For Some With Intellectual Disabilities, Ending Abuse Starts With Sex Ed

by Joseph Shapiro [I]n the sex education class for adults with intellectual disabilities, the material is not watered down. The dozen women and men in a large room full of windows and light in Casco, Maine, take on complex issues, such as how to break up or how you know you’re in an abusive relationship. …

Japanese macaques grinding on deer can teach us to be more open-minded about sex

by Lux Alptraum [I]f you grew up in America, there’s a good chance that you learned that sex is, first and foremost, a reproductive act. Sure, it feels good, but that’s just a way for our bodies to trick us into breeding. Many church doctrines will inform you that any sexual experience that doesn’t stand …

A new prescription for tackling sexual violence

How some advocates are looking to dismantle rape culture using public health strategies. By Addy Baird [W]hen Tahir Duckett talks about consent with elementary and middle school boys, he often talks about video games first. “If I just hop on your Xbox without your consent, what’s your response?” Duckett says he asks the boys. Almost …

Lessons In Love For Generation Snapchat

By Tovia Smith Along with explicit sexual education classes, some schools are beginning to offer more G-rated lessons on love. Experts say the so-called “iGen” is woefully unprepared to have healthy, caring romantic relationships and young people need more guidance. So schools are adding classes that are less about the “plumbing” of relationships, and more …

Why teaching kids about sex is key for preventing sexual violence

By Rebecca Ruiz [Y]ou may think of sex education like it appears in pop culture: A classroom of teens looking nervously at a banana and a condom. Amid the giggling and awkward questions, maybe the students get some insight into how sex works or how to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. While that’s valuable …

Debunking Common College Sex Myths

by William Leo and Juliette Silvain [S]ex is among the most talked-about subjects on college campuses. Yet myths and misconceptions pervade almost every discussion of sexual activity and sexuality, subtly infiltrating the beliefs of even the best-informed people. Sexually inexperienced young people are likely to become confused by the dizzying array of information and opinions …

Why Sex Education for Disabled People Is So Important

“Just because a person has a disability does not mean they don’t still have the same hormones and sexual desires as other individuals.”   By Ariel Henley “Sex and disability, disability and sex; the two words may seem incompatible,” Michael A. Rembis wrote in his 2009 paper on the social model of disabled sexuality. Though …

We must acknowledge adolescents as sexual beings

As a teenager, Dr. Venkatraman Chandra-Mouli experienced shame and was often denied access when he tried to purchase condoms. Forty years later, adolescents around the world still face barriers to contraceptive access. In this blog, Dr. Chandra-Mouli discusses those barriers and how they can be overcome. By Dr. Venkatraman Chandra-Mouli [I] grew up in India. …

Threesome Tips: 6 Things You Should Know Before Having One

By Sophie Saint Thomas Yes, “unicorn” is a problematic term for a person who joins a couple for a threesome (they’re a person, not a sex toy or prop). But the title gets one thing right: Like unicorns, enthusiastic guest stars in couples’ sexual adventures are hard to find. (I refuse to accept that unicorns …

Sex Education Based on Abstinence? There’s a Real Absence of Evidence

By Aaron E. Carroll [S]ex education has long occupied an ideological fault line in American life. Religious conservatives worry that teaching teenagers about birth control will encourage premarital sex. Liberals argue that failing to teach about it ensures more unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. So it was a welcome development when, a few years …

What it’s like to talk to your doctor about sexual health when you’re bisexual

There’s a misconception that bi people are just going through a phase — but what if our doctors believe it too? By Kate Sloan “Are you sexually active?” I’d been dreading this question since losing my virginity to a female friend a few weeks earlier, not long after my 16th birthday. Somehow, the harsh fluorescent …