While the UK claps for the NHS and carers every Thursday, Paul Smith highlights some of the heroes from the pleasure products sector who have also been contributing to the fight against the coronavirus…
When I heard at the start of April that British American Tobacco (BAT – not the first bat to be involved…) had announced that its US biotech subsidiary Kentucky BioProcessing (KBP) had ‘made a significant breakthrough with our tobacco plant technology’ which might lead to a Covid-19 vaccine, I was a little sceptical. But arguably it has some experience in the world of respiratory disorders and as it’s at pains to stress, recombinant proteins from tobacco plants have their pharmaceutical uses. You may have also read reports about a French study saying smokers are at less risk from coronavirus than non-smokers and plans to test the effectiveness of nicotine patches to ward off the virus. Hard to picture those French scientists without a Gauloises dangling casually from their lips, but if the science is repeatable and reliable, it’s good science. COPD still kills a lot of people, but we’ll gloss over that, as is traditional.
So, if the tobacco industry, not universally regarded as the good guys of public health, can step up in a crisis (while lobbying to ensure tobacco products are listed as essential) why not other industries which might typically be described as having a PR problem? Well, betting has taken a stumble due to the lack of sport, but online gambling has seen a big uplift while bookies stand empty. The virtual Grand National raised over £2.6m for NHS charities and I call that a win for a beleaguered vital service.
Which brings me closer to home and the pleasure product industry. We already know we’re in the business of human pleasure and while some still take issue with carnal enjoyment and masturbation, they’re a rapidly diminishing minority. Kids get Disney, adults get rabbits and porn; it’s only fair. Further establishing the world of sex toy production as the domain of heroes – as a lot of people in solo lockdown will no doubt already acknowledge – several stories of helping in more practical ways during the global catastrophe are doing the media rounds.
Crisis used to mean orgasm
Perhaps making the biggest splash, from the BBC’s social media and website to Forbes.com, is the UK’s very own Doxy. Set-up in 2013 and based in Cornwall, Doxy’s William Garland and Andrew Crichton [pictured] spoke to BBC business reporter Lora Jones, and the story of “The sex toy manufacturer making NHS gear” ran on May 10th.
With demand now up for the 1,500 wands produced by the firm each week it’s a testament to the socially responsible desire to help that the company is still finding time to produce 100 ‘ear savers’ for key workers daily. The ear discomfort (or worse, ear trauma) caused by wearing face masks for long periods has been relieved by Doxy’s 3D printed plastic straps, which sit behind the head and when the masks’ elastic straps are hooked over it, take the strain off the lugholes.
No stranger to the joy of relieving some of life’s stresses, William told Lora: “Our 3D printer is usually making prototypes of sex toys, not things that could be helping the NHS on the frontline… When the scale of the pandemic became clear, we asked ourselves: what could we do to help with the product we’ve got? But we didn’t want to be flippant about it, or cause offence by sending out the Doxy wands we usually sell, as a gift. Then one of our team saw a callout on social media for extra ear savers, which included a design we could do with our 3D printer.”
Doxy’s ear savers have been donated to NHS departments across the country, and according to the BBC report, this “includes the neonatal intensive care and accident and emergency units at its nearest Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, as well as several care homes.”
The other PPE: Pleasure Product Enjoyment
Across the ocean which both divides and joins us, and then across the full width of the USA, in Los Angeles Jimmyjane has been rightly praised for sourcing 2,100 infection control face shields and donating them to local hospitals. As part of the company’s response to Covid-19, helping to protect healthcare workers in its community, Jimmyjane’s VP of people Tami Aguilar commented: “We are thrilled to be able to use our vast resources to support our community by donating face shields to hospitals in need, to help keep their heathcare workers safe. In the face of this pandemic, doctors, nurses and support staff are true heroes and deserve access to PPE. We are grateful for the opportunity to help.”
The firm, established in 2003, is also using its high profile to promote what the adult product industry can do to help in the crisis and encourage other businesses to get involved. Jimmyjane was able to source the 2,100 plastic face shields and had them rushed by air-freight to the company’s southern California warehouse and quickly dispatched 1,000 of them to Good Samaritan Hospital near downtown LA. The other 1,100 were donated to the American University of Heath Sciences Foundation for immediate distribution to hospitals in need across LA County.
In a Jimmyjane press release, assistant medical director for Good Samaritan Hospital Ben Musser is quoted as saying: “We are so grateful for this contribution; face shields are a vital form of protection and much-needed in our facility. During this trying time, and when safety supplies are so hard to come by, we greatly appreciate the efforts of companies like Jimmyjane who are willing to invest time, energy, and funds in getting our frontline healthcare workers the supplies they need.”
The same release highlights Dr Kim Dang, founder and president of the AUHS, who said: “Contributions like this are keeping us safe in these unprecedented times and we are so thankful to the Jimmyjane team for their efforts. These valuable face shields will be distributed to hospitals within the Emanate Heath System in Los Angeles County and help provide protection and support to hard-working essential healthcare workers.”
Taking a different tack, Xgen Products of Horsham, just north of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, have also joined the vanguard to protect workers, but have looked towards shops reopening for inspiration. In a press release the company says it wants its customer partners to be safe as they begin to re-open their stores and has begun to stock multiple types of PPE, with many of them now shipping. Others will follow in the days and weeks to come.
Xgen Products’ president Andy Green said: “Almost all of our customer partners have been affected by Covid-19 in some way. Now that stores are beginning to open back up, we wanted to make sure their employees and in-store customers are protected.”
Andy added: “As we’ve seen in grocery stores and online, coming by PPE can be tough. Our customers can count on Xgen to provide all the PPE they may need as we all go through this together.”
Xgen are supplying masks, gloves and hand sanitiser. Nitrile gloves in two sizes (it’s stronger, cheaper and has none of latex’s allergy triggering properties), and masks in two types; standard disposable 3-ply face masks and the more advanced KN95 protective masks. The hand sanitiser is available in three sizes and use either 75% isopropyl alcohol or 62% ethyl alcohol: both highly effective at killing coronavirus, as well as other germs and bacteria. In order to protect warehouse staff, customers are requested to purchase items by box/carton quantities.
Stay home!
Closer to home, back in Blighty, Joanne of Joanne’s Reviews – the adult product review blog – has been busy with a 3D printer to make PPE for the NHS. As she said on the blog back on April 3rd: “I am doing my own little bit to help keep NHS staff safe by making PPE for them. With the pandemic running its cause all over the globe, healthcare professionals are at the front lines of the battle against this virulent foe. Here in the UK, we are incredibly proud of all the NHS staff and critical workers doing their bit to keep everyone safe and sound. The NHS staff, in particular, are in harm’s way, caring for patients with Covid-19, and they rely on personal protective equipment to keep them safe. This vital equipment is becoming in short supply, and small businesses and individuals who can help are rallying to the cause.”
Using designs pioneered in the Czech Republic and distributed by 3D Crowd UK, which is coordinating efforts, Joanne explained: “I am using my skills and materials to print out face shield headbands and bases, and these will then be forwarded to 3D Crowd UK for distribution to the NHS. I hope to be able to churn them out at a rate of one every seven hours – 3D printing is a long slow process. But I will be happy in the knowledge that even in my disabled state, I will be able to help others and contribute to the fight against this horrible virus.”
Joanne is one of several thousand involved in the project, but unfortunately not everyone was supportive of her – and presumably the rest of the 3D Crowd UK taskforce’s – efforts. She updated the blog on April 7th to add: “One sad thing is that I have actually been receiving some hate mail over doing this… …with some common themes like, ‘You’re only helping to cover up the Government’s mismanaging of the crisis’, or ‘You should not be doing this, let the number of deaths increase to prove the government is useless’. I’m not [fazed] by these self-centred cockwombles, I cannot understand the logic though, as with people having to make protective gear for the NHS to help keep them safe, it seriously highlights the underfunding within the NHS. To the haters, I simply say F**K YOU! I am doing my bit and what I’m doing could potentially save lives. What are you doing? Nothing but complaining! I will continue making this kit for the NHS staff and I am bloody proud to be able to contribute this way.”
Unbelievable! And yet, all too believable. I for one applaud any efforts to minimise the impact of this epidemic and save lives.
It’s only a little prick, you won’t feel a thing
Going back to March 27th, MedFetUK – a specialist supplier of all things medical fetish – tweeted: “Today we donated our entire stock of disposable scrubs to an NHS hospital. It was just a few sets, because we don’t carry large stocks, but they were desperate, so we sent them free of charge.”
27.3 thousand Likes later and the story was picked up by multiple newspapers and media outlets, who also quoted a @MedFet_UK tweet saying “We have been contacted this week by representatives of NHS procurement all over the country, trying to source basic protective equipment and clothing,” as well as some… let’s say choice words about government preparedness following 2016’s Cygnus exercise.
Twitter was quick to respond with many words of support as well as 11,000 Retweets. Mr Demos of Pnyx aka @gem_ste responded, “Imagine the scriptwriters of a political satire sat round a table.
‘Ok, we have a pandemic right, and the government has run out of protective gear so they have to turn to a medical fetish supplier to provide it! Ha ha ha!’
‘Erm, yeah thanks Simon, we’ll consider it’.”
Drew Millward aka @DrewMillward spoke for many when they tweeted, “Well, I wasn’t anticipating the heroics of a medical fetish company to be a shining beacon of righteousness and clarity in this difficult time, but here we are. Welcome to 2020, people.”
With a very similar take, D Franklin aka @D_Libris commented, “A medical fetish company is supplying the NHS with protective gear during a pandemic and being clearer about the shortage and its cause than virtually the entire British media. Welcome to 2020.”
It can’t be coincidence that medical fetishists, with their PPE, full-enclosure latex suits and even rebreathing equipment were perhaps the best prepared for the grave situation which has befallen the world.
While we all struggle catch up and to adapt to what so much of the media is calling ‘the new normal, it’s great to know the pleasure product industry has risen to the challenge and will continue to contribute to international efforts to save lives. That’s in addition to enriching sex lives, by producing things much more fun and much less harmful than what the tobacco or gambling industries crank out. In dark times, spreading a little adult joy through the medium of sexual pleasure is not to be sniffed at. Nor coughed at. It can be safely embraced, like a gran with a Cuddle Curtain.
Has your business also been helping others during this crisis? Please email [email protected] with some brief details and we will be pleased to include you in the article.
