Fisting is on the Cambria List, a list of sex acts which may be prosecutable under U.S. In the United States, according to attorney Allan Gelbard there is nothing "per se illegal" about any pornography so long as it is not child pornography, however, it can be found to be obscene. There was also an unsuccessful extreme pornography prosecution in 2012 where it was argued by the prosecution that images of anal fisting constitute extreme pornography and thus are illegal to possess because the act is "likely to result in serious injury to a person's anus, breasts or genitals". Despite the CPS's guidance, in the case of R v Peacock in 2012, Michael Peacock was found not guilty of breaching the Obscene Publications Act for selling DVDs containing anal fisting.
In the United Kingdom fisting is legal to perform however, the Crown Prosecution Service considers publication of fisting material to be grounds for prosecution under the Obscene Publications Act 1959. ( April 2015) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate. The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. The practice, along with the insertion of hard objects into the anus, has been significantly related to the traumatization of the rectal mucosa in increasing the likelihood of infection, including Hepatitis B. Īnal fisting carries risks of colorectal perforation participants are advised to use latex gloves and lubricant, and designate a safeword, the utterance of which will call an immediate halt to the activity. In addition, sexual activities that cause air to enter the vagina can lead to a fatal air embolism, and the risk is probably even higher during pregnancy. Risksįisting can cause laceration or perforation of the vagina, perineum, rectum, or colon, resulting in serious injury and even death. In the case of double-fisting, pleasure is derived more from the stretching of the anus or vagina than from the thrusting (in-and-out) movement of hands. In more vigorous forms of fisting, such as "punching" or "punchfisting", a fully clenched fist may be inserted and withdrawn slowly.įistees who are more experienced may take two fists (double-fisting). Instead, all five fingers are kept straight and held as close together as possible (forming the beak-like "duck"), then slowly inserted into a well lubricated vagina or rectum. Typically, fisting does not involve forcing the clenched fist into the vagina or rectum this is a practice called "punching". The "silent duck", also called "duck-billing", is the technique often used in which the person engaging in hand insertion shapes the hand to resemble a duck's beak. One of the works of art is metal bootprints along the curb which honor 28 people who were an important part of the leather communities of San Francisco those honored include Steve McEachern, owner of the fisting club the Catacombs, and Bert Herman, leader of the fisting community, author, and publisher. The San Francisco South of Market Leather History Alley consists of four works of art along Ringold Alley honoring leather culture it opened in 2017.
Fisting gradually returned as a sexual practice over the next 30 years. This, combined with sexual squeamishness towards the public fisting culture in gay establishments of San Francisco, led gay writer Randy Shilts to successfully campaign for the closure of venues, such as gay bathhouses and sex clubs, that openly permitted it. In the 1980s, it was assumed that unprotected fisting-which often produces small injuries to the anus, permitting microorganisms access to the blood-was an easy route for transmission of HIV. Crisco was commonly used as a lubricant, before more specialized personal lubricants became available.
The Handball Express was another such club. The most famous fisting club in the world was the Catacombs, located in San Francisco, which operated during the 1970s and 1980s. Robert Morgan Lawrence, a sex educator, however, believes the practice dates back thousands of years. Fisting's emergence as a popular sexual practice is commonly attributed to gay male culture and it may not have existed until the twentieth century.