By now, you've surely checked out this month's delightful Staff Picks. From vibrators to prostate toys, lube to bondage fun, this month has it all. And who better to tell you about it than Lucas, our behind-the-scenes interview? Lucas is not only a Sex Educator/Sales Associate at our NYC stores, but the author of "The Best Men's Sex Toys of 2011," our popular men's toy feature. In other words, this guy knows his way around sex toys, and is always eager to share that knowledge with you! Read on to learn much more about how he got here, what he loves about our customers (that's you), and what he's learned in his sex toy/retail adventures.
Abby: What first brought you to Babeland? Tell us the story of how you started working here.
Lucas: About a year ago, I was working two jobs that were borderline torturous, and I decided it was time to seek out a job that I was passionate about. I'd been a fan of Babeland for years, and I live really close to the Brooklyn store, so one day I thought, "Why haven't I applied at Babeland?" I've been doing various forms of LGBT activism since high school, and in college I was an RA and a seminar leader, and really enjoyed leading workshops on sexual health, so this job seemed right up my alley. Thankfully, someone at Babeland agreed!
Abby: Tell us more about where you were before Babeland. A summary of your illustrious career, if you will!
Lucas: When I started at Babeland, I was about a year and a half out of college, with a BA in Theater. Throughout the week, I bounced back and forth between working in a gift shop in Times Square and a comedy club box office. I kept myself intellectually stimulated by writing my blog, Top to Bottom, and acting in the occasional low-budget play or film.
Abby: And what do you do here? What's a day in the life of you at your job?
Lucas: I'm a good ol' Sex Educator/Sales Associate, so I spend most of my time on the sales floor. As a fellow SE/SA once told me, I'm like a Johnny Appleseed... but with lube! I'm fill-in, so I'm always floating around between the three stores in NYC, but you can usually find me in SoHo. I'm a beast when it comes to teaching mini-workshops: I've done about six or seven in the past four months. I'm also just getting started on teaching full-length workshops and toy parties, which I'm super-psyched about.
Abby: And we're super-psyched to have you teaching them. What was your family's reaction when you told them you work at Babeland?
Lucas: Funny story, actually... they were visiting me here in New York about a week before I got called for an interview, and I told them that I really wanted to work here and had recently applied for a job. Then, when I got hired, I called them and said, "Hey... remember that sex shop I wanted to work at? I got it!" I'm not exactly sure how they feel about it, but they've never been discouraging. I have the most supportive parents a guy could ask for.
Abby: Tell us about your favorite/most touching/life-changing moment with a customer or coworker.
Lucas: I had a really great moment this past Easter. I was teaching a mini-workshop on rabbit-style vibrators, and I was talking about the materials and how some rabbit-style vibes out there are made of jelly rubber, which we all know now is bad news. One woman realized she had no idea what her rabbit vibe at home was made of, swore she would throw it out when she got home, and brought a brand-new Rabbit Habit on the spot. I was very proud of her for being so good to her body! I also had another great experience when I wasn't even on the sales floor. I was sitting on the subway, reading Tristan Taormino's Opening Up. A guy next to me started reading over my shoulder, gave me a nudge, and asked me about my book. We ended up having a fifteen-minute conversation about alternative relationships. He had never gotten to talk to someone about that sort of thing before, so he was really excited. I was very happy for him.
Abby: What's something you've learned about yourself through your work at Babeland?
Lucas: Babeland has taught me that I alone have the power to identify myself and my sexuality. Nobody has to fit within any sort of category based on their gender or who they sleep with.
Abby: So true. And what's something you've learned about sex?
Lucas: In the nine months that I've been here, I've learned to properly embrace who and what I find sexy. For a long time, I've worried too much about what others would think of the people I'm attracted to. Now that I've gotten over it, sex is a lot more fun. I've also learned that my prostate is friggin' awesome.
Abby: And finally, what are your favorite anatomical terms?
Lucas: Cock (or cawk, even). I think it's a really sexy word that implies confidence. It's taken me a while to feel comfortable using it in reference to myself, so it's very special to me.
