NAKED: WHY NOT LET EVERYONE SEE YOUR GOODIES?

Cleveland Indian's center fielder Grady Sizemore experienced the consequences of "sexting" - which made me a happy man - he's quite the stud muffin!

IN THE NEWS

The London Telegraph reported that a recent survey found that one in four teens have admitted to "sexting" - sending nude videos or photos through their phone to try to lure in a date.

This is hardly an eye-opening statistic with naked photos/porno tapes of athletes, actors and fame whores popping up all over the Internet.

According to the article, a teens brain isn't programmed to understand the immediate consequences of "sexting."

It stated, "Research shows teenage brains are not quite mature enough to make good decisions consistently. By the mid-teens, the brain's reward centers, the parts involved in emotional arousal, are well-developed, making teens more vulnerable to peer pressure."

MY EXPERIENCE

In the early 90's, when AOL was first loaded onto our family computer, I began communicating with people around the world in diverse chat rooms.

Once I started junior college, I found my way into gay chat rooms and chatted up some very nice LGBT folks. I finally found a place where I could experiment with my sexuality, feel like I wasn't alone and could meet other men outside of the small suburb of Chicago I lived in.

In order to meet a guy offline I needed to show off the goods - this meant nude or semi-nude pics that would pique the other dude's interest in messing around. Good online pictures are key to hooking up with quality guys!

I struggled internally with pressing the send button and releasing an image of my manhood to another person online, asking - will sending this photo hurt future career prospects?

For me it ended up being a fleeting thought as the sexual prospects easily won over any possible negative consequences in my career. I understand that I was one of the lucky ones who hasn't received any abuse from showing off.

MY VIEW

I'm divided on whether "sexting" is that big of a deal! Why do people judge others for showing off their beautiful naked body? More importantly, if they do, are those the people you want to surround yourself with?

If a nudie photo was sent out of me to the masses, I'd first think about my parents, boss, relatives, co-workers seeing it and their disappointment in me - and yes, it's pretty embarrassing. But I would immediately call my best friends - laugh it up - and brag about how good my naughty parts looked!

Obviously I'm half joking here, as I see the consequences with employment, college entrance, etc. I just wish we lived in a society that didn't place such negativity on nudity, naked photos or people being naked in general.

Maybe we all need to stop being so tightly wound up and relax for a hot second! We are all sexual beings, why hide it? What are we really fearing when showing our goodies to others? I say if you got it, flaunt it - you only live once!

FOLSOM STREET FAIR: SHOCKING DISPLAYS OF SEXUALITY

A few weeks ago I checked out the Folsom Street Fair - which was my first time attending a leather festival outdoors. Only in San Francisco will you find 10 blocks of whips, dildos, leather harnesses, swings, gags, fisting, anal sex, blow jobs, and God knows what else on the street in broad daylight for all attendees to enjoy.



I was warned it was graphic and like a big train wreck, I was compelled to watch everything. Honestly, the majority of the time I hid behind my camera and acted like any good photo journalist would act, I smiled at everyone and took lots of photos documenting the experience. Unfortunately, the majority of these photos would be deemed obscene for most folks, so they now serve as memories for me.



I want to clarify some of what I saw at this event. There were both men and woman taking part in these sexual acts and both were attending to see the spectacle. There was a lot of men on men, woman on woman action going. But don't count out the men on woman or woman on men. Yes, there are people of both sexes who like to be dominated by others and this event showcased the diverse preferences nicely.

I have to say that people walking around a street festival completely naked was bizarre for me, but by the end of the 10 blocks I was immune to it all, like nothing I saw after the initial 5 blocks would shock me.

Not sure how I will display the great images I took. Maybe I will incorporate them into a photo gallery show I will do someday once I feel like I am ready to show my work.