Museum of Sex

The Museum of Sex, known as MoSex for short, is a sex museum based in Manhattan in New York City. It opened on October 5, 2002. Founder Daniel Gluck wanted to found an organization dedicated to “the history, evolution and cultural significance of human sexuality.”The museum focuses on a variety of sexual preferences and subcultures, including lesbian and gay history and erotica, BDSM, pornography, and sex work. Although the museum’s exhibits are presented in an educational format, they feature explicit content. Because of this, visitors must be 18 years old or older.

The official mission of the Museum of Sex is “to preserve and present the history, evolution, and cultural significance of human sexuality. In its exhibitions, programs and publications, The Museum of Sex is committed to open discourse and exchange, and to bringing to the public the best in current scholarship.”

While Gluck was planning MoSex, the New York State Board of Regents rejected its application for non-profit status, objecting that the idea of a “museum of sex” made “a mockery” of the concept of museums.[citation needed] Because of this, and because Gluck opted not to accept funding from the porn industry, the admission fee was initially $17. It is currently $14.50.

Unlike restrictions placed on adult entertainment venues, New York City authorities have allowed the museum to locate itself within 500 feet of a church or school. William Donohue of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights called it a “museum of smut,” writing “If the museum’s officials were honest, they would include a death chamber that would acknowledge all the wretched diseases that promiscuity has caused. And they would give due recognition to the role that promiscuity has played in creating poverty (it’s called illegitimacy). But instead we can look for the museum to celebrate public sex.”

The inaugural exhibit, NYC Sex: How New York City Transformed Sex in America, focused on the museum’s home city, but later exhibits focused on sexuality in other cultures and time periods. Other exhibitions have included Sex Among the Lotus: 2500 Years of Chinese Erotic Obsession, Vamps & Virgins: The Evolution of American Pinup Photography 1860-1960, and Men Without Suits: Objectifying the American Male Body.

The museum is currently hosting two online exhibitions: Mapping Sex in America and US Patent Office Sex Inventions, both, like the Museum’s corporate site, designed by web design superstars Auriea Harvey & Michael Samyn.