Inclusive Sex Toys Are More Popular

Canadian sex toy expert: no need to emphasize gender,inclusive sex toys are more popular.

Everyone deserves safe, consensual sex, and LGBTQ people want to have this relationship with their bodies in their gender experience...  

Sex toys are more popular than ever!

Globally, the sex toy market is expected to grow by $9.8 billion between 2019 and 2024, driven in part by the COVID-19 pandemic. During quarantine restrictions, many people are turning to toys as a way to safely "drive" at home or add to their daily routine with a partner.

As interest in sex toys has grown, so has the way of marketing. Sex toys have traditionally been divided into gender binaries: for him or for her. Recently, some brands, such as blush, have made changes in packaging and design to produce some more inclusive sex products.

This is because the consumer group of sex toys has changed. In Canada, for example, in 2018, 1 million Canadians (about 4% of the total population) identified as members of the LGBTQ2S+ community, and approximately 75,000 Canadians identified as transgender or non-binary.

Gender-diverse people have always existed and, like everyone else, have a right to be happy. The sex toy industry has set out to look beyond duality and take the need for gender inclusion seriously. The shift isn't just benefiting gender-diverse people -- Canadian experts say abolishing sex toys could open up new avenues of "happiness" for everyone.

Three Canadian sex toy experts focus on the importance of gender-neutral toys, examining why the sex toy industry needs inclusivity and what barriers to inclusivity remain?

Inclusivity is Good for us All

—Dr. Jess O'Reilly

Sexologist, host of the Sex with Dr. Jess podcast in Toronto, Ontario

When we talk about sex with a heterosexual attitude, we tend to be self-centered. Not only are we missing a sizable portion of the population, but many more forms of happiness are missing. Being more inclusive means we'll have better sex lives - there'll be more gaming options, pleasure options, more exploration of the body, and potentially more meaningful connections.

Most people think that inclusivity only benefits the "forced to marginalize", but inclusivity actually benefits everyone, just as we all get in the way of our conformity and heterosexual expectations and just get rid of They are not easy. We've been taught a lot about what it means to be a man/woman. But no, everyone is so unique.

At the end of the day, it makes sense to talk about sex toys for "bodies," not identities. This toy, for example, stimulates the tone stem, which can be used by anyone with a tone stem, whether they are male or non-binary, genderqueer or gender fluid.

Suggest another approach brands can take: talk about the toy's features and benefits, talk about all the different ways it can be used...gender doesn't need to be a factor.

More and more sex shops are putting unisex labels on the products they sell

—Rae Chen

Sex Writers in Edmonton, Alberta

"As a sex writer, I see a lot of sex toys and one of the things that's missing is proper labeling. When we get neutral sex toys, most of the neutrality comes from the store that sells them, not the company that makes them .I really appreciate that the store goes the extra mile to make sure all the products they carry are labelled unisex. If when you receive the product, if the toy says "this toy is for her", "this toy is for you" 's sound. "The lack of specificity and neutrality makes it harder to find the toy you want.

Everyone deserves to be happy. Everyone deserves safe, consensual sex, and LGBTQ people want to have this relationship with their own bodies as part of their gender experience. "

Sometimes people see what's available and think 'it doesn't seem like it's right for me'

—Luna Matatas

Sex and Pleasure Educator in Toronto

“In the sex toy industry, we market to genitalia and associate genitalia with gender. We now know better that, thanks to people who are gender diverse, that’s not the only way it works. Sensation and stimulation toys work for a lot of people body, most toys can be used in different ways. It's nice that we're starting to market and talk about gender neutral sex toys, not by telling consumers that something they shouldn't use is held back by their body They gain the power to be happy.

Sometimes people look at what's available and think, "It doesn't seem like it's right for me." It can cause a feeling of pleasure that doesn't belong to you, or something is wrong with your fantasies or the way you want to use the sex toy. So when we see more products, people can better connect with things, they can see themselves in joy. The technology already exists, but the way we market and talk about toys is creating a more narrowly happy state than actually exists. "