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Folk wisdom has it that the way to retard orgasm is to think of something that's
sure to make you wilt, like Anne Widdecombe or Paul Daniels. But science tells us
that's exactly wrong; the best tack is to focus attention on what your body's doing,
not attempt to ignore it. Try getting to know your dick - the homework is fun. Get yourself
stiff, preferably without lube, and masturbate slowly and gradually, paying close
attention to how your body feels at every stage of arousal. See what sensations
push you over the edge, and practice delaying your orgasm for longer and longer
periods. When you know you're getting close, stop stroking, breathe slowly and
deeply, and try staying on the edge without blowing your wad. When you learn what
that place feels like, you can learn to stay there longer.
If you've got a patient partner, he can help in the quest. Don't be tense, and
maintain awareness of just where on the cum cycle you are. When you get close,
pull out or otherwise physically pull back and relax. And don't forget those
deep breaths.
You might also try the "squeeze technique" the good doctors Masters and Johnson
came up with. Wrap two fingers around your cock, to either side of the ridge at
the bottom of the head, and squeeze fairly hard for several seconds until the
urge to come goes away. If your partner's lending a hand, he should press his
thumb against the cute little flap of flesh right below the head, but doing
this single-handedly can lead to a sprained wrist. And, if you'd rather, squeezing
hard around the base of the shaft can do the trick, too. Some guys have also used
a kind of pelvic muscle clench that, without hands, has much the same result,
though it's a technique that's not all that easy to describe.
This being the modern age, there's also a technological fix, of course. A number
of anti-depressant drugs have a not-always-so-desirable side effect: making it
harder to come. A sympathetic doctor can prescribe low-dose therapy. Not only
will the jizz flow more slowly, you might well feel cheerier, too.
Still, a non-medicated approach is generally best. Other possible orgasm-delaying
strategies include putting a local anesthetic cream on your dick (while keeping
it off your partner's) or using a model of condom that transmits less sensation -
the ones billed as "extra strength" tend to be made of thicker rubber. Regardless
of what you try, though, be aware that science has discovered that some guys just
naturally are built to come sooner. (Wouldn't you have liked being part of that
research project?)
As with all things sexual, there's no final "should" about things. "Premature
ejaculation" is, after all, a relative term. If someone's okay with shooting
sooner rather than later, and his partner's satisfied, too, it's no big whoops.
But coming (and, as men generally do, starting to lose interest in the whole thing)
doesn't absolve one of getting one's partner off. Word has it that straight guys
are more concerned than we are about coming too soon because of a focus on vaginal
intercourse and women's generally slower excitation cycle. But we queer guys are
imaginative enough to get someone off in a myriad of ways, whether our own cocks
are hard or not, right?

Simon Sheppard
San Francisco artist and activist Simon Sheppard is best known for his contributions to the erotic literary scene. He wrote hundreds of stories that appeared in S/M magazines; erotic anthologies; and over twenty editions of Best Gay Erotica and Best American Erotica. His Sextalk column has appeared on OutUK for more than 20 years. You can find out more about Simon Sheppard in this OutUK feature and tribute, or take a look at some of his many books that are still available:
Looking for something very sexy and just as smart? Man on Man collects the best and hottest gay sex writing by Simon, who is also
co-editor of Rough Stuff: Tales of Gay Men, Sex, and
Power as well as a collection of gay erotica called
Hotter Than Hell.
In KINKORAMA : Dispatches from the Front Lines of Perversion he takes readers behind the unmarked doors and black vinyl curtains that lead to the sometimes shocking, often hilarious, relentlessly arousing scenarios of extreme sex. There
are also stories of bears in Tales from the Bear Cult: Beat Bear Stories from the Best Magazines.
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