Good Vibrations’ Indie Erotic Film Festival (IXFF) will present an evening of gay porn at the notorious Nob Hill Theatre on Sunday, September 19. It might seem ironic—if not downright contradictory—for a business that famously established itself as a "clean, well-lighted," and all-inclusive emporium for all things sex positive to skulk back into the dark and bawdy bowels of an “adult” theater for, of all things, a celebration of sleaze. And not just any sleaze either, but testosterone-tainted, ball-baring, butt-busting, fabulously phallocentric gay sleaze.
It’ll be a night of hardcore hardness, where the measure of the man is taken with a ruler and going the distance requires a squeegee. You’d expect no less from an event featuring a live performance from porn superstar Michael “The Monster” Brandon, not to mention steamy film clips and special guest appearances by actors from some of the hottest gay porn studios in the biz, like Titan, Naked Sword, and Heavenly Spire (see Sinclair Sexsmith's interview with founder Shine Louise Houston). But, again, the vibes here seem anything but what you’d anticipate from the safe and comfortable “woman-focused” retailer.
Since its founding in 1977, Good Vibrations has become almost synonymous with empowering women and those that love them to learn about their bodies and take charge of their own pleasure. That was quite a revolutionary undertaking in those days, a radical reimagining of sex as healthy human exploration rather than dirty little secret, prurient peccadillo, or disdainful duty, and it remains a key cultural battlefield today. It’s not that gay men were actively excluded from or even casually forgotten amid all those good vibes shaking things up, but rather that such labels cease to be relevant when sex is conceived as both pleasure and practice. In other words, Good Vibes made sex about bodies, your body in particular, regardless of its legal, social, or political status. So while some might have lamented a specifically gay vibe at Good Vibes throughout most of its three decades of existence, that would have been beside the point. Remember all that Good Vibrations has taught us, not just about sex but also about possibilities. In this light, anal sex toys aren’t specifically “homo” because gay men are obsessed with putting things up their asses but because everybody’s rectum is potentially a two-way street.
In shining light—the normalizing glare of daylight—onto the world of sex and pleasure, Good Vibrations never meant to deny the erotic charge of porn and such red-light venues as the adult bookstore or theater. Rather, the store and its educational mission emphasize choice and the informed permission to explore those choices. In this way Good Vibes and modern gay history share a similar trajectory, exposing that which was once secretive and shameful to public view in order to show that sex and sexuality are not to be feared. You almost can’t think of that first “clean, well-lighted” Good Vibes store on Mission Street where women in particular could openly and unabashedly learn about and buy sex toys without also thinking of the pioneering Twin Peaks Tavern, reputedly the first gay bar in the United States with clear glass windows, a half mile away at the highly visible intersection of Market and Castro Streets. In both cases, these institutions celebrate community and visibility while never denying the personal and the private. The realm of sexuality is just as important, relevant, exciting, and empowering with the lights on as it is with the lights off.
The IXFF, now in its 5th year, takes us back into the darkness to discover or rediscover what turns us on. With a week’s worth of programming exploring various aspects of eroticism (gay, European, lesbian), the festival culminates in the amateur short film competition on Thursday, September 23, when personal visions of sex and sexuality will unfurl on the screen for the audience’s delectation and edification. As event co-host and Good Vibes staff sexologist Dr. Carol Queen says, "People who send us films have a chance to really mate their own creative impulses with their erotic fascinations and social messages." She adds, "The results are always interesting and frequently very sexy and moving indeed. These short films represent sexual cinema with the artistry and diversity put back in that so frequently is absent from both porn and mainstream movies." The winner of the competition is not the esoteric selection of some distinguished panel of judges; rather he, she, or they are chosen based on the visceral response of the audience as measured through the very unscientific clap-o-meter—a Good Vibes ideal of personal vision and community involvement.
Given that ideal and this year’s programming emphasis on same-sex spectacle, it should come as no surprise that last year’s IXFF winner was a homoerotic film. It's getting easier and easier to discern a distinct gay vibe among all the other good vibes, even as those very same good vibes continue to obviate the need for a distinctly gay anything. Indeed, in recent years Good Vibrations has expanded its all-inclusive community service throughout all of its enterprises by engaging with and marketing to its lesbian, bi, queer, trans, and, yes, even its gay patrons. You’ll find online and in its stores a broader selection of products geared toward the preferences of gay men. There’s an ever-expanding offering of gay, bisexual, and alt/queer porn available for purchase, download, and streaming. This responsiveness to the gay male segment of its community now includes themed performance and lively discussion in the iconic Nob Hill Theatre, but it’s not just for the boys anymore.
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