Sex Advice With An Edge
By Emma Michelle Dixon, Ph.D. BDSM is the acronym people use to refer to a whole variety of erotic practices involving dominance, submission, other forms of roleplay and more. Specifically: the B and D refer to bondage and discipline, and S and M to sadism and masochism. BDSM has attracted a great deal of mainstream …
— And what it really means Yes, it’s an identity, but it also conveys a sense of community BY Sophie Saint Thomas and Rachel Varina A quick geography lesson: whether you live in a loud and proud liberal city or a small, conservative town, queer people are everywhere. And, hi, even though we still have …
By Melissa Febos A friend confided to me recently that she was burned out on dating. Cruising the apps in midlife felt humiliating, and she repeatedly confronted the same obstacles in her relationships. I told her I had faced similar challenges, until I spent a year intentionally celibate. She pointed out that a year was …
Continue reading “The Sexiest Year of My Life Involved Zero Sex”
— These titles can offer insight, whether you’re polycurious or already exploring. By Hope Reese When Mel Cassidy first became curious about nonmonogamy, there weren’t many helpful resources. Most of the books focused on the transition from monogamy to nonmonogamy, but Cassidy, who goes by them/them pronouns, was “freshly divorced, hadn’t really dated as an …
By Katie Simon “If I liked women, I’d never date a man again,” my friend Caroline said to me after a recent breakup. Bemoaning the straight dating scene, she seemed genuinely confused as to why someone bisexual—like me—would date men at all. And, really, what was stopping me from never sleeping with a guy again? …
— The risk-reduction framework that guides most U.S. sex ed focuses almost exclusively on avoiding unintended pregnancy and STDs—overlooking other critical topics such as healthy relationships, consent and pleasure. By Ale Pedraza Buenahora and Mia Henderson In her essay collection Pleasure Activism, activist adrienne maree brown writes, “Pleasure activism asserts that we all need and …
Continue reading “Why We Need to Prioritize Pleasure-Centric Approaches in Sex Education”
Plato’s Symposium, Anselm Feuerbach, 1869 By Matthew Sharpe It was probably inevitable, but is deeply sad, that Plato’s Symposium (circa 380 BCE), has been drawn into the culture wars. A dialogue of great complexity and elegance, the book is one of the principal sources of the Greek philosopher’s views on love and beauty. There are …
— Reading some 200,000 love stories has taught me a few lessons about love and life. Here are the ones that help me most. By Daniel Jones Two decades ago, on Oct. 31, 2004, a short note appeared on the front page of this newspaper along with stories about Yasir Arafat’s health and the looming …
— For 20 years, Modern Love has recorded people’s lives. The column has also had real-life reverberations on readers. By Miya Lee “So what have you learned about love?” people often ask when they find out I’m an editor of Modern Love. “Oh, you know,” I say, “a lot.” Or, “Most clichés are accurate.” Or …
William Shakespeare Memorial Statue at Westminster Abbey in London, England. By Will Tosh Where should we look for an LGBTQ+ icon from the Elizabethan age? How about the playwright Christopher Marlowe, a dissident who scorned those “that love not tobacco and boys” and wrote a historical tragedy about England’s queer king Edward II? Or have …
Continue reading “Shakespeare’s Obsession With Queer Desire”