Two sex toy companies are making the headlines: Dame sues New York's subway system for sexism and Wild Flower launches a gender-free toy

Dame Products

Who they are: In 2014, Alex Fine (a credentialed sexologist) and Janet Lieberman (an established engineer and MIT alumna) joined forces to create a sex toy that put women's pleasure first. In October later that year, Dame Products was born. It launched a hands-free vibrator called Eva on Indiegogo, and subesquently, a versatile personal massager Fin on Kickstarter — which was the platform's first-ever sex toy at that time. Today, the sex-positive, women-led enterprise has extended their line of toys with a dedicated in-house engineering team, and a community of testers called Dame Labs, while churning out informative content, and even organising a conference on hot-button sexual matters.

What happened: Dame Products is suing New York City's transit agency, the Metropolitan Transport Authority for rejecting their billboards. According to CEO Fine, Dame cooperated with the agency to make three rounds of edits and spent USD150,000 to update their ads and meet the required guidelines. However, the approval was ultimately rescinded. Since ads for male libido are plastered all over the transit system, Dame has decided to sue the agency because — in Fine's own words — "we need to see representations of women's sexuality and pleasure in a healthy way". Check out their viral campaign in the YouTube clip below.

Shop: Whether you're going solo or having fun with a partner, all of Dame's vibrating objects fit beautifully in the palm of your hand or between your fingers with an intuitive functionality that matches an Apple product. That means, there are no complicated buttons to switch on or off, and a slippery mishap is less likely during playtime. Add to that, they are made from waterproof (or water-resistant at the very least), medical-grade silicone. Our top pick would be Eva II, a hands-free vibrator that'll make doing nothing at all, feel absolutely amazing.

Wild Flower

Who they are: Founded in 2017, this Brooklyn-based young sexual wellness retailer has been making waves in the industry for its sex-positive and all-inclusive ethos. Its co-founders Amy (goes by the pronouns they/them) and Nick Boyajian (he/they) come from a marketing and tech background respectively.

What happened: Wild Flower is making headlines this month because its first-ever sex toy is a genderless "vibrator for every body". Its name, Enby, references the shorthand used for non-binary people (NB, which is pronouced as "enby"). The device has a sting ray-like discreet shape that can be manipulated into a ribbed sleeve, slipped into underpants, or simply rubbed against. It doesn't need to be held or inserted. It comes in gender-neutral dark grey and plum colourways.

Shop: The Enby clearly fills a void in the market for non-binary and trans bodies, especially those who are in the midst of transitioning. That doesn't mean cis folks can't enjoy this handy plaything. We hear it's even good against a pillow case.