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Is scissoring real? Queer adult content creator Electra Rayne has answers
One day people will stop talking about lesbian sex like it's the Loch Ness Monster, but today is not that day.
Not all sex looks like it does in porn — but does that mean porn can't look like real sex?
Electra Rayne, an adult content creator and queer woman herself, recently made a TikTok dispelling some of the most common myths about one of the most divisive sex practices: Scissoring. As the founder of QueerCrush, an adult content site that boasts about producing "lesbian content from an all-sapphic team," Rayne is an expert on the topic.
Rayne said that as a lesbian content creator and someone married to another woman, "Is scissoring real?" is one of the most common questions she gets asked.
A brief introduction: Scissoring is a form of tribadism or "tribbing." Tribbing is when you rub your genitals against your partner for pleasure, and scissoring is specifically genital-on-genital tribbing. If you're looking for a deeper dive, we have a great explainer all about tribbing here.
"As we all know, the vast majority of lesbian [pornographic] content out there was actually created by and for straight men, and has nothing to do with queer women or Sapphism at all," introduced Rayne. "Often we see scissoring in those types of videos and it's so forced, it's for the camera. Just like most things you're doing like, weird special angles that look good but don't necessarily feel good."
But just because that's the industry standard in porn doesn't mean real queer women aren't scissoring for their pleasure. "I think that has kind of created this myth that it's just simply not real at all," said Rayne, but "The reality is that everybody's different, and so there are certainly going to be some people for scissoring is not appealing at all and that's totally okay. But I've gotta tell you, there are tons and tons of people who actually do it and really enjoy it," including Rayne herself.
"While the types of positions you see in mainstream videos might not be super common in most people's personal lives," Rayne continued, "there are tons of ways people do scissor that actually feel really awesome. Many people are actually even able to finish this way sometimes multiples times.'
But sex isn't just about orgasming. It can also be a great way to connect physically and emotionally with a partner. In Rayne's experience, scissoring is perfect for that, too.
"The other nice thing about it is it can be a really nice form of closeness and intimacy that can still be a safer intimacy practice." Rayne explained the best safer sex practices to use while scissoring, like "Leaving underwear on one person, or using something like a dental dam or even a toy between you can create a barrier so there's not direct fluid exchange, but you're still getting as close as you can."
See Rayne's full video about scissoring down below. For more info on scissoring, check out Rayne's content on QueerCrush, and this article with all the lesbian sex tips that adult content won't teach you.
@queerxcrushx Let's answer one of the biggest questions we get asked: is ✂️ real?? Ft @Electra Rayne #wlw #sapphic #qna #lesbian #scissors #lgbt #queer #education
Rowan Ashley Smith has often been described as "a multi-hyphenate about town." He loves work that connects him to his cultures as a gay, Jewish, multiracial trans man. Before breaking into journalism, the best days of his professional life were spent as a summer camp professional, a librarian, and an HIV prevention specialist. His work has been featured in GO Magazine, pride.com, and The Advocate. In what is left of his free time, Rowan enjoys performing stand up comedy, doing the NYT crossword, and spending time with his two partners, two children, and four cats.
Rowan Ashley Smith has often been described as "a multi-hyphenate about town." He loves work that connects him to his cultures as a gay, Jewish, multiracial trans man. Before breaking into journalism, the best days of his professional life were spent as a summer camp professional, a librarian, and an HIV prevention specialist. His work has been featured in GO Magazine, pride.com, and The Advocate. In what is left of his free time, Rowan enjoys performing stand up comedy, doing the NYT crossword, and spending time with his two partners, two children, and four cats.
