LAS VEGAS – Back in the 1990s, around the same time I first began working in the adult industry, there was a trend of porn performers seeking Guinness World Records-like fame, with the usual goal being set the record for the world’s biggest gangbang.

To me, movies like The World’s Biggest Gangbang and its sequels were less erotic or arousing than they were documentation of feats of endurance and athleticism – kind of like American Ninja Warrior, only with fewer water hazards and a hell of a lot more penises.

Reading about an upcoming group sex event which will endeavor to break the record for the world’s largest orgy, I feel a sort of nostalgia for the days of the Houston 620, despite there being an enormous difference in the presentation and marketing of this event when compared to the stunt-porn of decades past.

For starters, the record-setting orgy is being conducted by Ménage Life, which is a Denver-based lifestyle group, not a porn studio.

“We are excited to be working with the Erotic Heritage Museum on this historic opportunity,” said Sante Suffoletta, the founder of Ménage Life, in a press release announcing the orgy’s venue has changed to the Erotic Heritage Museum (EHM). “We are both aligned in our view that consenting adults should be able to fully express their sexuality without fear or shame.”

And then there’s the tone and angle of the event’s promotion by the EHM, which is a far cry from the “check out the latest Super Whore in action!!” approach of 1990s extreme porn.

“Sex plays an important part in our social and personal lives,” EHM Executive Director Dr. Victoria Hartmann said in the release. “The scientific study of sex is important for reproductive health, our psychological well-being and society as a whole.”

See what I mean? We’re well into the press release’s two key quotes and there has been no indication of how many loads anybody is going to swallow!

“It is from this perspective that I am conducting a qualitative research project during the World’s Biggest Orgy Attempt, and appreciate the organizers and attendees making this effort a reality,” Hartmann continued. “Kate Frank, sex researcher and author of ‘Plays Well in Groups: A Journey Through the World of Group Sex,’ says in a 2013 article there is little data to draw any definite conclusions about the evolution of group sex. In fact, she says there are no academic texts on the subject that she would recommend; she says it may be that scholars are hesitant to take on such a taboo topic. As an institution based around sexual science, we feel privileged at the opportunity to conduct this scientific inquiry. We hope our findings add to the body of knowledge currently available to academic institutions and the public alike.”

While my recollection of director John T. Bone’s quotes in promoting the World’s Biggest Gangbang is admittedly incomplete, I’m relatively certain he never said anything about feeling privileged at the opportunity to conduct a scientific inquiry.

At any rate, according to the press release, Ménage Life originally planned to hold its orgy of unprecedented size somewhere else, but has moved it to the Erotic Heritage Museum (which is located at 3275 Sammy Davis Jr. Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89109, by the way) “due to increased interest in the event” driven by mainstream press exposure.

As part of the event’s relocation, all the originally scheduled press conferences have been cancelled. There will now be a single press conference, held on-site at the EHM at 2pm on Saturday, June 2. After the press conference, the orgy – which is closed to the public – will take place.

For more information on the Erotic Heritage Museum, email EroticMuseumVegas@gmail.com or visit https://eroticmuseumvegas.com/. You can also follow the EHM on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eroticmuseumvegas, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/eroticmuseumlasvegas/, which includes an interactive events calendar which shares all upcoming events and information on how to purchase tickets. For more information about Ménage Life, visit www.menagelife.com