How to talk about kink with a new partner, because it doesn’t have to be awkward

By Tracey Anne Duncan “I like to struggle,” I whispered. What I meant was: Hold me down. Instead, she wrapped her arms around me and held me sweetly, nuzzling her face into my neck and petting my arm lightly with her fingertips. Oh, I thought. That’s not what I wanted. We had just been all …

5 Ridiculously Common Worries Sex Therapists Hear All the Time

For anyone asking, “Am I normal?” By Anna Borges Fun sex things to talk about: enthusiastic consent, pleasure, sex toys, kink, orgasms, positions, intimacy. Less fun sex things to talk about: insecurity, inadequacy, unwelcome pain, dysfunction, internalized stigma, embarrassment. Understandable. No one wants to sit around chatting about their deepest sexual anxieties. But when you …

How to take charge of your sexual energy and revolutionize your sex life

By Kara Jillian Brown We’ve all heard the maxim that you can’t really love someone else until you love yourself. A few prominent experts contend the same logic applies to sex, sexual energy, and your identity as a sexual being. And really, it makes sense: “The most important sexual relationship you will ever have is …

Nonmonogamy Is Not The Answer To All Your Relationship Problems

By Effy Blue Nonmonogamy is becoming more recognized as a legitimate relationship structure with more people talking openly about their practice. Although it certainly is not for everyone and definitely not the “easier” option, it is piquing the interest of plenty of people for many reasons. For some people, monogamy or nonmonogamy is an orientation …

Gender-free sex toys are the future of personal pleasure

By Kells McPhillips You can buy a sex toy in almost every shape, size, and color, but they still don’t run the gamut. The pursuit of personal pleasure largely excludes non-binary bodies. Fortunately, a handful of brands with a focus on gender-free sex toys recognize the need for improvement. Soon, anyone with the desire for …

If I Don’t Talk to My Patients About Consent, Who Will?

Here’s why I bring it up with all my patients. By Natasha Bhuyan, M.D. As a primary care physician, a significant part of my job is helping patients better understand and deal with the public health issues that affect our society—whether it’s the dangers of smoking tobacco or the importance of getting a flu shot …

How to Have Sex if You’re Queer

What to Know About Protection, Consent, and What Queer Sex Means By Yana Tallon-Hicks Happy Pride! Rarely does traditional sex education tackle pleasure for pleasure’s sake, how to have sex for non-reproductive purposes, or the wide spectrums of sexualities, bodies, and genders that exist. Instead it tends to cover penis-in-vagina penetration only, pregnancy risks, and …