What is sexuality?

By Kim Cavill [W]hat is sexuality? When we talk about sexuality, what do we really mean? Are we talking about how many times a person has sex, or with how many different partners? Are we talking about who a person wants to have sex with? Sexuality is all of those things…and none of those things. …

Intersex people have called for action. It’s time to listen.

The broader queer community needs to get serious about fighting with, and for, intersex people. By Simon Copland [I]n early March, more than 20 intersex advocates from Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand came together for a groundbreaking retreat in Darlington, Sydney. The gathering, a first of its kind, produced a declaration of the policy goals for …

Untying that knotty BDSM

Not abusive or deviant, this sexual kink is based on communication, consent and trust, says a ‘professional’ Sub(missive) Asmi Uniqus. Here’s a quick myth buster By Barry Rodgers “While it’s great that people are exploring their sexuality,” says Asmi Uniqus, an active BDSM practitioner and lifestyle coach, “it’s frustrating that there are so many misconceptions.” …

High-risk sex, girl-on-girl experimenting linked among NYC teens

By Susan Edelman [N]early half the Big Apple’s sexually active high-school girls have had female partners — and many engage in behavior that endangers their health, an alarming new study finds. Researchers from New York University and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine based their findings on a 2013 survey of public high-school students citywide …

What do men really think about sex? This is why we need better education

We asked men how they learned about sex, and found that puerility and pornography have always trumped the facts. Mandatory sex education is most welcome [I]t was announced this month that sex and relationship education is to become mandatory in schools for children aged four to 15. About time too. It’s never been easy for …

Seven things you didn’t know about bisexual health

by Helen Parshall Bisexual Health Awareness Month is dedicated to raising awareness about the startling disparities that the bisexual community faces in terms of both physical and mental health. When compared against statistics for both heterosexual populations and their lesbian and gay peers, startling trends emerge in both social, economic, and health inequities. Here are …

Patriarchy 101

Consent can’t be implied, Michael Valpy writes. Why is that so hard for men to understand? By Michael Valpy [I] begin each university course I teach by stating that my course syllabus includes a website link to the campus sexual-assault centre and by explaining to my students what sexual consent means in Canadian law. I find …