Ablism is a breed of discrimination that's pervasive and subtle. It's tough to admit, but those of us who don't live with a disability, be it mental or physical, will have a very hard time understanding how much of an unfair advantage we have over those who do. That's not to say that disabled people are always incapable of matching or outperforming others, but that it's usually much harder to achieve success; particularly when the person in question is paralysed. When someone is paraplegic or quadriplegic, their mobility is almost completely compromised, and as a result, they struggle to perform tasks that would be second nature to people who are not disabled. Many disabled people require full-time or part-time care from a nurse or a support worker in order to cope with the stress of day-to-day living. In the United Kingdom alone, a total of 6.5 million people are carers for someone elderly or disabled, according to figures from DLF. These people provide a range of services. But in Taiwan, one group of volunteers is providing a special, controversial service to disabled people. These good Samaritans have taken it upon themselves to relive the sexual frustration of the disabled. They call themselves "Hand Angels" and they've made it their mission to masturbate disabled people with their consent. It sounds too unreasonable to be true, or like a front for some kind of prostitution ring. But the motives of the Hand Angels are apparently entirely benevolent. They don't seek any recompensation for performing their "special service" and anyone can join them. They don't see it as being perverted or unusual. In their minds, they are performing an important task, and are relieving pressure for those who lack the dexterity to pleasure themselves. However, that's not to say that the tiny organisation doesn't have at least a modicum of self-awareness about the bizarre nature of its objective. If you want proof, then take a gander at the registered domain name of their website handjobstw.org Yeah, they sure do have a sense of humour. The organisation was founded by a paraplegic man by the name of Vincent. Vincent lost the use of his legs as a child thanks to polio. But rather than wallow in self-pity, it only sharpened his sympathy for those people who were even more severely disabled than he was. Vincent started to wonder about those people who were unable to masturbate, or were still virgins as a result of their disability, and made the decision to found his "humane society" to tackle the issue hands-on ... pun unintended. "Whenever I see disabled people like me, I feel for them. I see myself in them," Vincent stated in a recent interview with the BBC. "It’s a complete process – from touching the person to helping them reach orgasm."

[[youtubewidget||https://www.youtube.com/watchv=Raz-5vDpHoA]]

Commenting on his unusual role, a volunteer named Daan claimed that he treated the 90-minute sessions the same way he would a casual hook-up using a dating app. Many of the people who apply for a Hand Angel are so severely disabled that any sexual encounter is a complete novelty for them, and some consider the act a rite of passage. Daan stated that one of his clients, a woman by the name of Mei Nu, had never been naked in front of anyone apart from her nurses.  "I took it as if I was going for a one night stand with a girl online," he elaborated. "So I just opened the door, got in the room, showered, took off my clothes, went to bed and spoke with her ... just like in a normal sex life." Andy, a man who lives with muscular dystrophy, has commended the service and claims that his 90-minute session changed his life. "I can’t tell my parents that I also have sexual desires," he stated. "My family’s care puts pressure on me, and sabotages me from normal romantic relationships ... I didn’t feel I was the target of pity. The whole process was full of respect and equality. ‘This might be deemed as controversial by society, but as long as you’re willing to look into it, what we desire is no different from others. Just ask yourself: do you need to consult your parents before having sex?" Despite the limited number of members, it's clear that the Hand Angels have been a success, and are particularly sought after by men. Indeed, male applicants who have requested a session with a female Hand Angel are required have to wait for at least two years before they can be served due to the massive volume of requests, according to information posted on the Hand Angels website. Critics have accused the Hand Angels movement of being sex work, despite the fact that workers do not profit financially from the initiative. Others have chosen to mock the volunteers by calling them perverts. But as strange as it may seem, the Hand Angels appear to practice some of the safest, most responsible sex in the country. Everything is carefully mediated, and can be intimate if necessary, or simply detached. It's easy to judge or be squeamish about it all, but hearing the testimonies of those who have felt the benefit of a session, it's hard to condemn them. No cash has been exchanged; so as long as nobody's got hurt, it can't be a problem. I guess it proves the old adage to be true: it doesn't matter how difficult a job is, there's always someone out there prepared to get their hands dirty.

An escort has opened up about whether sex workers fake orgasms with clients.

YouTuber and adult worker Lilith Lodge is known for creating content around her job, from vlogs to Q&As.

She truly leaves no stone unturned, delving into great detail about all things sexual as she answers some of her viewers' burning questions about the industry.

We may be living in the age of OnlyFans and mass adult content online, but there are a lot of questions that many may not know the answers to.

She has previously explained what the most commonly requested sex position is from her, and now she has opened up on orgasms.

Despite p**n being a click away, a lot of the behind-the-scenes has been left to the interpretation of viewers - though when it comes to being an escort, things can be a bit different.

Lodge took to YouTube to explain the reality of orgasms while she's with clients.

Do escorts orgasm with clients?

Lodge pointed out that she is "constantly asked" by fans about whether escorts "really c*m" during an appointment, and if they enjoy bookings with clients.

She admitted to wondering the same thing early on in her career, adding: "If I was to come online and say to you guys that every single booking I come, that would probably be the biggest f***ing lie I'd ever tell. And I don't think anyone would really believe that."

Lodge also called out some claims she's spotted online, claiming: "I've seen videos where they make TikTok responses to these kinds of questions and they're like, 'Yeah, it's so easy to make me come. I come multiple times in every booking.'

"No. Uh, I'm telling you right now, it's just not happening. It's not happening that frequently. And it is certainly not happening in every single booking."

The escort acknowledged that each person has a different way of climaxing, and that for her, she isn't one to orgasm every time she's with a client.

Lodge warned: "If you are somebody thinking of starting to be an escort because you've seen TikToks of these girls saying this, I'm sorry to break it to you, but not everybody knows what they're doing in bed.

"So, to answer your question, do I ever really come? Yes. Yes, sometimes I do. Unfortunately, the majority of bookings I don't," she revealed.

The experienced escort said that the experience is about "the client getting what they want and they need out of the session," not her own enjoyment.

"There is certainly a subsection of men that will not progress with the booking, cannot enjoy the booking without you also finishing or at least pretending to," Lodge added.

Do escorts ever fake orgasms?

The Brisbane-based sex worker revealed that only regulars were able to get her to orgasm, even recalling the first time it happened during a booking with a client she hadn't seen multiple times.

She explained: "We do really come. Probably not as often as we are pretending to. Let's talk a little bit about pretending to orgasm because this is something that gets a lot of backlash, but it's a conversation that I want to have.

"I try not to pretend to orgasm. I do try not to. I try not to have that as an expectation for the booking that they will really make me finish. And if I can get away with not ever pretending to orgasm or really orgasming in the booking, then that's ideal.

"But there is a certain group of men that they will not finish unless I finish or they will not feel good about that booking unless I've finished," the sex worker revealed.

She looked back at the time a client got her to orgasm during their first meeting, explaining to him that it "was completely real and it really did happen."

"He didn't believe me and thought that I was pretending it had happened, which does sometimes happen. The guys think we're just trying to be nice. But he really knew what he was doing.

"It happens more frequently. And when I say more frequently, that doesn't mean every day, and it doesn't mean every week. It is a rarity that I will have two different clients make me finish in the same day." Lodge admitted.

The escort added: "It's happened literally once and I have a vlog up of that day. That is the only time that has happened in my career."

Featured image credit: YouTube/Lillith Lodge

Over the past year, the emergence of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have drawn attention to the problem of sexual harassment, both in and outside of the workplace. And with celebs wearing black to the Golden Globes ceremony this year, as a very visual protest against the issue, you’d think that those engaging in sexually predatory behaviour would finally be getting the message that harassment isn’t okay and will no longer be tolerated. But it appears some people still aren’t getting it. This week, British newspaper the Financial Times sent in two undercover reporters to the President's Club Charity Dinner in London. This male-only black-tie event, an annual gathering of the great and good of the business world, was put on to raise money for a number of charities. But by sending two women to work as hostesses, the FT were able to expose the predatory truth about what really happened: female workers were groped, propositioned, subject to lewd comments, encouraged to get drunk and even flashed by men who seemed to think that the onus not to behave like a slimeball did not apply to them. [caption id="attachment_12348095" align="aligncenter" width="802"] Credit: Financial Times[/caption] The FT didn’t explicitly name those acting inappropriately, but according to respected blogger Guido Fawkes, those on the 360 strong guest list included Bruce Ritchie, who has donated hundreds of thousands of pounds to the ruling Conservative Party, Nadhim Zahawi, a Conservative MP, and Dragons Den star Theo Paphitis. Comedian David Walliams hosted the event but it was Channel 5 presenter Jonny Gould who opened it, with the words: “Welcome to the most un-PC event of the year.” During the course of the evening, the FT claims that many of the hostesses commented on finding the experience “scary”, with “multiple” reports of groping, as well as attempts to kiss them and "invitations" back to rooms at the Dorchester Hotel, where the event was being held. By the end of it, “a line of younger women were left seated on a banquette at the back of the room, seemingly dazed”. In sharp contrast to these high-flying men, many of these women were students, part-time actresses or dancers, all trying to make ends meet in one of the most expensive cities in the world. The hostesses were selected on three criteria: “tall, thin and pretty”. They were also asked to wear "sexy" make-up and "sexy" shoes. Furthermore, those taking a little breather in the toilets weren’t off the hook either - there was actually a toilet monitor stood guard outside the door, checking they weren’t taking too long. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BeXWK8glHJe/]] Caroline Dandridge, founder of Artista, the event talent agency in charge of procuring women for the evening, told the FT that she was not aware of any reports of sexual harassment, stating: “with the calibre of guest, I would be astonished.” Let that sink in for a second: in the wake of the Weinstein scandal, and in the week that Larry Nassar was sentenced for abusing his lofty position in the US gymnastics team, we have a woman here saying that powerful men can’t possibly be capable of sexually harassing women? An even more curious defence of the events came via Buzzfeed from an unnamed property executive who attended the event and said: “I mean, the people who go, we can afford a girl if we want one. The ticket for the dinner costs £5,000 but if we spend £500 or £1000 we can get a girl to come to our house if that’s what we wanted”. But this disregarding of the gravity of the situation didn’t stop with those involved in the event - even journalists weren’t exempt, with columnist Camilla Long taking to Twitter to write the whole story off, just as it began: “I think it's mostly a few journos. No one else will give a s**t - especially not FT readers”. Funnily enough, lots of people, including lots of FT readers did give a s**t. Within just hours of the story going to press, the President's Club had been disbanded; within 24 hours, Artista’s website, which previously offered headshots of their hostesses, was simply a blank page reading: "Please do contact us for further information." [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/camillalong/status/956099620303724544 ]] Julia Hartley-Brewer, a British broadcaster, went one step further than Long, however, seemingly placing the blame on the women working at the event, tweeting: “I’m a temp worker & my agency asks me to dress sexily (inc what knickers to wear) for a job as a “hostess” at a boozy all male dinner where, the agency tells me, I may be groped. I agree to do the job. A woman’s prerogative, surely? #PresidentsClub." To go back to the earlier point, these were women making ends meet in a hideously expensive city, in a room full of men who should know better. And for the five millionth time: a tight dress and a pair of heels is not an invitation for sexual assault. Jesus. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/JuliaHB1/status/956223409788243969]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/JuliaHB1/status/956225153641349120]] Some in the media have commented that the women working at the event were treated as if they were sex workers, seemingly suggesting that this sort of behaviour would somehow be more expected or acceptable if they were. But they seem to be missing another big point of the campaigns against sexual harassment: that no woman, sex worker or not, deserves to have a man shove their hand up their skirt, be lewdly propositioned or have a man expose their penis at them without their permission. Despite the flat-out denials by just about everyone at the event, it does seem, fortunately, that some really do get it. The story has sparked an enormous backlash, and David Meller, the co-chair of the charity dinner, has been forced to resign from his job at the Department for Education. British Prime Minister Theresa May is now also facing calls to sack Nadhim Zahawi. In addition, Great Ormond Street Hospital has decided to return the £530,000 (over $756,000) that was raised in their name. The message is clear: that while the event may have raised two million pounds for good causes in just one night, it would be nice if we could donate money to charity without women being groped. So if you're a millionaire and you want to make a difference, get your cash out - not your penis.

The issues of sexual harassment and abuse have never been more widely discussed. After investigative journalism exposed these two celebrities, a large number of victims subsequently came forward to confess that they had been sexually exploited or even assaulted. Now even more famous figures are being named as complicit in this disturbing paradigm. However, what with all the furore over the guilt of the rich and powerful, it's all too easy to lose track of the bigger picture. Only time will tell whether these individuals will be charged and found guilty on non-consensual sexual acts, but arresting them won't end the violence or the mistreatment that vulnerable people suffer. This would be akin to treating a symptom instead of a disease. It is only by confronting the culture of rape in our society, which affects both genders egregiously but women and girls more commonly, that we will be able to change for the better. We must be clinical in our evaluations, and honest with ourselves. Only then can we hope to institute the reforms necessary to deter rapists, to bolster healthy sexual intercourse between consenting adults, and save future victims from a terrible fate. According to figures provided by the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) an American is sexually assaulted every 98 seconds, and approximately 17.7 million American women and 2.78 million men have been victims of rape since 1998. The sheer scale of this problem is daunting in the extreme for both police authorities and activists alike, particularly when one considers the fact that a large number of rapes go unreported. How can we turn the tide against sexual violence? According to new research, it seems as though the Netherlands might have the answer, although it's one that conservatives aren't going to like much. According to a paper published in the American Economic Journal, since the Netherlands legalised prostitution in 1988, the number of recorded acts of sexual violence and rapes have dropped by almost half. This is a gigantic number and seems to clearly indicate that the Dutch tolerance for the world's oldest profession has actually gone on to protect a great many people from the threat of sexual violence. Authored by Paul Bisschop, Stephen Kastoryan and Bas van der Klaauw, the study alleges that, between the years 1992 and 1994 registered sexual abuse and rape decreased by approximately 40 per cent, and gradually decreased further until the year 2011. The researchers of the SEO Amsterdam Economics, a public research institute in the Netherlands, believe that the foundation of so-called "tippelzones" (places where the sale of sex and solicitation of prostitutes is legal) has decreased the harm suffered by regulated hookers and prevented sex crimes elsewhere. Bisschop et al believe that Dutch prostitutes are better protected now that their occupation is controlled. Dutch prostitutes are now only allowed to register as legal sex workers after they have been subject to a lengthy interview process, and are often examined by medical professionals for signs or physical harm or STIs. Furthermore, the researchers believe that the legal sex work is acting as a preventative of sexual violence, with potential predators having their desire to force sex via violence or coercion nullified because they know they solicit sex financially. The paper notes that: "Tippelzones may, therefore, directly reduce crime on street prostitutes by providing a relatively safe and controlled working environment ... police monitoring is higher in tippelzones than in other areas of the city so criminals of all types – sex traffickers, pimps, drug dealers, violent clients – must trade off their willingness to operate in the tippelzone with the higher risk of apprehension." The researchers also found that tippelzones "lead to a decrease in sexual violence on women more generally by providing an anonymous, appealing and easily accessible outlet for sex to otherwise violent individuals." Furthermore, in addition to the police reports examined by the researchers, Dutch streetwalking prostitutes were also surveyed, and 95 per cent reported feeling safer within the legal safe space provided by tippelzone. Although these testimonies were anecdotal, when taken together they seem to argue a strong and compelling case for the legalisation of sex work. However, despite these positives, there have been some concerns that the legalisation of prostitution has led to an increase in human trafficking. Some Dutch officials believe that violence in the sex industry has actually escalated since its legalisation, and think that illegal immigration has led to more organised crime that seeks to monopolise prostitution. Countries that are major sources of trafficked persons include Thailand, India, Albania, Bulgaria, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, and Romania, among others. As a response to this perceived spike in generalised violence, the Dutch authorities are currently attempting to teach prostitutes how to quit the sex trade and find other professions to earn a living, and some brothels in Dutch cities have had their licenses revoked. However, applying those same standards to American society, or even to the rest of western Europe, will be difficult, and even when prostitution is as restricted as it is in the Netherlands, it seems unlikely that any major political party will be able to openly back the concept without risk of provoking extreme controversy from the electorate. However, the data seems to speak for itself, and suggest that, were we able to open our minds to the freedom that legal sex work provides, the benefits for society in general would be startling indeed.

As far as marketing campaigns go, there have been some pretty dodgy ones in the past. Remember that time Nivea tried to promote its no-stain deodorant with the (inadvertently) racist slogan: "white is purity"? Or when protein world basically body-shamed the whole planet when they implied that only super skinny people had "beach bodies" that were acceptable for public display? Or when Kendall Jenner made it look like all of the world's most serious issues could be solved by handing a cop a can of Pepsi? We've seen it happen time and time again; but, somehow, it's never surprising when another company makes the same sorts of mistakes. Most recently, coffee shop owner Prasong Sukkorn has been threatened with a lengthy jail sentence after promoting his cafe, Coffee on the Day, using a nude model. Arisa Suwannawon, a 22-year-old model from Thailand, stripped down to her birthday suit and donned an apron in order to advertise the cafe, which had only opened recently. Sukkorn then took pictures of her serving coffee and recorded a short video of her promoting the establishment, in which she looks down at her breasts and makes a not-so-subtle innuendo about the place using "plenty of milk" in their drinks. And, while objectifying women isn't a crime (unfortunately), distributing "obscene" material is. So, when law enforcement got word that Sukkorn had used nearly-nude images of Suwannawon in his marketing campaign, they charged him. As a result of his shallow attempt to get a few more customers, the business owner is now facing between three and five years in jail, or a fine of 100,000 Thai Baht (just over $3,000). However, Sukkorn insists that "There was no intention to be sexual or offensive. I posted the pictures online just as a way of marketing the business. I have apologized for this."   Police commander Thanachai Usakit, who is investigating the case, said he believed that the owner did not know better, but said that he had still committed a crime. "He didn’t realize it would break the law, because the model in the photos wasn’t fully naked," he said. "The pictures were removed but the original offense is still present. We must investigate that and proceed with the law." Up until this weekend, the images had been on Facebook, and had been shared nearly 9,000 times just five hours. Understandably, the explicit nature of the post attracted a lot of attention and criticism - particularly from women who said that it devalued female baristas, and people who were concerned about the image that Thailand has to tourists. "Do you have to do as much as this to promote your shop? So, do you want to open a coffee shop or a brothel?" asked one user. "This kind of promotion prompted female baristas like me to be viewed negatively," said another. “Now, foreigners perceive Thailand as brothels. Please have understanding for working people in the profession [when] you use this kind of bad promotion. Please understand how they will be perceived." At the time of writing, there has been no confirmation as to whether Sukkorn has paid the fine, and the original Facebook post has obviously been removed.