Pentagon Requests Toronto Shop to Cease Sending Sex Toys

The Pentagon has instructed a Toronto-based sex toy shop to stop sending products to US military personnel stationed at a naval base in Bahrain. This unusual request emerged after the shop, Bonjibon, received two returned packages that raised eyebrows due to their contents. Co-founder Grace Bennett recounted the moment she opened the returned items and found letters from the Pentagon requesting an end to the shipments.

The core of the issue lies in local laws prohibiting “pornographic materials or devices” from entering Bahrain. These restrictions are part of a broader effort to uphold the conservative values of the Gulf nation. Interestingly, Bonjibon does not ship products to Bahrain due to these legal barriers, leading Bennett to believe that someone had forwarded the packages to military personnel stationed there.

“We didn’t even know it was going to Bahrain until it came back to us months later,” Bennett stated. “It just kind of unraveled this whole… hilarious moment.” While she expressed amusement at the situation, she also highlighted the confusion surrounding military personnel ordering items that are illegal in their host country.

Bennett took particular issue with the accusatory tone of the letters, suggesting that the responsibility lies with the individual who ordered the products. “This sounds like a you problem,” she remarked. She pointed out that the Pentagon’s Transportation Command, which oversees shipments for the Department of Defense, explicitly prohibits various items in its 2024 guidelines for Bahrain, including sex toys, nudity magazines, and other pornographic materials.

In addition to sex toys, the list of prohibited items also includes alcohol, pork products, poker chips, and goods made in Israel. The Naval Supply Systems Command has further warned that “100 percent of all shipments are x-rayed by Bahrain customs,” with any confiscated items subject to destruction.

The incident taps into broader themes regarding sexuality in the military. While sex is often considered a taboo topic within the US armed forces, issues of sexual violence and discussions surrounding gender identity and sexuality continue to stir significant debate.

Bennett expressed disappointment that the original customer or customers did not receive their order. “There’s many layers of hilarity to this that we can all just poke fun at,” she said, while also wishing that those involved could have received what they had ordered. The story underscores the complexities of navigating cultural norms and legal restrictions, even within a military context.