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By The Stockroom, July 13th, 2015 This Saturday, Stockroom University returned from a two-week break with a bang. Our own Hudsy Hawn and Grooby.com’s Marketing Director, Kristel Penn, worked hard to put together four of the most prominent trans adult stars to talk about a wide scope of issues around transgender people, whether in or out of the adult industry. Buck Angel, Tori Mayes, Morgan Bailey, and Michelle Austin joined us Saturday afternoon to speak honestly about their own stories and share their insights on issues like body image, pronouns, sexuality, and many other topics.
If you missed it, here’s a few of the highlights of the day, with pictures:
By The Stockroom, July 6th, 2015 
Bruce Jenner caused a worldwide sensation when he recently made the announcement that he would be transitioning from Bruce to Caitlyn. And while some transgender individuals spend their whole lives pondering this decision, there are many inspiring individuals who have made the choice to be themselves no matter what the cost, with grace, courage, and honesty that inspires us all.
The panelists at this event include some of Los Angeles’ most well-known transgender stars. Each of our guests will share parts of their personal journey and discuss the respectful use of pronouns, sexuality, labels, and much more.
There will be an open Q & A forum where we encourage attendees to participate in this fun, respectful, and safe discussion.
What: “Trans Talk” With Buck Angel, Michelle Austin, Morgan Bailey, & Tori Mayes
Note: You can also purchase tickets on arrival if you prefer.
When: Saturday July 11, 2:00-5:00pm
Where: Stockroom Hall: 2811 W. Sunset Blvd. Located next to our retail store.
About the Instructors:
Buck Angel: As an icon of popular culture, Buck Angel’s message of empowerment through self-acceptance and being sexually comfortable in your own skin has struck a passionate chord with folks all over the world. Buck is not only inspiring people to think outside the box, he is redefining gender and educating an entire generation on the fluidity of sexuality and identity politics. Since Buck coined the phrase,”it’s not what’s between your legs that defines you!”, the term has become an anthem for men and women everywhere who have been inspired by this message of self-acceptance.
Buck Angel made history when he received the prestigious award from Adult Video News (AVN) for Transsexual Performer of the Year in 2007 for his groundbreaking work in the adult entertainment industry. As the pioneer of an entirely new genre, Buck has received international recognition and continues to be a huge box office hit in numerous markets. Visit his official website at BuckAngel.com.
Michelle Austin: Michelle is an award-winning performer, director, and producer. Since entering the adult industry, she has always been about changing the way people look at body image. Affectionately known as the BBW transsexual of adult entertainment, she has made her own brand as she continues to produce. Michelle is the mastermind behind one of the most talked about transman DVDs, Trans Men Adventures and is changing the way trans porn is seen with her site FTM.XXX.
Morgan Bailey: Morgan is a popular adult performer who has been the red carpet hostess at the Transgender Erotica Awards for the past four years. She’s identified and presented as female since she was 17 and now proudly identifies as trans. “I’m an open book,” she says. “So please don’t hesitate to ask.” Follow Morgan on Twitter and Facebook.
Tori Mayes: An award-winning transgender adult entertainer, Tori has sought to be a positive influence within the transgender community by educating fans as well as being a supportive and encouraging friend to people exploring and realizing their gender identity. This past February she was presented with the first-ever Transcendence Award at the Transgender Erotica Awards (TEAs), recognizing her as an ambassador within the industry with her professionalism and positive influence within the adult entertainment community. Tori can be found interacting with fans and friends on Twitter and Fetlife.
By Chris Hall, July 1st, 2015 
Here at Stockroom, we’re really looking forward to playing host to adult star and educator Buck Angel, the self-proclaimed “man with a pussy” in a couple of weeks. On July 11 Buck, along with adult stars Michelle Austin, Morgan Bailey and Tori Mayes, is going to take part in “Trans Talk,” a panel that will talk about the trans identities, experiences, and issues inside and outside of the adult industry.
The Trans Talk panel is especially relevant and important now: As trans visibility is increased by things such as Caitlyn Jenner’s glamorous debut in the pages of Vanity Fair or Laverne Cox gaining celebrity from her role on Orange is the New Black, more people than ever are talking about transgender individuals and identities in public. Unfortunately, just because the amount of talk in the mainstream is increasing doesn’t mean that understanding of trans experiences is keeping pace. It’s an honor for us that Buck Angel and his colleagues are coming to Stockroom to take the talk farther.
Not everyone is so honored to play host to Buck Angel, however. Last week, Facebook shut down his account until he could “verify” his identity in keeping with their “real names” policy.
Buck is not the first person to face this conflict with Facebook. Not even remotely. Controversy over Facebook’s “Real Names” has been building in the last year among queer, trans, and sex work communities. In San Francisco, a coalition of activists recently demanded that the Board of Directors of SF Pride ban Facebook from sponsoring or marching in last weekend’s parade. SF Pride refused, but it remains a contentious issue in the community, and the board itself was split on the decision.
One of the first things that you learn after spending any amount of time as a member of kinky or LBTQIA communities is that what’s on someone’s birth certificate or driver’s license isn’t really a good indicator of who they are. After spending years among kinksters, you’ll inevitably find that you don’t know the legal names of many of the people you love and trust most in the world. You also come to realize that it’s not important. You know who they are, and how much you can trust them, and the identity that they’ve chosen for themselves means more than what you’d get from the legal name.
The reasons those names are chosen vary as much as the people themselves: For trans people, the name is a statement of identity, chosen to reflect the person that they’ve always felt themselves to be; many refer to the old one as their “dead name,” representing a part of their life that’s behind them. For kink players, it may be a persona that they use in dungeon scenes. For youth whose families don’t support their sexual or gender identities, an online pseudonym is simply a way that they can participate in online communities without being outed.
What all those reasons have in common is that it is not only disrespectful to deny someone the chance to use their chosen name, in many cases it’s dangerous. While Facebook claims that its “Real Names” policy is meant to make the site safer, it in fact exposes many people to harassment and abuse, both online and off.
When Buck Angel was born, someone checked a box on his birth certificate that said “female”; he grew up and realized that what it said on that piece of paper was wrong. Other trans people have done the same thing in one direction or the other. Some have decided that neither box suited who they were, and identify as nonbinary.
The difference between us and Facebook is that we realize that Buck Angel is his real name because it’s the one he’s chosen for himself. Acknowledging that is not only a courtesy, but for some, a matter of life and death. Despite the celebrity of Laverne Cox and Caitlyn Jenner, being trans or queer is dangerous in and of itself. Saying “I am trans” amounts to more than just unchecking and checking a box. Depending on where someone lives and in what circumstances, saying those three words could make them lose everything, up to and including their life.
One of the organizers of the San Francisco protest movement, drag queen Lil Miss Hot Mess, wrote in The Guardian about the reasons that people use aliases:
For many vulnerable users, logging on to Facebook isn’t merely a time suck, but is a way of building safe and supportive communities, sharing resources or planting the seeds of political change. For example, after launching a survey to collect users’ testimonials, our group heard from several transgender users who have used the site in different ways: one person used Facebook as a way of “testing names out to see if they fit” before going through the process of a legal name change. Another wrote us about using Facebook to share pictures and resources to demystify her transition and to encourage friends to “start using [the] new name”. A third disclosed that using her chosen name on Facebook allowed her space to avoid the abuse she otherwise endured in her real life.
As of now, Buck has his account back and is on Facebook again. But his identity has been hard-won, and he shouldn’t have to prove it to anyone.
We hope that you’ll join us for the Trans Talk panel on July 11 so that you can listen to Buck Angel, Michelle Austin, Morgan Bailey and Tori Mayes speak for themselves.
By The Stockroom, June 26th, 2015 
When we have a rummage sale at Stockroom, you know that it’s going to be different than any other. It’s just that after 25 years of selling the best in sex toys and bondage gear, we have much different stuff to rummage through.
You’re going to get the chance to put that to the test this weekend. Twice a year, we bring out some out some of our best merchandise to sell at discounted prices. Our Summer Rummage Sale is happening this weekend, and we hope that those of you who are in the Los Angeles Area will come down to check it out. Not only are the prices very low, but some of the merchandise itself is very hard to get, even on our website.
 Justine Jolie and Syren Latex: Two of the stars of this weekend’s Summer Rummage Sale
- If you’re a fan of the latex clothing that’s sold by Syren, this sale is definitely for you. We’re going to have lots of high-quality latex on hand, with discounts up to 75%.
- Adult star and model Justine Joli has been a great friend to us at Stockroom, and she’ll be joining us to add some of the clothing from her own store to the mix, as well as selling 8×10 pictures of herself.
- It’s going to be a chance to get your hands on some of our rare and one-off designs, such as impact toys made out of alligator hide.
- Lots of DVDs and books, both instructional and artistic.
Hope that we see you there!
When: Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28. 11 AM – 7 PM both days.
Where: Stockroom Hall: 2809 1/2 W. Sunset Blvd. Located next to our retail store.
By The Stockroom, June 16th, 2015 
This two-part class will be dedicated to the theories on what the BDSM community refers to as “sub space.” While covering many other people’s ideas of SubSpace, Instructor Sir Nik will discuss what happens when a sub gets there, how to go about achieving this most sought-after mystery space as well as how to come back from it safely, while leaving a “breadcrumb” trail to go back again and again. Metaphysical techniques will also be shared to illustrate how to go deeper, with thoughts and theories on The Super Subconscious, the Akashic records, the Aperture/Shudder Technique and the Metronome Effect.
Class then segues toward the joys of implement play with emphasis on everyone’s favorite, that good old fashioned spanking. This two-part event will serve both the submissive and the Dominant as you’ll walk away with skills to improve your scenes and lifestyle together… all through approaching subspace through metaphysics and spanking!
What: “Sub Space Theory” With Sir Nik
Note: You can also purchase tickets on arrival if you prefer.
When: Saturday June 20, 2:00-5:00pm
Where: Stockroom Hall: 2809 1/2 W. Sunset Blvd. Located next to our retail store.
About the Instructor:
Sir Nik Satanas has 30 years experience in the world of BDSM. Mentor to many of Los Angeles’ most well known Dominants, Nik still teaches, trains and performs all over the local scene today. He is a founding and active member of The Lair De Sade and Cirque De Sade, and is dedicated to sharing the knowledge of SSC (Safe Sane Consensual) and RACK (Risk Aware Consensual Kink) methods all over the world. Sir Nik was recently featured on Playboy and can also be seen in the French documentary film Sex and Music, produced by Laurent Abitbol.
By The Stockroom, June 7th, 2015 
New to BDSM? Maybe your partner asked if you’d ever had a whip, paddle, or flogger used on you, and you had no idea what they were talking about? This class is for you. You will learn the right way and the the wrong way to negotiate the best scene for both of you.
This hands-on class will also share the basic beginning tools of BDSM with an open forum designed with the beginner in mind. Instructor Rev Mel invites seasoned players to join in the conversation and demonstrate how to use some of Stockroom’s wonderful implements.
What: Whips, Paddles, and Floggers, Oh MY!
Note: You can also purchase tickets on arrival if you prefer.
When: Saturday June 13, 2:00-5:00pm
Where: Stockroom Hall — Located next to our retail store.
About the Instructor:
Rev Mel is a Female Domme with over twenty years in the lifestyle and an ordained minister who firmly believes that religion and hot sex go hand-in-hand. She is a BDSM consultant, educator, and freedom rider. Rev Mel founded The Sacred Realm known as The Church of Perversion and Debauchery (COPAD) in Los Angeles. She has also been teaching the S/m 101 open forum at the Lair de Sade for over 12 years.
Rev Mel is also the founder of BDSM Pride Day and the TSR Peoples’ Choice Awards, a live broadcast from Hollywood, CA. As host of The Rev Mel Show, she has interviewed Jay Wiseman, Venus De Mila, Guy Baldwin, Midori, Nina Hartley, Hudsy Hawn, Mistress Melissa and many other outstanding leaders in the BDSM Community. The Rev Mel Show is live on Monday nights at 8 PM PST on TSRnetwork.com, your place for Live Kink TV.
By The Stockroom, June 1st, 2015  Whether you are brand spanking new, or have dabbled in those various shades of play, this class will teach you the basics of BDSM. Tasks such as planning and executing your first scene will be discussed. This course also includes practical hands on examples of proper and safe spanking, basic flogging and implement use, plus simple rope techniques to help get you started on your kinky journey!
What: Intro to BDSM with Sir Rucifer
Note: You can also purchase tickets on arrival if you prefer.
When: Saturday June 6, 2:00-5:00pm
Where: Stockroom Hall -Located next to our retail store.
About the Instructor:
We are pleased to welcome Sir Rucifer back to Stockroom University. Rucifer is a Lifestyle and Professional Dominant with over ten years experience in the BDSM community. A passionate teacher and lecturer, Rucifer has spoken at colleges all over Southern California. Recent appearances incude DomCon, AdultCon and The Lair. Rucifer is currently the only Resident Male Dom at The Dominion in Culver City.
By The Stockroom, May 25th, 2015 
Have you ever struggled to reconcile your desires with your politics? Do you long to make peace with your transgressive fantasies so you can bring them to life? Do you wonder if you’re “normal,” or how to find other people like yourself? Would you like the thought of “sex” to conjure feelings of happiness instead of anxiety?
Join veteran sex educator, adult star, sex positive advocate, and nurse Nina Hartley as she shares the basic tools and principles she used to gain sexual mastery, confidence, and satisfaction. Learn how to communicate with your partner in a hands-on workshop complete with whips, paddles, cuffs, collars, and canes. This class demonstrates how the toy in our hands becomes a tool of personal expression like the brush of a painter, the bow of a cellist, or the feet of the dancer.
What: “Total Sex” with Nina Hartley
Note: You can also purchase tickets on arrival if you prefer.
When: Saturday May 30, 2:00-5:00pm
Where: Stockroom Hall -Located next to our retail store.
About the Instructor: Nina Hartley, RN, has been an avid consumer of porn since the Golden Age and started her award-winning career in adult entertainment on stage in 1982 and on screen in 1984. She has had the longest continual career of any woman in adult film history and remains active in front of the camera. A fierce advocate for the notion of sexual freedom as a fundamental human right, Nina sits on the board of the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance. She regularly speaks around the country, using her nursing degree to educate people about the importance of sexual sanity, literacy, pleasure and health.
By The Stockroom, May 18th, 2015 
We are pleased to welcome back Stockroom University Educators Sunny & Ken! Join them in a serious look at risk taking behaviors while examining how to be as safe as possible in any scene. Risk assessment, safety, health, negotiation, and consent will all be covered as well as how to set up , design, and execute abduction and interrogation scenes. Armbinders, body bags, hogties, straitjackets and Stockroom sensory deprivation gear will be utilized during this course.
What: Stockroom University: Edge Play — Toying With Risk
Note: You can also purchase tickets on arrival if you prefer.
When: Saturday May 9, 2:00-5:00pm
Where: Stockroom Hall -Located next to our retail store.
About the Instructors:
The superheroes of sex ed, married couple Ken Melvoin-Berg and Sunny Megatron are partners in every sense of the word. In addition to co-producing Showtime’s Sex with Sunny Megatron, they initially gained recognition writing and teaching about everyone’s favorite subject: SEX. Some of their sell-out workshops include: BDSM 101; Prostate Milking for Beginners; Ethical Non-Monogamy; Sex Toys 101; ZAP! Electric Play: Wands, TENS & More; G-spots & Squirting; and How to Give a World Class Blow Job.
By The Stockroom, May 12th, 2015 
This coming weekend is a big one for anyone in the SoCal area who’s a big fan of D/s play: DomCon Los Angeles is celebrating its 10th anniversary at the LAX Hilton. Of course, we’re going to be there. The Stockroom offices are swarming right now as we get everything ready to put our best (and kinkiest) faces forward for the weekend.
Come meet Stockroom University Headmistress Hudsy Hawn at booth #155, directly outside Classroom A, and take the opportunity to get an up-close look at our best fetish gear. We’ll have The Strap, the debut entry in our new collaboration with Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, both in its standard version and the new gold-plated version. Check out the video below with Skin Diamond to see The Strap in action.
We’ll also have: selections from the JT Signature Line; electro erotic toys like our famous Neon Wand; and Stockroom’s patented Bolero Straightjacket.
If you don’t want the hassle of packing all of these cool toys and kinky clothing and getting them past airport security, any orders placed at the booth will receive a 20% discount and free shipping.
 Ernest Greene & Nina Hartley We’re also very proud to have Ernest Greene and adult film legend Nina Hartley coming to the booth for daily signing sessions of Greene’s acclaimed erotic novel, Master of O, published this year by Daedalus Publishing. In addition to the standard paperback edition, we’ll have copies of the new illustrated version which includes over forty gorgeous, full-color pictures by the internationally-acclaimed erotic artist Fernando. Come by and see why Margaret Cho says that Master of O is Sexy, decadent, powerful and fun — exactly what you want in a date and in a book!
Also, don’t miss out Friday night, when Hudsy Hawn tells the story of her decade-long journey from vanilla to kink in a performance of The Mermaid Diaries — Beneath the Covers at Sanctuary Studios LAX. It’s a funny, inspiring, and sometimes heartbreaking story told one song at a time. The show goes from 9-10:30 PM on Friday night, with a free shuttle from the hotel starting at 8:45.
It’s going to be a very full weekend, and we hope that you’ll be there to enjoy it with us.
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