Thanks for writing an important story, Alexander. Hopefully it will help others who may inadvertently find themselves in a similar situation. What is most curious, of course, is that there is still shame associated with masturbation given that nearly everyone does it. We’d be astonished if someone attempted blackmail by saying “I’m going to send a picture of you eating that sandwich to all of your friends unless you pay me $4,000.” Yet it’s not really any different, given that nearly everyone at some time has consumed food pressed between two slices of bread. Perhaps if there was a more adult attitude towards sexuality there would be fewer opportunities for the sleazy and immoral to exert pressure on more vulnerable people.