When Money Doesn't Talk

Starting a company has its own challenges and especially in an industry that requires you to make public, your private life. But the more unexpected twists and turns of this journey have been presented from the banking and billing industry itself. You'd think they'd be happy to take your money; process your payments and charge a fat cat fee for the pleasure, store your capital and earn interest from it. All these being automated processes that require little involvement their end. Alas it seems, money from our industry, the newly named 'Sexual Wellness' industry, is deemed dirty.

Dirty money, dirty sex. 

Why is sex such a dirty word? One of the drivers to starting Skirt Club was to bring a touch of luxury, to sexual experiences for women. Skirt Club empowers women to put their own happiness first, to be true to their own desires and be honest about what really turns you on. It's a mind awakening experience, that helps women take control, a graduation school for navigating first-time experiences. Also known as Education, yes SexEd in the flesh.

Alas this 13k strong community of emboldened bi-curious women are denied to spend their money as they please. So who has put Skirt Club in the naughty corner and what exactly are we being penalised for?

Skirt Club has been categorised by financial institutions as adult entertainment, just like porn and other sex sites that are explicit and cater predominantly to men. Yet we couldn’t be more different. Bright sparks from the Women of Sex Tech have faced similar issues and carved out a new category for businesses seeking to enhance women’s sexual pleasure as ‘Sexual Wellness’. Alas the rest of the world is yet to catch up **nothing new here**.

The future of Sex-Tech is female

Female led sex-tech companies are booming, but financing for these sexy start-ups is lacking.

Many VC firms have “morality clauses” that also prevent them from dealing with anything considered adult content. Who and what is behind this decision making? The personal politics of the people in these boardrooms determine sexuality and sex education to be taboo. This is financial discrimination and outright prudish.

Porn revolutionised the online payment processing industry and now it seems another revolution is underway. Sex tech for women will not be suffocated even if Skirt Club is pushed under as part of the struggle, we maintain faith in the long-term goal.

Today and for the next few weeks payments have been disabled on our website by Stripe and our former bank HSBC, who have closed our accounts. We are searching for a new payments partner that recognises our mission yet won’t sting us with high fees just because we’re different.

Members, we thank you for your patience and support during this time. Read our interview with Vice.com about the financial discrimination we are facing. Banks really do have the power to ruin your sex life.

#BelieveInTheMovement #StandTogether #TheFutureIsFemale

By Genevieve LeJeune