Why So Many People Ignore LGBTQ Dating Violence

These people shared their experiences. By Paula Akpan Talking about dating violence is complicated, particularly when it can take many different forms, some far more subtle than others. When we think about domestic or relationship abuse, we often think of physical violence. That’s certainly one component, but it’s not the only one. We tend not …

How To Navigate 6 Common Sexual Health Conversations With Your Partner

By Jen Anderson The pillar of any good relationship is open communication — and that doesn’t stop at being honest about whose turn it is to do the dishes. Opening up about sex with your partner, whether it’s about your birth control options, the positions that make you feel best, or the need to take …

How genes and evolution shape gender – and transgender – identity

By Jenny Graves Mismatch between biological sex and gender identity, culminating in its severest form as gender dysphoria, has been ascribed to mental disease, family dysfunction and childhood trauma. But accumulating evidence now implies biological factors in establishing gender identity, and a role for particular genes. Variants – subtly different versions – of genes linked …

There’s a better way to talk to your kids about sex

By Jenny Anderson It’s no secret that many parents struggle with talking to their kids about sex. But a new study from Britain suggests those awkward conversations may be key in helping kids navigate their first sexual experiences—and offers some useful guidance on how to do it. The National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles poll delves into sexual behavior …

For survivors, breast cancer can threaten another part of their lives: sexual intimacy

By Barbara Sadick Jill was just 39 in July 2010 when she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. Her longtime boyfriend had felt a lump in her right breast. Two weeks later, she had a mastectomy and began chemotherapy. The shock, stress, fatigue and treatment took its toll on the relationship, and her boyfriend …

Rubbing Out Sexist Attitudes Towards Female Masturbation

Lois Borny discusses attitudes towards female masturbation at university By Lois Borny Other than typing ‘porn’ into YouTube on my family computer at age 11, I always saw it as a dangerously seductive zone not meant for my eyes. A force field also encircled my pelvis, the nether realm where I ought never to go. …

Here’s What Sex Therapists Really Think About Netflix’s ‘Sex Education’

The show gets a lot right. By Kasandra Brabaw When Netflix’s new show Sex Education dropped earlier this month, it became an instant hit among basically anyone who has sex or thinks about sex. The show follows an awkward teen, Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield), who knows a lot about sex thanks to his sex therapist …

If You’re Sexually Woke, Then Let Straight Men Experiment Freely

“Through [gay] experiences, I found out that I am completely straight. I won’t go back.” by Bobby Box When a woman mentions she’s had an “experimental phase,” it’s often shrugged off as a shared experience. But when men share this same information, the results are often more extreme: They’re teased, labeled gay, or their masculinity …