The words Boris Johnson and sex party are probably among the most horrifying to appear in a sentence together. But fear not — there’s no need to start concocting pun ideas for a new BoJo scandal à la Matt Hancock just yet.
No. Sadly, it’s actually way less exciting. Johnson’s government has decided to make us all shareholders in the sex party company Killing Kittens, thanks to a Government scheme set up to support start-ups struggling in the pandemic (to be fair, one would imagine that the sex party industry probably did take a bit of a hit).
The company, set up by Emma Sayle, a schoolfriend of the Duchess of Cambridge, is known for its members-only sexually-liberated hedonistic events,
Without sounding too condescending, your reaction to the popularity of Killing Kittens is probably a pretty accurate indicator of your age. In case you’re still trying to figure out what cats have to do with all of this, let me give you a quick heads up: polyamory is officially in.
A few years ago, even as a progressive 20-something Londoner, the idea of going to a sex party or using a polyamorous dating app is probably something I would have said I was interested in to appear cool but not seriously considered. Now, however, it seems like I barely know anyone who isn’t going to Crossbreed (a weekly queer sex party in Hackney), or on Feeld, a dating app for throuples. Just a couple of weeks ago a friend texted me after a night out with her boyfriend saying, casual as ever, “it was a fun night, we kissed someone”. It seems like more and more of my outwardly strait-laced friends in relationships with their university sweethearts are spending their weekends in East London up to their necks in leather.
And I don’t just have unusually kinky mates, I promise. Between January 2021 and 2022, Feeld saw a 250 per cent increase in monthly active users in the UK, and the number of users who expressed desires related to “ethically non-monogamous relationships” increased by 242 per cent between 2020-2021. “Threesome” is the number one desire listed on the app.
So what, you might be wondering, has sparked this sexual revolution? Perhaps after testing (to say the least) lockdowns for many in monogamous relationships, pent-up energy and curiosity has led to a “life’s too short” carnal carpe diem. Kinky nights out at Torture Garden, Crossbreed, Klub Verboten and Killing Kittens, which were strictly forbidden during restrictions, returned with huge success when clubs hesitantly reopened last summer.
On top of this, the finding that between 2016 and 2020 the number of British people identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual rose by a third is a contributing factor. Queerness is a key element of the polyamory scene — in fact there are 20 sexuality options on Feeld, from heteroflexible to omnisexual or objectumsexual.
Traditional, heterosexual, often male-pleasure-orientated sex isn’t cutting it anymore. It’s time for polyamorous girl summer.
In other news...
When Dominic Raab stepped up to the despatch box to face Angela Rayner at Wednesday’s PMQs, I expected some understated political discussion between two deputies, perhaps focused on the war in Ukraine or maybe the small issue of the Northern Ireland Protocol. Instead, we got a masterclass in how far you can shove your foot into your mouth in 30 minutes.
From the guy who brought us hits such as “misogyny is absolutely wrong, whether it’s a man against a woman or a woman against a man”, and feminists are “obnoxious bigots”, came an unrivalled performance to add to the ‘attitudes to women’ oeuvre.
In a moment a Labour MP said left him feeling “soiled”, Raab winked at Rayner before calling her a “champagne socialist” for going to the opera. How dare a working-class woman encroach upon the listed activities of the posh boys’ club.
Or be deserving of respect as the deputy leader of the Opposition.
