The Best Books to Give to Your Teen to Learn About Their Reproductive Health

By Mara Santilli If your kids are anything like I was as a tween, protesting going to the “birds and the bees” talk proclaiming that they “already know everything” when it comes to menstrual and sexual health (or if your child’s school or community center does not offer sex education), you’re going to need to …

To Solve the LGBTQ Youth Mental Health Crisis

— Our Research Must Be More Nuanced Young people do not fall into neat categories of race, sexual orientation or gender identity. Research into LGBTQ mental health must take that into account By Myeshia Price Our youth are in a mental health crisis. Young people describe steadily increasing sadness, hopelessness and suicidal thoughts. These mental …

‘This Book is Gay’

— Provides comprehensive, and inclusive, sexual education By Ali Velshi and Hannah Holland “This Book is Gay,” by Juno Dawson, starts with a welcome: “There’s a long-running joke that, on ‘coming out,’ a young lesbian, gay guy, bisexual, or trans person should receive a membership card and instruction manual. This is your instruction manual.” And …

So, You Want To Open Your Monogamous Relationship?

— Here’s Where To Start By Eliza Dumais We’re a post-monogamy generation in more ways than one: Our fridges house anywhere from two to 16 varieties of “milk.” We select television programs from 11 competing streaming services. Come dinner time, we opt between hundreds of regional cuisines, all available to us within minutes. We’re spoiled …

Queer Reading

— SF State prof sees reasons for rethinking LGBTQ history by Brian Bromberger For Marc Stein, professor of history at San Francisco State University, queer history is a calling, realizing he is part of a network and a community of gay intellectuals. Many U.S. college history departments don’t even define queer history as a bona …

How Hannah Arendt’s Zionism Helped Create American Gay Identity

— The pioneering gay writer and editor Michael Denneny, who died on April 12, learned from his teacher Arendt that an individual can be free only as part of a free community by Blake Smith Hannah Arendt left behind little in the way of an obvious institutional or intellectual legacy during her brief years at …

Sex after menopause doesn’t need to hurt

— Comprehensive review offers roadmap for doctors to evaluate, treat overlooked condition Between 13% and 84% of postmenopausal women experience vaginal pain during sex Causes of pain other than vaginal dryness are often undiagnosed and untreated Pain during sex can harm relationships, self-esteem and contribute to depression, anxiety Safe, effective therapies exist but condition is …

Sexologist Chantelle Otten on the complexities of sex in both her work and her personal life

— Let’s talk about sex. By Alley Pascoe As a renowned sexologist, Chantelle Otten is privy to people’s deepest desires, fears and insecurities. Here, she’s honest about her own. I’m in bed with Chantelle Otten and she’s taking photos of her feet. It’s not as kinky as it sounds. We’re speaking over Zoom ahead of …