by Sophie Saint Thomas for Nylon
Last month in Manhattan’s Theater District, two seemingly mismatched worlds met—academia and alternative sex—at the first Annual Alt Sex Conference. While I was expecting an audience of furries, perhaps an exuberant attendee dressed up as a unicorn with a dildo strapped to their head, it was truly more of an academic conference than a furry convention, stuffier than fluffier if we must.
While sitting all day can feel tedious, the information presented was not. In full force were self-proclaimed “sex nerds,” simultaneously showing off their science chops and love for getting it on. In a small, dark theater, the event’s organizers and speakers took turns holding court over the audience, sharing the latest research on everything from polyamory and kink to how role-playing is being used to treat illicit sexual desires that could otherwise be dangerous to society. Of the fact-filled day, here are 10 things we learned.
