From stone dildos to sexbots: how technology is changing sex

By Dave Parry As the TV series Westworld wraps up its second season, the show continues to spark discussion about a potential future that involves lifelike sex robots. Meanwhile, Australia’s largest adult sexuality and lifestyle expo, SEXPO, is making its way around the country with the theme “Feel the Future” – a nod to all …

Trying to figure out where you fit on the sexuality spectrum?

Dabbling in these tests might help. Human sexuality spans too wide a scope to possibly be covered by a single test. By Sara Chodosh Alfred Kinsey’s spectrum of human sexuality shocked the world when he published it in 1948. His book, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male featured extensive interviews with 5300 people—almost exclusively white …

6 Things Every Transgender Person Should Know About Going to the Doctor

You deserve sensitive, comprehensive care. By Nathan Levitt, FNP-BC [T]ransgender patients often experience tremendous barriers to health care, including discrimination and an unfortunate lack of providers who are knowledgeable about and sensitive to this population. As a result, many transgender and nonbinary people avoid seeking care for preventive and life-threatening conditions out of fear. According to …

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 …

BDSM and consent

How to stop rough sex crossing the line into abuse By Soraya Auer [W]hen allegations of assault were made against New York’s top prosecutor Eric Schneiderman this week, he denied them, saying engaging in non-consensual sex was a line he would not cross. “In the privacy of intimate relationships, I have engaged in role-playing and …

Loads of straight people are having same-sex sex

If you’ve ever had a same-sex experience, but consider yourself to be straight, then you’re not alone.  By Rebecca Reid [I]n fact, you’re in good company. According to research released in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, 25% of women who’ve had same-sex sexual experiences consider themselves to be straight. The research examined just over 24,000 …

How To Be A Good Partner To A Survivor Of Sexual Assault

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. By Isaac Saul [T]he #MeToo movement has banded survivors of sexual assault together and forced a challenging discussion about how women and girls are treated in our society. But one of the toughest conversations still rarely seems to happen: how do you treat a romantic partner who is a …

8 Things Doctors Wish You Knew About Dyspareunia, AKA Painful Sex

Yup, we mean the bad kind of pain. [P]op culture’s depictions of sex typically focus on the romantic, the salacious, and (in some refreshing cases) the embarrassing. But one thing that’s still rarely mentioned—both on screen and IRL—is pain during sex (also known as dyspareunia), or the shame, confusion, and stigma that often accompany it. …

Medically assisted sex? How ‘intimacy coaches’ offer sexual therapy for people with disabilities

[F]or years, Spencer Williams felt he was missing something in his love life. The 26-year-old Vancouver university student and freelance writer has cerebral palsy. He says he meets lots of potential sex partners but had trouble finding what he was looking for. “I always refer to my wheelchair as it comes to dating … as …

Actual things you can do to bridge the orgasm gap in your own bedroom

By Rachel Thompson [Y]our sexual partner just jubilantly crossed the finish line, but you’re still running a race with no end in sight. It’s frustrating. And, for an alarming number of heterosexual women, it’s the infuriating reality of sex. Metaphors aside, we’re talking about the gender orgasm gap—the disparity between men and women’s sexual satisfaction, …

Masturbation hacks and consent advice: how YouTubers took over sex education

With UK schools increasingly falling short, vloggers such as Hannah Witton and Laci Green have stepped up to offer guidance on everything from body confidence to sexual pleasure By Emine Saner [W]hen Lily was at school, she remembers the boys and girls being separated for a sex education class. The boys were given one booklet; …