Austin, Texas – from www.theotherpaper.com – What do rock, classical, hip-hop, country, Top 40 and indie have in common? Sex. From Ravel to Zappa, Magnetic Fields to Too Short, Loretta Lynn to Lady Gaga, nothing has inspired as many melodies as love and sexual desire.
The South by Southwest music, film and technology festival in Austin, Texas, acknowledges the great muse each year with a series of panel discussions, networking sessions and film premieres dealing in sexual themes. Influential adult-industry professionals, sex bloggers and sexual-health educators from across the country convene at SXSW to give the public its annual update on the state of sex, culture and technology.
For musicians and fans attending SXSW or following the festival online, this year’s schedule includes:
***Though she won’t be talking specifically about her usual subject, sex columnist and blogger Violet Blue will take part in the panel discussion “How Not to be a Douchebag at SXSW” for festival newbs. (Friday)
***The Erectionman, a film that traces the history of the erectile-dysfunction drug and explores the cultural impact of the Little Blue Pill, will have its U.S. premiere. (Friday)
***A panel discussion will focus on CyberSex2.0: “Is Social Networking Ruining Your Sex Life?” Participants will investigate online dating and cybersex in the interest of mapping the future of romantic relationships as sex is increasingly digitized. (Friday)
***Specifically for GLBT techies, the workshop “Engaging the Queer Community” will concentrate on using social media to strengthen bonds within the gay community. Featured are Bil Browning of the Bilerico Project blog and Trish Bendix of AfterEllen.com. (Saturday)
***The Queer Blogger Tweetup & Viral Video Showcase, a networking session, will feature “the biggest names in online queer culture,” including Bil Browning, Trish Bendix and Sugarbutch Chronicles blogger Sinclair Sexsmith. (Sunday)
***Academic and Internet-based sex educators will present “Sex Education in a Web 3.0 World.” The panel discussion will address how bloggers and podcasters can best use the Internet to debunk sexual misinformation, as well as the potential influence of age-appropriate sex-ed technologies and social networks on sexual health. (Monday)
***In “Future Smut: How to Become an ‘Adult Webmaster’,” a panel will discuss the wide range of legal issues and fair-use policies surrounding the production and dissemination of adult content on the web. (Monday)
***Porn star-turned porn historian and cyber-sexpert Nina Hartley will give a lecture alongside members of her social-media team. The panel will talk about the history of pornography and will consider how the porn industry is both changing and being changed by social-networking technology. (Monday)
***Marketing and branding professionals will lead “Sexting + Nudie Pics = Digital Violence Among Teens.” The lecture will cover the intersection between technology and dating violence among teens, and the positive effect that ad companies can have in preventing digital sexual violence. (Tuesday)