Befriend Your Butt

My freshman year at Brown, I attended a public debate about SexPowerGod--the famous Brown University Queer Alliance dance/fundraiser made notorious thanks to Bill O'Reilly's efforts. Anyway. Team pro-SPG had the two event coordinators for that Fall (2007): Kathryn Lamb and Robin Peckham. Team anti-SPG had Sean Quigley and Joshua Unseth ('09), two very vocal conservative students (in charge of right-wing organizations and publications on campus). While Quigley was (for the most part, as I recall) quite civil and used academic or intellectual arguments (though I disagreed with them because they were ALL based on the premise of a monolithic moral and religious code which does NOT ACTUALLY EXIST), Unseth was quite the opposite of civil.

I honestly think part of the reason he indulged in ridiculous theatricality was that he knew he was a minority in that debate, and so he decided to have "fun" while he was there. Regardless, it was highly unprofessional and I think that any moderates in the crowd were swayed to the pro-SPG side due to his antics. Anyway. One of his "shticks" was to call LGBTQ folks by "disparaging" names, such as rectal rangers, fudge-packers, carpet-munchers, and butt-pirates. Instead of being (just) insulted, I thought these were actually quite brilliant and pretty hilarious (if wielded appropriately and NOT like he was using them). Am I the only one who images "rectal-rangers" wearing super-hero costumes and flying around?

Anyway, this brings me to the point of this entry: let's embrace this! I encourage everyone who reads this to explore their inner butt-pirate and get in on some anal play. After all, everyone has an anus! It doesn't mean you have to love anal ANYTHING, or ever try it again, but at least give yourself the chance to explore the idea.

Many people are scared of anything going "back there," and that's why I'm here--to point you in the direction of good resources as you begin (or even consider) your rectal-ranger adventure. For now, I'll leave you with a video that a friend shared with me today, of Nina Hartley (via here) talking about making friends with your butt and starting off slowly.

If you want more anally-focused info, check out Tristan Taormino & PuckerUp.

• Tuesdays With Nina: Approaching Anal Play 101