black Americans first-hand. In the wide arc of history, the legal enslavement of people on U.S. soil is a recent occurrence—so recent, in fact, that we have voice recordings of interviews with people who lived it.

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