Subtitle: Boners are for everyone!
How fucking rad is it that all our junks start from the same place and are basically the same material? I can tell you want to learn more about this, because how could you not? May I direct you towards Wikipedia’s article on “Sexual differentiation in humans” and also Dr. Emily Nagoski’s book “Come As You Are” (Which I also reviewed previously!)
One of the limitations of these comics is that I don’t actually have very much space for text, typically about 400-500ish words per script, so lots of information doesn’t have room to be included. I wish I could have talked more about the development and variation among some intersex folks’ genitals, but I’m afraid I must leave you to do a bit of that research on your own for the time being. I found The Intersex Roadshow to be a really valuable resource, especially this article on Intersex Genitalia Illustrated and Explained.
Aaaaaaaand in the spirit of Wanksgiving, we have one final Fleshlight to give away to our patrons on Patreon.
↓ Comic Transcript
Homologous Genitals by Erika Moen & Matthew Nolan was published November 17, 2015 on https://www.ohjoysextoy.com/genitals
The comic is drawn in a cartoony style with a limited color palette of pinks, black, and white. There's no backgrounds, just occasionally colored shapes. Erika (she/her) is a white woman with an undercut of bright pink hair and tattoos on her arms. She wears a thigh-high dress with short sleeves, a V-neck, and black cowboy boots. Her companion, Em (they/them), is a person with short black hair, white skin, and wears a black t-shirt, beige jeans, and black sneakers.
"Hey, um, Erika?" Em asks, approaching her nervously from behind.
"Sup!" She greets them jovially.
"A few times now you've talked about the clit getting a 'boner'..." Using their fingers, Em imitates quotation marks as they say that last word.
"Yeah!" Agrees Erika.
Now taking an accusatory tone, Em asks while jutting a finger at her, "Are you being irreverent?"
"Wha-" Erika looks taken aback. "no?"
In exasperation, Em exclaims, "But everyone knows that's a thing only penises do!"
"Oh my sweet friend, that is not true at all!" She counters appeasingly. "All genitals are biologically homologous."
With a look of confusion and disgust, Em asks, "They're a bionic homunculus?"
Laughingly, she corrects them, "Homologous! Biologically, it means 'Similar in structure and evolutionary origin, though not necessarily in function;*"
*thefreedictionary.com
A diagram of Embryo's Bipotential Tissue shows a lumpy looking bunch of roundish-ish shapes arranged on and around each other. There is one main circle-lump with a smaller lump attached to its top and bottom. In the center is a squishy shape that looks like an O that is pinched in on the lateral sides. T
An arrow on the left points from the collection of lumps to a vulva, which also kind of looks like a lumpy O that is squished in on the lateral sides, creating the labia majora. An additional slit runs between the external lips, creating the labia minora. Nestled between the top of the labia major is a round clitoris.
An arrow on the right of the Bipotential Tissue diagram points to a penis and scrotum. A roundish ball with a cleft sits atop a thick shaft that transitions downwards into a scrotum- a sack holding two balls inside it. Beneath the head of the penis is a roll of skin, which is the pulled back foreskin.
"All genitals are made from the same material, it just gets arranged a bit differently depending on what hormones they're exposed to while they're developing, and they might work a bit differently than their counterpoints." Erika explains, gesturing at the diagram.
Page 2
"I don't really understand what I'm looking at here." Em says, leaning over an even more elaborate diagram showing more steps between going from an Embryo's Bipotential Tissue to a penis/scrotum and vulva.
"Join me, friend, as we examine how everyone's privates have the same basic structures." Erika proclaims, making a sweeping gesture at the diagram. "All embryos start out with the same material that will eventually turn into genitals. At seven weeks, those bits all start rearranging themselves to become the genitals that everyone recognizes.*"
*Some intersex folks can have genitalia that includes a combination of characteristics attributed to typical vulvas and penises/testicles, though being intersex definitely does not always show up in an externally visible way.
The diagram shows the Bipotential Tissue at 7 seven weeks, same as the diagram on the previous page. It sits at the top of a circle. To the left of the circle, it shows the development of those parts on its way to becoming a full vulva at birth. On the right it shows those parts on the way to becoming a full penis and scrotum at birth. The stages in between those end points show that both sets of genitals go through mutations where they share similarities and shows how their same individual pieces move and grow to look differently from each other. The top blob of the Bipotential Tissue becomes either the clitoris on the vulva or the glans (head) of the penis. The labioscrotal swelling on the Biopotential Tissue inflates to become the labia majora on the vulva, while on the penis it becomes the scrotum.
Page 3
Em and Erika are now sandwiched between an enormous vulva on the left and an enormous flaccid penis and scrotum on the right. The genitals are semi-transparent, so we can see the internal structures.
With this x-ray vision, we can see that the clitoris is actually just the tip of a much deeper structure that runs below the surface. The clitoral head is like a Lily of the Valley flower bud that is connected to two descending arms.
Through the foreskin, we can see the head of the penis and its shaft, along with the urethra running down it.
"This clitoris and the penis are both an organ that is rounded, super sensitive, and becomes engorged with blood during sexual arousal." Explain Erika as she reaches out to pet the soft penis.
"That sounds like an erection?" Em asks.
"Exactly!" Erika enthuses. "And what's another word for erection?"
As if summoned by these magic words, the giant cock now activates, rising up into a majestic hard-on with the head reaching towards the sky. Simultaneously, the clitoris follows suit, puffing itself up considerably. The bean of the clitoris likewise reaches upwards, while the two soft wings now inflate like balloons on either side.
"...a ...boner?" Replies Em timidly.
"YUP." Erika concurs as she dances beneath the engorged genitalia. "Both clitorises and penises pop hella boners."
"Whoah!" Em gasps in amazement. "So clitorises are kinda tiny penises, and penises are kinda giant clitorises."
"BONERS ARE FOR EVERYONE!" Crows Erika.
Page 4
Holding an anthropomorphic cartoony vulva in one hand and a penis with balls in the other, Erika asks Em, "You know how some vaginas (though not all) can get wet when they're aroused?"
The personified vulva smiles as its vaginal opening lubricates itself with a "blip plip" sound effect. Tentatively, Em dips his finger into the fluid, saying, "Yeah..."
"That fluid release is from the Bartholin's gland, which is homologous to... (drum roll please) ...the Cowpoer's gland, which produces preejaculate! Which you probably know as PRE-CUM." At that, the penis in Erika's other hand releases a small burst of fluids from the tip of its head with a "blort".
"Woah!" Em exclaims in real shock. "So both dicks AND pussies can (though not all will) get hard AND wet!"
"And they shared characteristics don't ent there!" Erika enthuses.
Gesturing at an enormous penis and scrotum, Erika points at a tin scar line running from the bottom of the balls up the shaft. "You ever notice that seam that runs from the perineum across the scrotum and up the shaft of the penis?" She asks.
"Looking down their pants with a puzzled expression, Em agrees, "Oh yeah, the raphe. What's up with that?"
A new diagram appears showing a simplified penis and scrotum, and a vulva. The penis shows the raphe line running up the middle of it, with the left side labeled A and the right side B. Over on the vulva, the left labia majora is labeled A while the right is labeled B.
Narration: The ball sack is made from the same material as the labia majora and that line shows where it would have developed into the two outer lips if they hadn't fused together.
Page 5
The page is full of diagrams of vulvas and penis/scrotums side by side, with various parts highlighted.
Narration: The clitoral hood is homologous to foreskin. Testes are homologous to ovaries. The Skene's gland is homologous to the prostate (Secretes fluid, is a component of ejaculation). The frenulum is homologous to the fourchette.
Wearing an enormous penis costume, Em exclaims while extending their hand for a high five, "You're blowing my mind here. We're all made of the same parts -"
In her ridiculous vulva costume, Erika returns their high five, concluding, "- they're just arranged a bit differently."
Text: All information collected from Emily Nagoski's "Come As You Are" chapter 1 and the entry for "Sexual differentiation in humans" on Wikipedia.
Transcribed by Erika Moen on January 27, 2025
The comic is drawn in a cartoony style with a limited color palette of pinks, black, and white. There's no backgrounds, just occasionally colored shapes. Erika (she/her) is a white woman with an undercut of bright pink hair and tattoos on her arms. She wears a thigh-high dress with short sleeves, a V-neck, and black cowboy boots. Her companion, Em (they/them), is a person with short black hair, white skin, and wears a black t-shirt, beige jeans, and black sneakers.
"Hey, um, Erika?" Em asks, approaching her nervously from behind.
"Sup!" She greets them jovially.
"A few times now you've talked about the clit getting a 'boner'..." Using their fingers, Em imitates quotation marks as they say that last word.
"Yeah!" Agrees Erika.
Now taking an accusatory tone, Em asks while jutting a finger at her, "Are you being irreverent?"
"Wha-" Erika looks taken aback. "no?"
In exasperation, Em exclaims, "But everyone knows that's a thing only penises do!"
"Oh my sweet friend, that is not true at all!" She counters appeasingly. "All genitals are biologically homologous."
With a look of confusion and disgust, Em asks, "They're a bionic homunculus?"
Laughingly, she corrects them, "Homologous! Biologically, it means 'Similar in structure and evolutionary origin, though not necessarily in function;*"
*thefreedictionary.com
A diagram of Embryo's Bipotential Tissue shows a lumpy looking bunch of roundish-ish shapes arranged on and around each other. There is one main circle-lump with a smaller lump attached to its top and bottom. In the center is a squishy shape that looks like an O that is pinched in on the lateral sides. T
An arrow on the left points from the collection of lumps to a vulva, which also kind of looks like a lumpy O that is squished in on the lateral sides, creating the labia majora. An additional slit runs between the external lips, creating the labia minora. Nestled between the top of the labia major is a round clitoris.
An arrow on the right of the Bipotential Tissue diagram points to a penis and scrotum. A roundish ball with a cleft sits atop a thick shaft that transitions downwards into a scrotum- a sack holding two balls inside it. Beneath the head of the penis is a roll of skin, which is the pulled back foreskin.
"All genitals are made from the same material, it just gets arranged a bit differently depending on what hormones they're exposed to while they're developing, and they might work a bit differently than their counterpoints." Erika explains, gesturing at the diagram.
Page 2
"I don't really understand what I'm looking at here." Em says, leaning over an even more elaborate diagram showing more steps between going from an Embryo's Bipotential Tissue to a penis/scrotum and vulva.
"Join me, friend, as we examine how everyone's privates have the same basic structures." Erika proclaims, making a sweeping gesture at the diagram. "All embryos start out with the same material that will eventually turn into genitals. At seven weeks, those bits all start rearranging themselves to become the genitals that everyone recognizes.*"
*Some intersex folks can have genitalia that includes a combination of characteristics attributed to typical vulvas and penises/testicles, though being intersex definitely does not always show up in an externally visible way.
The diagram shows the Bipotential Tissue at 7 seven weeks, same as the diagram on the previous page. It sits at the top of a circle. To the left of the circle, it shows the development of those parts on its way to becoming a full vulva at birth. On the right it shows those parts on the way to becoming a full penis and scrotum at birth. The stages in between those end points show that both sets of genitals go through mutations where they share similarities and shows how their same individual pieces move and grow to look differently from each other. The top blob of the Bipotential Tissue becomes either the clitoris on the vulva or the glans (head) of the penis. The labioscrotal swelling on the Biopotential Tissue inflates to become the labia majora on the vulva, while on the penis it becomes the scrotum.
Page 3
Em and Erika are now sandwiched between an enormous vulva on the left and an enormous flaccid penis and scrotum on the right. The genitals are semi-transparent, so we can see the internal structures.
With this x-ray vision, we can see that the clitoris is actually just the tip of a much deeper structure that runs below the surface. The clitoral head is like a Lily of the Valley flower bud that is connected to two descending arms.
Through the foreskin, we can see the head of the penis and its shaft, along with the urethra running down it.
"This clitoris and the penis are both an organ that is rounded, super sensitive, and becomes engorged with blood during sexual arousal." Explain Erika as she reaches out to pet the soft penis.
"That sounds like an erection?" Em asks.
"Exactly!" Erika enthuses. "And what's another word for erection?"
As if summoned by these magic words, the giant cock now activates, rising up into a majestic hard-on with the head reaching towards the sky. Simultaneously, the clitoris follows suit, puffing itself up considerably. The bean of the clitoris likewise reaches upwards, while the two soft wings now inflate like balloons on either side.
"...a ...boner?" Replies Em timidly.
"YUP." Erika concurs as she dances beneath the engorged genitalia. "Both clitorises and penises pop hella boners."
"Whoah!" Em gasps in amazement. "So clitorises are kinda tiny penises, and penises are kinda giant clitorises."
"BONERS ARE FOR EVERYONE!" Crows Erika.
Page 4
Holding an anthropomorphic cartoony vulva in one hand and a penis with balls in the other, Erika asks Em, "You know how some vaginas (though not all) can get wet when they're aroused?"
The personified vulva smiles as its vaginal opening lubricates itself with a "blip plip" sound effect. Tentatively, Em dips his finger into the fluid, saying, "Yeah..."
"That fluid release is from the Bartholin's gland, which is homologous to... (drum roll please) ...the Cowpoer's gland, which produces preejaculate! Which you probably know as PRE-CUM." At that, the penis in Erika's other hand releases a small burst of fluids from the tip of its head with a "blort".
"Woah!" Em exclaims in real shock. "So both dicks AND pussies can (though not all will) get hard AND wet!"
"And they shared characteristics don't ent there!" Erika enthuses.
Gesturing at an enormous penis and scrotum, Erika points at a tin scar line running from the bottom of the balls up the shaft. "You ever notice that seam that runs from the perineum across the scrotum and up the shaft of the penis?" She asks.
"Looking down their pants with a puzzled expression, Em agrees, "Oh yeah, the raphe. What's up with that?"
A new diagram appears showing a simplified penis and scrotum, and a vulva. The penis shows the raphe line running up the middle of it, with the left side labeled A and the right side B. Over on the vulva, the left labia majora is labeled A while the right is labeled B.
Narration: The ball sack is made from the same material as the labia majora and that line shows where it would have developed into the two outer lips if they hadn't fused together.
Page 5
The page is full of diagrams of vulvas and penis/scrotums side by side, with various parts highlighted.
Narration: The clitoral hood is homologous to foreskin. Testes are homologous to ovaries. The Skene's gland is homologous to the prostate (Secretes fluid, is a component of ejaculation). The frenulum is homologous to the fourchette.
Wearing an enormous penis costume, Em exclaims while extending their hand for a high five, "You're blowing my mind here. We're all made of the same parts -"
In her ridiculous vulva costume, Erika returns their high five, concluding, "- they're just arranged a bit differently."
Text: All information collected from Emily Nagoski's "Come As You Are" chapter 1 and the entry for "Sexual differentiation in humans" on Wikipedia.
Transcribed by Erika Moen on January 27, 2025