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Photo by J. Issac Small • jsmall4@mscd.edu

Sex Sells

By Jeremy Johnson
jjohn309@mscd.edu

Or, at least, that was the hope of vendors and attendees alike at the third annual Denver Sex Show held Feb. 8-10 at the Denver Merchandise Mart.

There was a little something (or, in some cases, a lot of something) for nearly everybody at the event. Along with the typical array of sex toys, bondage equipment, lingerie and adult videos, the Sex Show also offered seminars on how to better your bedroom life, with or without a set of ropes.

But, according to one organizer who went by Steen, the most important message of the Sex Show was “to promote the wellness and pleasure of sex.” According to Steen, “We want people to realize that there’s nothing wrong with sex. Everybody does it and we want to help make sure they do it right.”

How it’s done is up to the participant. But whatever the choice, the convention offered all the proper equipment, from graphite bed bars to Velcro wrist and ankle cuffs that attach to soft, adhesive bed sheets. And many of the vendors were more than experienced, such as bondage teacher Miss Lilly. Looking much like a thirdgrade teacher, Miss Lilly and her Master Robert have been teaching the ancient Chinese art of bondage for more than 30 years.

Other amenities available at the Merchandise Mart included erotic vacation packages, antique burlesque prints and opportunities for your own erotic photo shoots.

And then, of course, there was the scantily clad game of Twister on a giant, inflatable board. That almost made the $25 ticket price worthwhile.