Kyoko: Personally, for me, it's how much a burden it is for the woman rather than for the man. How can contraception be balanced out for both sexes, rather than mostly put on as a burden for the woman?

Tripod: Tell me the best way to make contraception more exciting.

Kyoko: There's a lot of ways to make contraception a lot more exciting ... Using a condom can make it fun by not just putting it on conventionally. ... You can play it into the sex part. You can have the woman put it on, or you can both put it on. If it's non-lubricated, you can put it on with your mouth. It doesn't necessarily have to be an awkward experience to put on.

Tripod: Give me your best line to use to bring up contraceptives with a new partner. Make up a motto or saying.

Kyoko: If your partner says, "No, I don't want to put on a condom because I won't feel anything," then the woman says, "If you don't put it on, then you won't feel anything,  at all." My suggestion is to bring it up before anything happens. Just say, "What do you think of condoms?" Just be straightforward. Ask. "Do you want to put on a condom now?"

Tripod: How would you handle a situation where you and your partner are very  ready for sex, but realize that you don't have any contraceptives? Do you take a chance?

Kyoko: No, I will not take a chance by having intercourse. I probably will engage in mutual masturbation -- being very careful where the fluids are, but fun without having to go into full-blown sex.

Tripod: What if you or your partner were on the pill? Would you take a chance?

Kyoko: No, I won't, and I don't think anybody else should either.

Tripod: Is it possible to incorporate contraception into sexual role playing without losing the excitement?

Kyoko: Definitely, definitely. You could learn techniques, you could make it fun by having different types of condoms. "Let's try this one this time." I guess what bothers people about putting on a condom is that it adds a disjointed segment to your sexual pleasure. All of a sudden, there's a boom, "Hold everything!" But it doesn't have to be that way, if you accept it as a part of the sexual pleasure that will come.

Tripod: Sexually, is there anything that shocks you nowadays?

Kyoko: Sexually -- no, not really. Anything goes, whatever allows people to enjoy themselves. I don't think there's any set way to have sex or to enjoy yourself.

Tripod: I understand that with many types of contraceptives, it's good to use some type of spermicidal lubricant. Play out a situation for me, where getting out that ugly tube and squeezing out that junk becomes part of the buildup to sex.

Kyoko: It depends on the person. Myself, I'm like, "Hold on, let me just get some more lube because I'm pretty dry." It's not that awkward for me, probably because I'm used to working with things like this. But I could totally see, especially using the foam, that it could be extremely awkward. The foam is not conventional. You have to get the applicator, and then put it inside you. To make that exciting depends on personal taste. I don't use the foam because it is awkward for me. But with the tube, it's not a big deal because you can put it on the penis, and make that into something pleasurable for him and for yourself. There's so much stuff out there -- you can get flavored condoms and flavored lubricants. I don't know about the financial situation, though!

Tripod: Do you use protection during oral sex? Why or why not?

Kyoko: I'm not there to say, "No, you have to use a condom, you have to do this for every kind of sex." It's really a risk that an individual takes, given the information that you have, and weighing the factors of what is fun and what is not, how much risk you're taking, and how much it's worth it.

Tripod: From your experience, personal or otherwise, what is the most sensitive brand of condom?

Kyoko: People tell me that they like the polyurethane condom, because it transmits heat.

Tripod: What do you think of the female condom?

Kyoko: I have never personally used it, but talking to several people who have -- the women aren't very pleased with it, but the men are. The problem really is that it squeaks. I didn't believe it when I read it, but my friends told me. It's like, "What's that noise, honey?" Well, if it's not the bed, then it kind of worries you!