Speed Dating Meets Soul Mating (meets ADULT conversating!)

Spinner - HET

You appreciate the broad spectrum of gender diversity but for the most part, you identify as straight.  You identify as either male or female and you like the “opposite” gender.  This spin is for you!   This spin is for you! You’ll meet several other humans one-on-one (and 90% of the time, that will be the opposite gender - though mistakes happen!).  We encourage you to be curious about the person who you match with - even if they are not your “type”.  This is an opportunity to meet people and find out more about their world.

We believe in the power of lust, love and laughter - and we believe in talking about it!

Our intention is to provide opportunities for people from all kinds of backgrounds to come together - we welcome participants of all ages (over 21!), races, genders and sexual orientations. We invite our differences into the conversations, and encourage curiosity about one another.

So what is Spinner?

Spinner is a virtual party - a series of “spins” designed to bring people together in conversation, connection and community (and we add some special magic love sauce to the mix!)

It’s Speed Dating meets Spin the Bottle meets late night adult conversation. We are here to help you fall in love, get laid and have fun (not necessarily in that order - But maybe?)

We believe in the power of LOVE, LUST and LAUGHTER (sometimes all at the same time!).

Come meet other progressive, feminist, sex-positive, anti-racist Portlanders - find a lover, a soul mate, an activist ally! Bond with a progressive community of like-minded humans from the Anarchist Jurisdiction🌹

We’ll play games, answer questions, get creative, get vulnerable, and yes, we’ll talk about sex. We’ll celebrate our commonalities (and our carnalities!). We’ll learn from each other. And we’ll engage in #PleasureActivism! (We'll talk about ways we can help heal the world! Activism is so fucking hot!)

Please note - You will have the most optimal experience if you play on a laptop (though a phone/tablet will work- just not with all the functionality)

❣️LOVE

A word about falling in love.

You may have heard that falling in love is reserved for the one special someone that you are going to spend the rest of eternity with. You may have been taught that falling in love takes time, and discernment, and you can’t just fall in love at the drop of a hat.

We suggest a more generous view.

We believe you CAN fall in love at the drop of a hat, and the world is a better place for it. We just need more opportunities!

Love is not commitment. Love is not a contract. Love does not mean you owe anyone anything.

Love is seeing someone as whole and beautiful JUST AS THEY ARE. Love is being curious about their experience. Love is witnessing their stories and really listening. Love is being compassionate and kind.

You can fall in love for 5 minutes and make someone’s day.

You won’t see eye to eye with everyone you meet. There’s no algorithm in the world that can promise you that. What we seek to create is an environment where we look for the good in every single person, we trust that there is something interesting about everyone (and curiosity goes a long way in finding it) and we practice non-judgement.

We ask questions, we don’t offer opinions.

We hope you will make friends, lovers, allies, and soulmates. We hope you’ll meet people you would normally never meet in your daily life. We hope you’ll question your own presumptions, and open your heart to all kinds of people.

We hope you’ll fall in love.

🍑LUST

A word about lust.

You may have heard that lust is a sin, that desire is the downfall of humanity, that sex is a sacrilege. We beg to differ. We believe that sex is sacred and creative and that pleasure is the right of every human alive.

We believe in sovereignty.

Every human alive should have autonomy over their body, and gets to choose what they want to do and feel with it. We believe in consent, in asking first, in honoring no, and in the importance of communication.

Which is why we talk about sex. We need to practice talking about sex until it becomes normal. We live in a culture that says sex is private and bans the conversation from social media (and creates a porn ghetto where conversation doesn’t happen).

We provide a platform where group conversations about sexuality and eroticism can happen. Where we get to show up as sexual beings with stories and fantasies and curiosities and IT’S ALLOWED.

We understand that the topic can be fraught with tension and riddled with shame. We understand that it’s scary to be vulnerable, especially when it comes to sex. We encourage everyone to honor their comfort levels by monitoring their body. You are always invited to take a time out or pass on a question that feels too personal.

You are encouraged to share your experiences, tell your stories, and help normalize all different kinds of sexual perspectives. We seek to educate each other through personal narratives. We are here to learn from one another.

We will talk about flirting and compliments. We will talk about how nuance is hard and it’s easy to make mistakes. We’ll talk about how to let someone know when you’re not interested. We’ll talk about how to let someone know when you are interested.

We’re here to HELP you get laid (and/or make a great new friend)

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🍌LAUGHTER

You may have heard that laughter is the best medicine and THAT IS CORRECT.

We believe that sharing laughter breaks the ice, and invites everyone not to take themselves too seriously.

We are here to play.

RULES - AGREEMENTS

We are inclusive and kind. We do not tolerate hate speech. We believe all humans deserve respect and to be treated with kindness. We offer the benefit of the doubt. If you are concerned about someone’s behavior, or have feedback about someone, please share it privately with the facilitators.

We honor each other’s boundaries. “No” is a complete sentence. You are encouraged to take care of yourself at all times.

Towards the end of a spin, we turn on private chat. It's at that point people can message one another. You are invited to offer your contact information to anyone who interests you, and invite them to continue the conversation. You may only contact someone once - and if they are interested, they can respond.

No one is required to respond to requests. Ever.

We will monitor feedback and responses, and take action to remove people from the event on a case by case basis.  We take your safety very seriously. If you ever feel harassed by anyone, please let a facilitator know immediately.

Our goal is to create an atmosphere in which you feel supported being your most authentic, beautiful self.  Since the pandemic has forced us into strange little boxes, let's make the most of it.  Let's make it fucking fun.

See you on the spin!

Eleanor

Eleanor O'Brien

Spinner PDX, Founder