Sexting Isn’t Just About Sex

– Surprising New Research Shows 3 Main Motivations By Texas Tech University A new analysis from the Texas Tech University Department of Psychological Sciences shows three different, equally prevalent purposes behind sexually based messages. Let’s talk about sext. Sexting is extremely common among adults — but maybe not for the reasons you think. New research …

Why So Many Women Aren’t Enjoying Sex as Much as They Could

The messages you hear about sex while growing up have consequences in adulthood, a study suggests. By Claire Gillespie For many of us, sex ed doesn’t end in high school. It’s not unusual to have to do some serious work decades after the first mention of the birds and the bees––often to try to repair …

Being in an open relationship isn’t the same as being polyamorous.

A sex researcher explains the difference. By Julia Naftulin If you’ve never been in a non-monogamous relationship or aren’t close to someone who is, chances are the words “open relationship” or “polyamory” conjure up the same images of people who have sex with multiple partners. In reality, consensually non-monogamous relationships can take on many different …

How Young People Are Redefining Sexuality And Romantic Attraction

by Rory Gory Pansexual, skoliosexual, asexual biromantic. How young queer people are identifying their sexual and romantic orientations is expanding—as is the language they use to do it. More than 1 in 5 LGBTQ youth use words other than lesbian, gay, and bisexual to describe their sexualities, according to a new report based on findings …

What Happens to Relationships When Sex Hurts

Women who suffer from the chronic-pain condition vulvodynia often feel isolated from their partners. But a better medical understanding is helping. By Ashley Fetters In her 18 years as a sex therapist in Orange County, California, Stephanie Buehler has come to recognize a certain tense, fraught dynamic in couples when a female partner has vulvodynia. …

What does a healthy open relationship look like?

In a culture that favors monogamy, is it possible for couples to have open relationships that work? Recent research that used a novel framework to explore types of monogamy and nonmonogamy suggests that open, consensual nonmonogamous relationships can be healthy and satisfying. by Catharine Paddock, Ph.D. The new study does not draw sweeping conclusions about …

These 3 Qualities Better Equip You For Nonmonogamy

By Kelly Gonsalves Open relationships are becoming increasingly popular, and with good reason: They allow people to connect with each other in ways that make sense for their real needs and lifestyles, removing monogamous expectations that don’t work for everybody and allowing for more ways of relating to each other. Even for those who are …

Sex Education Rally Reminds Teens “You Are Not Chewed Gum”

“There is no shame in having all the information possible.” By Katelyn Burns “You are not chewed gum,” read an art display featuring wads of gum, located in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., unveiled on October 30 by advocates for science-based comprehensive sexual education. The display, organized by Advocates for Youth …

An essential safe sex guide for lesbian, bisexual and queer women

Everything you need to know about vulva-to-vulva sex. By Paisley Gilmour If you’re a lesbian, bisexual, pansexual or queer woman, or someone who has a vagina and sleeps with vagina-having people, it’s likely you haven’t had the sexual health education you need. School sex ed is so heteronormative that many of us never heard so …

Documenting the initiative helping disabled people explore sexuality

by Studio 1854 Simone Cerio won the ‘Hidden Worlds’ category in last year’s Wellcome Photography Prize for his year-long project documenting the practice of sexual assistance, helping people with disabilities to explore intimacy and sexuality in a therapeutic context. Six years ago, Simone Cerio came across a newspaper story that made him sit up and …