CES Award Furore – How Can You Have Gender Bias About A Sex Toy?

The modern world and its mores continue to confuse – we’ve a story here about how an award at CES, the consumer electronics show, to a sex toy has been withdrawn among accusations of gender bias. The thing is, sure, there’s all sorts of bias about both sex and gender these days, accusations of such at least, but how can we have such bias about an actual sex toy? Sex being one of those times when making a differentiation upon such ideas as sex and or gender is being entirely rational.

We thus are confused:

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Lora DiCarlo’s robotic sex toy Osé sparks gender bias claims at CES[/perfectpullquote]

It’s the sort of thing where gender is actually important, isn’t it?

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The sex tech company, which prides itself on being inclusive and supportive of non-binary, gender non-conforming, and LGBT people, was notified of the victory in an email sent on October 8.[/perfectpullquote]

LGBT is a bit misleading here. The product is based upon the biological workings of female humans, not how they gain the gusset dampening in the first place. That is , sexual mechanics, not desires nor tastes. But still:

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Withdrawn CES award for sex toy prompts gender bias allegations
Organizers of the world’s biggest consumer tech show have withdrawn an award for a female-focused robotic sex toy and are now being accused of double standards when it comes to showcasing products.[/perfectpullquote]

Well, actually, they’ve the one set of standards. It’s our old friend the morality clause. Sex toys are considered to not have much in the way of morals so they don’t get to win prizes.

But we’ve still this problem over the allegations of bias. Gender’s often not important in human activity – trading bonds as PJ O’Rourke has put it. So, when someone does discriminate by gender in those circumstances we can righteously accuse them of bias. But when it comes to sex then gender is really quite an important distinction to make. Those varied rings that might maintain an erection for example, they might be bought by women, enjoyed by women, even used by women, but they’re not going to be used upon women. It’s an important distinction and it’s not bias to note it.

This specific toy is designed to work with specific details of female physiognomy. It won’t work on men no matter how used – despite the obvious pleasure men might gain from it being used properly – and, given the details of its workings it won’t work on the trans either. It will work equally well on women of whatever desire.

Thus it’s very difficult indeed to understand these accusations of gender bias.