Celebrating Magnus Hirschfeld, the Einstein of Sex

by Paul Masterson [D]ecades ago, wandering a ramshackle German flea market, an old book caught my eye. Emblazoned in gold on its brick red cover was the beckoning title Sexualkatastrophen. In its inevitably German way, the title (in English, obviously, Sexual Catastrophes) said it all and that alone was worth the few dollars price. Little …

Mutual masturbation could help end orgasm inequality

May is National Masturbation Month, so we’re celebrating by exploring the many facets of self-love. By Rachel Thompson [S]o, your sexual partner just came and you didn’t. It’s infuriating, it’s frustrating, and it’s — rather dismally — all too common during heterosexual sex. I’m talking about the orgasm gap — the inequality in men and …

Beyond breadwinners and homemakers, we need to examine how same-sex couples divide housework

By Leah Ruppanner and Claudia Geist [H]ousework is often understood as a gendered negotiation based on the traditional roles of homemaker (feminine) and breadwinner (masculine). While gender norms have shifted dramatically in the past few decades, theories of housework are still stuck on this 1950s model. Shifting family structures, including the rising number of same-sex …

A Glossary of Terms for Talking About Sex and Gender in 2018

by Suzannah Weiss [A]s our understanding of gender and sexuality is evolving, so are the words we use to describe them. There are many more sexual identities and expressions than previously acknowledged, so it’s about time we named more of them. “The binary options of gender—man or woman—and sexuality—heterosexual or gay—are way too limiting to …

Loads of straight people are having same-sex sex

If you’ve ever had a same-sex experience, but consider yourself to be straight, then you’re not alone.  By Rebecca Reid [I]n fact, you’re in good company. According to research released in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, 25% of women who’ve had same-sex sexual experiences consider themselves to be straight. The research examined just over 24,000 …

What’s the Best Way to Talk to a Teen About Sexual Identity?

A new survey indicates that many teens aren’t getting the information or advice they need about important health issues. by George Citroner [A] nationwide survey of almost 200 gay teens found that young males who have sex with other males aren’t receiving proper advice about critical health issues that affect them. The survey included responses …

Keeping the spark alive in long-term relationships

by Whitney Harder [I]t’s a well-known fact that sexual desire ebbs and flows throughout the life of a long-term relationship for a number of reasons. Questions like “What factors increase and decrease desire?” and “How can couples work through those factors?” have long been topics of interest for researchers and clinicians, but dozens of studies …

Federal courts ask: What is the meaning of ‘sex’?

Existing prohibitions against discrimination ‘because of sex,’ already provide a civil rights umbrella wide enough to cover discrimination based on sexual orientation and transgender identity, some judges are beginning to say. By Harry Bruinius [A] number of federal courts have begun to ask a question that has become more and more subtle over the past …

Parents struggle to discuss sex with LGBTQ teens

[I]t’s hard enough for parents to have “the talk” about sexual health with their kids, but parents of LGBTQ children feel especially uncomfortable and unequipped when they try to educate them about sex and dating, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study. The study examined parents’ attitudes toward talking about sexual health with their lesbian, gay, …