A guest post by Syd Blakovich.

I thought I would write a follow up to the political shit storm that transpired this winter. Californians saw a variety of sex related laws go on the ballots. “Anti-trafficking” and mandatory condom use in porn being some of the wolves in sheep’s clothing measures that passed. But alas I am not here to talk politics today. I am here to talk about fucking on camera and safer sex.

That’s right today’s post is brought to you by the letter L… as in latex (or N for the latex-sensitive who use nitrile)… or maybe let’s just say S for Safer Sex.

If you are new here to the CrashPad, or queer porn in general, you are probably not accustomed to seeing gloved fingers and hands going inside bodies in the sexy sense. If you have seen your fair share of mainstream porn where the body fluids splash freely, this might perplex you a bit. “What’s the deal with all the rubber, is it some kind of fetish?” you might be asking. “Are all these queers a part of some hypochondriac, secret, sexual circle?” Well there are definitely folks out there that harbor a special love for the shine and scent of latex and who are a little more germaphobic than you and I, these are generally not the reasons for glove use that you see on screen.

Image: Vai in episode 10

I cannot speak for every performer who uses gloves, only myself. So here are some of the reasons you will see glove use in my videos:

Agreement Between Performers & Their Partners
One of the most common however less visible reasons for glove and barrier use comes down to the agreements performers have made with themselves as well as their partners. Some performers and people prefer to use gloves with certain activities (e.g. fisting or anal) because it can make the surface area smoother and ease entry. Perhaps you work with your hands and they are a bit too rough for your partners more delicate parts? This would be a prime opportunity to use a glove or two. Or similarly you are prone to cuts and scrapes on your fingers, which again would be an excellent time to use gloves. However, it’s possible you are in a relationship with someone who wants to feel safe. They may or may not be a sex worker too, but they do want to know you are taking care of yourself and are doing everything you can to not put them in harms way too. Gloves may be part of this equation. Irregardless if gloves are a part of your personal safety equation, the most important thing is to have an equation or rather a talk with your partner(s) about what makes them feel safe and sexy, as well as health and emotional safety. Communication is the best form of safer sex.

Safety & Kink
Although gloves may not be a common sight in mainstream sexual consciousness, they have been a big part of BDSM culture for quite sometime. They occupy this area of function and fetish since both latex (and most materials for that matter) can and are fetishized, but they clearly have utilitarian purposes. Especially in a culture where having multiple play partners, safe words, and the expelling of body fluids is of frequent occurrence, safety is a high priority. Along with leather, floggers, and Cavicide, gloves are a must have in most players handbags. Have a play piercing on the fly, fisting a stranger, killing a spider? Gloves are one of those multi-purpose necessities that equip you for almost every situation. If you haven’t noticed by now, my spoiled alert is here, but there is a big overlap in the queer porn and BDSM communities. Exhibitionists abound! When a kinky performer shows up, it’s likely they have a few gloves tucked away in their big bag of tricks and it is no wonder gloves have become part of the lexicon of queer porn.

Image: Minax and Nicolai Notwithstanding in episode 62

The Agony & Ecstasy of Being Indie
As a performer who has worked for both mainstream and independent companies, I can say they both have their own pluses and minuses. Mainstream companies have bigger budgets, pay very well and can afford to have their performers STD tested on the regular, but there is less opportunities for performers who fall outside the culturally controlled aesthetics, have agency over which acts will be performed or the flow of the scene. Independent companies typically give performers more creative control during the scenes, are less likely to fetishize marginal identities and offer more opportunities for gender-variant people but lack the wherewithal to offer performers mainstream rates or paid for regular testing. A side note here is that if you are interested in doing indie porn, don’t quit your day job. If you want to quit your day job, consider a night one. I digress, but my point here is that gloves and barriers offer financially feasible alternatives for indie companies and performers who cannot afford regular testing to protect their performers. Most indie queer companies allow performers the choice if they want to use barriers or not, which is something I really cherish. Since mainstream companies rely on the testing system, many of these companies do not want performers using barriers and there are also some performers who choose not to use barriers. At the end of the day, I still think that it should be the performers’ choice as to whether or not they use barriers.

With that being said, if you have never used gloves before, it does take some adjusting to. I am big “practice makes perfect” kind of person. When you watch a lot of these videos, what you don’t see is the fumble time, water breaks, and switching on and off of the gloves and other items. It generally looks smooth and flawless but I can assure you it is not. It’s still a video that has been edited and in some cases has performers who are professional. It’s ok to take your time, it’s ok to laugh and giggle or feel awkward, it’s ok to play and have fun. Sex is entirely too serious. A small word of advice, unless you are double fisting someone, use one gloves at a time. You can used the gloved hand on your partner and the ungloved on yourself. Also make sure to use more than enough lube, never a such thing as too much, since latex seems to suck up a lot of it. If you are having a hard time getting the glove on, blow a big puff of air in it and quickly slip your hand in.

Image: Sadie Lune and Lillianne Lane in episode 145

I hope this has been insightful and perhaps helpful. I would love for everyone to add their own safer sex tips in the comments.
Thanks!

Syd Blakovich shot porn from 2005-2016 and appeared in Pink & White Productions’ very first feature, The Crash Pad. Follow her on twitter @SydBlakovich. Featured image: Coral Aorta and Siren Wolf in CrashPad episode 140.