What do “orgasmic meditation” advocates and the Amish have in common?
A lot of people think they’re really, really weird.
That may not sound like a compelling point of similarity. But a dubious criminal prosecution of the former group sets a precedent that could make strange bedfellows (no pun intended) out of hedonists and puritans—and other insular groups deemed offensive or, yes, weird—when prosecutors decide to test the limits of the law. It is a saga about personal agency, #MeToo-adjacent gray areas, and whether words have meaning.
Nicole Daedone, the founder of a group called OneTaste, was sentenced this week to nine years in federal prison for her role in operating a company centered on teaching orgasmic meditation with various courses and seminars. The practice involves a woman disrobing from the waist down before a partner methodically strokes her genitals, with gloves and lubrication, for 15 minutes. Started in 2004, OneTaste said this ritual—an unorthodox marriage of carnal and clinical—was not primarily about sexual satisfaction. It was a way to connect with others, to overcome trauma, to achieve a sort of enlightenment. The company slogan was “Powered by Orgasm.”
