Sex History Bombshells
+ live shows in NY and LA
Hey horny readers! If you’ve read this newsletter for a while, you already know that I love weird history. Today I’m doing a round up of the top 5 moments that shocked me (so far).
Before we get to it, please remember that the ADULT SEX ED Live Show in NYC is tonight (livestream and in-person tickets still available)! If you’re still making plans this week and you enjoy fantastic storytelling, please check out my great friends at RISK!
If you love incredible true stories and may even want to tell one of your own, come to the RISK! Live Show and Story Slam on Thursday, May 16 at 9:30pm at Caveat in NYC. At this show, Kevin Allison hosts as Ashia Amavè, Jamie Brickhouse and Toni Nagy tell jaw-dropping true stories from their lives on the theme of "Bad Behavior," and the show will also feature a mini-story slam in which three lucky audience volunteers will be selected to tell a 5-minute story of their own as well. Get tickets and more information at RISK-show.com/live. Can't come to the show in person? Grab a ticket to watch it online from anywhere!
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Adult Sex Ed comedically challenges why we think what we think about sex. In case you’re new, I’m Dani Faith Leonard, a comedy writer, film producer, and performer. In 2018, I started a comedy show called Adult Sex Ed and launched this newsletter last year. Each week, I take a fun deep dive into a topic that I’ve been researching. Want to know more? Read the whole description on substack here.
Ready to get a little smarter? Okay, let’s go!
It’s no secret that I love strange history. Here’s a round-up of my five favorite historical deep-dives so far:
The time when 15th Century men accused women of stealing their penises and keeping them in trees. The Malleus Maleficarum was a how-to guide for identifying, punishing, and executing witches, and was full of ridiculous and misogynistic ideas about women and witchcraft. I loved this deep dive because so much of it still rings true today READ IT HERE.
John Harvey Kellogg’s extreme anti-masturbation methods, which included genital mutilation, tying children’s hands to the bedposts, and eating Corn flakes if the first two options didn’t sit right with you. He also shot gallons of yogurt up his own ass every week. I loved this deep dive because he was the original problematic guru. READ IT HERE. (Honorable mention in the same category—THIS PIECE about Lydia E. Pinkham, the original Gwyneth Paltrow.)
The strange diagnoses that women received throughout history, like Wandering Womb and Hysteria. Throughout history, women were given oversimplified diagnoses, or completely baseless ones by a medical field that was dominated by men. My personal favorite was “Bicycle Face.” READ IT HERE.
The history of chastity belts, which turned out to not be historical at all. It was long-believed lore that chastity belts existed during Medieval times. When men went off to fight in the Crusades, they needed to keep the fidelity of their wives in check, as if they weren’t off fucking everything that moved anyway. But this “history” may have been an inside joke after all. READ IT HERE.
The fact that Ancient Judaism recognized up to eight genders. Throughout world history, many cultures have recognized gender identities other than male and female. Nonbinary people have often occupied special positions in these societies, serving as priests and leaders. I got hate mail for this one! READ IT HERE.
History can teach us a lot about why we think what we think. Are there historical events that I haven’t researched yet that you’re dying to know about? Leave me a comment!
The ADULT SEX ED live show is back in NY 5/15 and LA 6/7 with awesome guests. Connect, laugh, get smarter, in person or live-streaming anywhere.
You can access all past newsletters here!