Deep Throat Dive

An introduction to my sexy summer research

An important part of my body positivity journey has been sex positivity as well. Embracing my sexuality has been part of showing up raw and real and who I am and not being shamed for it. It shows up in my writing, my work, my art, my self-portraits, my words and my life. I mean, this whole Substack wasn’t named Whorella for nothing. I love to learn new things and have new experiences and this summer I have taken a deep throat (lol yassssss) dive into some current - and historical - territory that is a bit niche but so important.

I think I may have told you this before, but I have two undergraduate degrees in public relations and American history, a minor in Women’s Studies, and my masters degree in art and architectural history. (Fun related fact: I did a site visit and interviews and research on the oldest strip club in Spokane, Washington, for my final paper in a sociology course as an undergrad and so much of my graduate research was on subversive feminist art, especially those using their bodies as canvases.) I’ve been doing historic research for most of my life and it really is so much fun. Also, for the past 17 years I’ve been a volunteer and paid staff with Preservation Idaho, a statewide nonprofit dedicated to advocating for and educating about our historic built environment. I have researched a lot of neighborhoods and topics and give a really fun historic Boise downtown walking tour to kids and adults alike for the past 11 years. On it, we talk briefly about our red light district of brothels in the late 1800s-early 1900s but not much academic research has been done by a feminist activist, as far as I can tell, on the history of sex workers in Boise. I’m changing that and having so much fun. It’s taken me to cemeteries and the library and old buildings and the archives. I’ve decided to share my findings in a new series called Deep Throat Dive as a fun way to share what I’m finding, what I’m thinking, and what I’m going to do with it. So buckle up. It’s gonna be so fun.

I’m also going to share the sexy tangents and side quests this research is taking me on with you along the way. Starting with a few fun things tonight:

First, a fellow sex positive bad ass babe and friend of mine named Sugar May has done some really rad art and collaborations with us recently at Treefort Market . She’s a high-femme British American artist and comic maker and her new book Sweet Pussy is so sexy and subversive and sweet. It’s stunning, really, and I shared a few snippets on my Instagram post today. Queer art queens are just divine.

(my laptop is old and having serious probs right now so I can’t add a bunch of photos so this video will have to suffice but do also check out my Instagram for more)

For at least two months now I’ve been devouring this new to me podcast called The Oldest Profession. I listen while I’m doing the dinner dishes, on long walks, tanning topless in my backyard. Created and hosted by former sex worker Kaytlin Bailey, the podcast reminds listeners that sex workers have always been part of the story. Each episode focuses on an “old pro” from history, contextualizing that figure in their own time and connecting their story to the ongoing struggle for sex worker rights. It’s so entertaining, so thoughtful and so full of historic research that has really inspired and complimented my own. (I recommend skipping the first season of the podcast and starting at the second.)

Kaytlin’s podcast is how I learned about Robin Byrd, a 1970s porn star and host of the longest running adult cable television show, The Robin Byrd Show. I read up on everything I could find about Robin after I listened to the podcast and have been fascinated ever since. She got her start in film in Debbie Does Dallas. I’ve never seen it, and really want to, so went on the hunt looking for it. You can’t get it at the library and you can’t stream it. I asked some sex positive folks I know if they had a copy I could borrow and they didn’t. (Do you own it?! If so, please let me know!) I ended up finally visiting one of the oldest sex shops in Boise, Video Vixen, to see if they had it because - duh - IT’S RIGHT IN THEIR NAME. I was the only woman in the place, there were sections for films that were right up my alley like MILF, HAIRY and CLASSICS, which is the section I was certain it would be in, but it wasn’t there. In fact, the porn films in this very small section were none that I’d ever heard of. I went up to the guy working and asked him and he said it’s nearly impossible to get now as he believes it is out of print. I also checked out the toys and lingerie and the private video porn arcade rooms with peep holes/ glory holes. As luck would have it, just this week a new documentary on Robin Byrd called Bang My Box was announced and it is produced by Sarah Jessica Parker and it did so well at the Tribeca Film Festival and will be on HBO at the end of the month and I guess I’ll just have to wait for that, but I’m honestly so excited to see it. Both films.

Last week my old friend Caryn who ran one of the oldest sex toy shops in Boise called Ozone Condoms for nearly thirty years stopped by my office to visit and bring me a vintage robin egg blue telephone she thought I’d love. When she retired and spontaneously closed up shop in 2020, I inherited most of the contents of it, and so I think of her often when I see so many quirky things of hers around my house. Like the framed posters about wearing rubbers and safe sex in my garage, the Easter eggs that were filled with condoms, the mini beer fridge in our garage.

There’s so much more to share. Glad to have you here and get ready because it’s gonna get real hot in here.