B2B sales director, Kim Faubel, gives her take on the changes implemented by the current administration and how, if left unchecked, ‘pleasure’ can become a luxury exclusive to few.
(NOTE: This story appears in the June 2025 issue of SE Magazine.)
[Editor’s Note: Because it might need to be said, this piece is not meant to insult those ofyou reading this who also voted for this administration. However, its author and the editors of SE Magazine make no apologies if the following makes you uncomfortable, because the thing about discomfort, it often can teach you something. We only ask you to read this with an open mind.]
For four years, the Trump administration waged an all-out war on marginalized bodies. This wasn’t just a political regression — it was a full-blown assault on autonomy, dignity, and yes, pleasure. While the country debated tax brackets and border walls, something quieter (but no less insidious) was happening: the policing of intimacy, the repression of queer joy and the censorship of sexual wellness under the guise of “morality.”
Now, he’s back — and brought a stretch-Tesla-clown-car of bad actors with him.
It’s easy to dismiss sex toys as trivial in a world on fire, but let’s be clear: access to pleasure is access to power, especially for people whose identities are already politicized. Trans folks, women, disabled individuals and BIPOC communities have long relied on sexual wellness spaces to reclaim their bodies in a society that routinely tells them they don’t own them. In the current era, that refuge is under threat.
From platform censorship to full-blown legislative attacks, the administration has not only stripped rights — it has helped shape a culture where marginalized pleasure is treated as deviance instead of healing.
Spoiler alert: This is not about toys. It’s about control. And for those of us who’ve had to fight for every ounce of joy, that makes this personal.
Systemic marginalization of bodily autonomy
It’s a fact — not my opinion, not a personal point of view, no — a fact that able-bodied, white, heterosexual cis men in this country have always had more power than anyone else. And with great power comes great self-assigned importance, and the assumption that other people’s bodies are their responsibility.
Many of us started shaking in our combat boots when, shortly after the appointments of anti-choice Supreme Court Justices, a memo was leaked hinting at the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade.
A close family member told me I was “crazy” for being concerned. “That will never happen,” he said. Those who have never had legislation directly threaten their autonomy can afford to check out of current events. Everyone else, however, has to stay vigilant. I would have gladly been wrong — or crazy. Unfortunately for all of us, I wasn’t.
So what does this have to do with sex toys? Sexual autonomy is bodily autonomy. Limiting access to healthcare and education diminishes safety and choice for those who have already been kept powerless. This is deliberate.
— Kim Faubel
There has been a blatant assault on trans people through the military ban, the rollback of healthcare protections and the erasure of public data — all at the tiny hands of the powers-that-be. Of course, this isn’t just about trans bodies or those who can get pregnant. It’s about disabled folks, neurodivergent folks and anyone else who does not fit the mold defined by the founders of this never-was-as-great-as-they-want-us-to-believe nation.
So what does this have to do with sex toys?
Sexual autonomy is bodily autonomy. Limiting access to healthcare and education diminishes safety and choice for those who have already been kept powerless. This is deliberate.
Censorship and conservative morality policing
We sure like to brag about the separation between church and state in a country run by white Christian Nationalists. This dangerous reality confuses folks because while religion can be a morally sound and beautiful set of traditions for some, it’s often the shield that predators hide behind — and unfortunately, it works. Under the guise of “moral decency” or “protecting women and children,” we find that these obscenity laws do more harm than good.
This dangerous reality is confusing because while religion can be a morally sound and beautiful tradition for some, it’s also often the shield that predators hide behind — and unfortunately, it works. Under the guise of “moral decency” or “protecting women and children,” we see obscenity laws that do far more harm than good.
It’s easy to dismiss sex toys as trivial in a world on fire, but let’s be clear: access to pleasure is access to power, especially for people whose identities are already politicized. Trans folks, women, disabled individuals and BIPOC communities have long relied on sexual wellness spaces to reclaim their bodies in a society that routinely tells them they don’t own them. In the current era, that refuge is under threat.
— Kim Faubel
Take FOSTA/SESTA, for example. These laws claim to combat sex trafficking, but in reality, they censor access to critical safety information, particularly for sex workers in BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+ communities.
Inequity and the weaponization of shame
If you have never quietly thought to yourself, “It is really fucking stupid I am being taxed on something that I need in order not to bleed all over myself every month,” — lucky you. A tax on period products or the “pink tax” still applies in 20 states. Menstruators understand how asinine this is, while some people can’t even stay in a conversation about menstruation. Think about that.
On a related note, consider the orgasm gap, consider the manosphere that is teaching young people that the “female orgasm” isn’t real. Consider the trending trad-wife content that glorifies domestic submission, but insists on being “pure and clean,” while the little blue pill is covered by insurance and billboards scream FREE CONSULTATIONS FOR ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION.
The concept that there are only two genders and only one of those genders is rightfully supposed to experience pleasure… I mean, really? Is this because of lack of proper sexual education? We learn about ejaculation and semen. What about pleasure in bodies that don’t involve a penis? We already know less about women’s health than men’s because we haven’t been studied. The clown-mobile recently made even more cuts to keep it that way.
This is one of the many reasons sex-toy retailers remain institutions of access and education. This knowledge isn’t widespread, it’s actively hidden, shamed, misinformed and riddled with lies by omission.
Resistance and reclamation
You’ve made it to the homework portion of this article. Thank you. As always, what is happening to us is not all of our fault, but it is our responsibility to fight. To not comply. To right the wrongs of others. I implore all of us to continue to uplift queer and BIPOC pleasure-owned businesses and voices. Talk about this stuff beyond the store and social media. Keep joy and pleasure in your life because that’s what we are fighting for.
When I learned I would have 1,000 words to dive into this terrifyingly infuriating subject, it was difficult not to take my anonymous colleague’s suggestion of typing the word, “FUCK,” a thousand times. The reality is, this is pointed and intentional. I know, with certainty, there are still people in this business who do not understand how bad this is for us.
Our industry has always been political. The reason we are labeled obscene and devious is that we are powerful. If they weren’t scared, they wouldn’t care.
Pleasure is not a luxury nor a threat to our existence, it’s a human right.
Kimberly Scott Faubel ventured into an adult retail store in early 2003 and submitted a job application. She has never looked back. When she isn’t busy writing, helping stray cats, improvising and cooking, Kim is the B2B Sales Director for the brands b-Vibe, The Cowgirl and Le Wand at COTR, Inc. She’s fairly certain she was burned at the stake in a previous life and she’s happy to be back.
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