Can You Get An STI From Anal Sex?

That itch in your butt? It may not just be a harmless rash. By Isadora Baum [W]hen you think of sexually transmitted infections, symptoms like vaginal itching and pelvic pain probably come to mind. But the same STIs that threaten your health down below can infect other body areas. They’re typically transmitted through oral sex or anal sex, but some can be picked …

Gay and bisexual male teens use adult dating apps to find sense of community, study shows

June is PRIDE Month By Darcel Rockett [F]inding one’s community is integral to adolescent development. The members of that community create space for relationships to grow. For some teens, that community is found on dating apps meant for adult gay men — apps that only require a user enter a birth date that coincides with …

Queen Mother of the South: My Life as a Transgender Parent

By Evonne Kaho [T]he Southern part of the U.S. has to be one of the more conservative regions in the nation. Rooted in traditional, religious, and conventional values, it is often referred to as the “Bible Belt.” Southern traditionalists marvel at their old-fashioned ways and high moral standards. These standards are applied to every aspect …

What Your Recurring Sexuality Fantasy Really Says About You

  By Anna Medaris Miller [T]urned on by whips? Tickled by images of same-sex lovers, threesomes, and sex on public park benches—despite your straight, monogamous, and law-abiding identity? Congratulations! You’re human. Sexual fantasies are part of a healthy sex life—they’re simply thoughts and scenarios that get you going, says Laura McGuire, Ed.D., a sex educator …

Here’s How Consent and BDSM Role-Play Actually Work

By Alexa Tsoulis-Reay In an article published in The New Yorker, four women detailed the extreme psychological and physical violence they say they experienced at the hands of former New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman. In response, Schneiderman resigned, but he also made a disturbing statement linking these women’s allegations with sexual role play. His …

Mutual masturbation could help end orgasm inequality

May is National Masturbation Month, so we’re celebrating by exploring the many facets of self-love. By Rachel Thompson [S]o, your sexual partner just came and you didn’t. It’s infuriating, it’s frustrating, and it’s — rather dismally — all too common during heterosexual sex. I’m talking about the orgasm gap — the inequality in men and …

‘If We Want To End Sexual Violence, We Need To Talk About Female Desire’

“Good sex is about more than lack of violence or fear.” By Laurie Penny [I]t might seem strange to be talking about pleasure and desire when we are surrounded by stories of rape and harassment. Aren’t we getting ahead of ourselves? Shouldn’t we concentrate first on stopping those crimes before we ask for sex that …

Keeping the spark alive in long-term relationships

by Whitney Harder [I]t’s a well-known fact that sexual desire ebbs and flows throughout the life of a long-term relationship for a number of reasons. Questions like “What factors increase and decrease desire?” and “How can couples work through those factors?” have long been topics of interest for researchers and clinicians, but dozens of studies …