The only people who should have a say in setting this agenda are those who have sexual relations with each other. Suggesting that a sex toy is beneficial for gay men almost always results in enforcing a preconceived notion of what gay sex should look like. Not all gay men have sex the same way, which is perhaps the most obvious problem. This is nothing more than a marketing ploy. However, if you believe that the purpose of a sex toy is to provide pleasure, there are a number of issues with choosing sex toys based on a person’s sexual identity or orientation. It’s perfectly fine to target your marketing efforts to a specific demographic (well, actually, if you want to engage in an analysis of capitalism, there is PLENTY wrong with it, but that’s a different article for a different website), and it’s even encouraged. There are a large number of sex shops that cater exclusively to homosexual men.Īlso, sex shops that want to appeal to all customers try to attract gay men by putting a circle around a collection of sex toys and telling customers that the sex toys are great if they identify as gay.
Of course, it does not take me long to realize that stores do not describe the toys, customers do. Does this mean that the sex toys are gay? What is it about a sex toy that makes it ‘homosexual’ in the first place?
Occasionally, while browsing sex shop websites, I come across a category called “gay sex toys”.
