I was honored to appear with Esther Perel at the Orpheum Theater in Vancouver, B.C., a few weeks ago to discuss her new book, The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity. Questions were submitted on cards before the show — some for me, some for Esther, some for both of us — and we got to as many as we could during the event. Here are some of the questions (mostly for me) that we didn't get to.
Dear Dan,
I've never slept with anyone. My current boyfriend has had sex with many, many partners. He knows I'm a virgin, but I'm worried. Any tips on how I can avoid performing like the amateur gay man that I am?
Give yourself permission to be bad at it — awful at it, inept and halting and awkward. And remind yourself going in (and out and in and out) that whatever happens, this isn't the last time you'll ever have sex. Some people are good at sex right out of the gate, but most people need a little practice before they catch a groove. But nothing guarantees a bad first experience (or bad millionth experience) quite as effectively as faking it. Faking is always a bad idea — faking orgasms, faking interest, faking confidence — so don't fake. Just be.
Dear Dan,
How would you help a woman who has never experienced an orgasm?
I would gift her a mild pot edible and a powerful vibrator.
Dear Dan,
I'm a woman in my mid-30s. Sometimes I want to bang it out in 30 seconds but my husband wants 45 minutes. What do we do?
Your husband has a nice solo stroke session for 44 and a half minutes, and then you climb on top or slide underneath for the last 30 seconds.
Dear Dan,
Have you ever thought about moving to Vancouver?
Frequently between Jan. 20, 2001, and Jan. 19, 2009, and constantly since Jan. 20, 2017.
Dear Dan,
I'm a 34-year-old woman. My 40-year-old boyfriend used to date his sister-in-law. One time he said he thought it would be funny if I asked her who was better in bed: him or his brother. Is this weird or is it just a man thing?
It could be both — a weird man thing — but seeing as your boyfriend asked only once, he's clearly not obsessed. The question presumably made you uncomfortable (which is why you're asking me about it), and here's how you shut it down if he ever asks again: "I could ask her who's better in bed or I could go fuck your brother myself and report back."
Dear Dan,
What do I do if my wife doesn't want an open relationship and I do? We haven't had sex in 11 years, but we are still in love and have two young children.
I don't understand monogamous but sexless marriages. Because if your relationship is monogamously sexless ... wouldn't that mean you don't have sex only with each other? Setting that aside aside ...
Your wife probably and perhaps reasonably fears that opening up your marriage could result in you leaving her for some woman you're fucking. But if you're unwilling to go without sex for the rest of your life, you're going to wind up leaving your wife in order to meet some woman you can fuck. So the thing she fears might happen if you open the relationship up is definitely going to happen if you don't.
Dear Dan,
I'm a 34-year-old gay man. I've never had a long-term relationship. Are long-term relationships even necessary nowadays?
Long-term relationships are nice — I'm happy with mine — but not strictly necessary. They're not oxygen, iodine, or cannabinoids. The pressure to pair off can make LTRs feel not just necessary but compulsory, and the negative cultural messaging around being single and/or enjoying a series of successful short-term relationships (single people are losers, serial daters "just can't commit" or are losers) certainly doesn't help.
