January 2015 Newsletter

Happy New Year, Passionate People!

Hi, I'm Kit! 2015 is off to an exciting start for me: On New Year's Day, I started rolling out my new name (Kit) and my new preferred pronouns (they/their), and I came out as genderqueer. It took a long time for me to find my name, and I really appreciate the support of my husband and friends as I make this change.

There's a new, hackable vibrator on the horizon. The HUM is touted as "the first artificially intelligent vibrator."  I'm more excited that it's Arduino-based and will be open to reprogramming. Plus, the team has assured me it will be easy to grab your own orgasm data from the device: Citizen sex science FTW!  If you want to preorder your own, you've got until about January 16.

The #sexletterschallenge continues! In November, I launched the Sex Letters Challenge, encouraging my friends to write letters to their teenage selves about what they wished they had known about sex. We've got a new crop of letters up at The Sex Letters Project, which is run by my friend and fellow activist Nicole Mazzeo of Pleasure Pie.  Go check out these awesome letters by Matthew, Kay, Jeremy, and Sam, and then submit your own.

What's on tap for for 2015:

  • Finishing the latest update of our budget and financial projections
  • Choosing a name for the nonprofit
  • Recruiting board members
  • Incorporating and applying for 501(c)(3) status
  • Networking like crazy with sex-positive project creators and potential donors
  • Fundraising to finish the build out of the grantmaking site (currently known as Passionate Produce)

Wow...Looking at that list makes me feel both excited and terrified at the same time. Thanks again to all of you for sticking with me throughout 2014, and I hope your New Year is off to a great start.

Peace,
~Kit (formerly Kristen) Stubbs, Ph.D.

You can follow my sex-positive nonprofit adventures via Tumblr, Facebook, or Twitter. For more sex-positive goodness, check out my personal blog and Twitter (@vortacist).