'The Butt Has Been Liberated!"

Well almost. Anal play as a taboo (for anyone other than a gay man) is beginning to encounter its death throes. People everywhere - straight, gay, bi - are all experimenting with the backdoor, trying to find out what is so great about it. Until fairly recently, the back door has only been the butt of jokes regarding the sexual orientation of straight men. Now it is still popular for jokes, but there are also tons of other recommended uses for our sensitive back passage.

The Straight Man and His Butt 

Straight men are particularly prone to homophobic fears when it comes to anal sex. They are generally afraid of anything to do with bums except pooing. Any mention of licking, fingering or bum sex has grown men flushing deep red, shaking their heads and declaring "I'm not a poof!" loudly of course. Just to make sure everyone knows. It is almost comical to watch, but the fears are real even if they belong to an old school of thought.

Attitudes are changing - straight men are starting to realise what a world of pleasure resides inside of them and the threat of suddenly waking up gay is disappearing with the new knowledge and experience gained. The understanding that using their bums for sexual pleasure will not label them gay or a freak is reassuring. Anal play is now being discussed at length by straight men that are starting to find out for themselves the joys of prostate massage - the male g-spot. Yes, it exists, and yes it's up the bum. Any man who denies its presence is missing out.

Any Woman and Her Butt

Women are much easier to convince - 'if someone else can enjoy it, then there should be no reason why I can't'. The proximity of the rectum to the vagina makes anal sex for women a different experience than for men. Both love it or loathe it in equal amounts, but for different reasons.

Women don't have the gay issue to contend with, which makes it immeasurably easier for a woman to declare (or whisper) her desire to take it in the date. The only other issues for women are the distaste of all things bum and poo related, and the pain of misdirected hard-ons. Most women have, at some point, had a "whoops, wrong hole!" mistake which is extraordinarily painful, and enough to put any smart woman off attempting to put anything in there.  

Those brave enough to try are rewarded with a new dimension to their love-making and another option for spicing up stale sex lives.  

The Gay or Bi Man and His Butt 

Gay men have been the trigger point for all this bum talk to start with, since they are the 'kings of the butt-zone'. In the early eighties there was an outbreak of HIV in the world, and the problem was pinpointed to the gay male population. They were blamed for spreading the virus through unprotected anal intercourse.

This discovery sparked discussion of anal sex and gay people on the 6 o'clock news, and it involved nearly the whole world. Everyone started talking about it and some more people started doing it. It was this trigger of social discussion that has led to the breakdown of the taboo status that anal play has commanded in the past. It hasn't been easy, but popping the cherries of taboo never is.  

A New Old Way of Getting Off 

When normal sex starts to go stale anal sex starts to get some air, if only in thought. There is always the knowledge that many other people enjoy it, and curiosity often gets the better of people. The taboo status of the anus, as it slowly fades, also adds to the excitement - forbidden fruit, so to speak. This is what has attracted so many renegade riders to butts in the first place.

Modern Man at His Most Curious 

Most modern people are at least talking about anal sex with their friends - who's doing it, who's not, who likes licking or being licked, who dares to finger and who has gone the whole way and stuck something big in? Everyone is curious about what everyone else is doing and this spurs action. It is something akin to keeping up with the Jones's - nobody wants to get left behind or miss out.

As straight men start to relax a bit, with a bit of coaxing and cajoling from willing partners, the butt can and does bring much pleasure and a deeper satisfaction from sexual activities. It can spice up a boring sex life, adding new dimensions and different sensations, all with the excitement of the unknown. 

As women's curiosity takes them further into their own and their partners butts, their lack of homophobia allows them to take longer and broader steps into the unknown and make it their own.  

Gay men are the best off out of everyone, with the assumption that this is what they will be doing already in place before anything actually happens. A great many gay men don't include this in their sexual expeditions, but not for the same reasons as straight men - obviously they can't be afraid of being labelled as gay, so it simply rests with personal preference.  

Say Goodbye to Anal Retentives 

Welcome to our brave new world!

Being prudish about anal sex is rapidly becoming very un-cool. This un-coolness is good because it normally keeps the mouths of the prudes closed for fear of letting on just how afraid they really are of anal invasions and all those who participate in such activities. Eventually, anal sex will be totally normal and freely discussed like all the other kinds of sex already are. It might take a while longer, but we are halfway there - onwards and upwards we go!