Sex Advice With An Edge
By Drake Baer [I]n the prologue to her new book, What Love Is and What It Could Be, philosopher Carrie Jenkins is walking through Vancouver, from her boyfriend’s apartment to the home she has with her husband. She wonders at how the romantic love she experiences firsthand is so different than the model presented by …
Continue reading “Maybe Monogamy Isn’t the Only Way to Love”
By Alison Walsh [M]y elder son David was fifteen when he told us he was gay – not that he had actually intended to tell us quite then. He said he was meeting someone but was evasive as to who this might be? I forced the issue never expecting to hear that this was some …
By JANE E. BRODY [A]fter Alice Radosh’s husband of 40 years died in 2013, she received, in addition to the usual condolences, countless offers of help with matters like finances, her car and household repairs. But no one, not even close friends or grief counselors, dared to discuss a nagging need that plagues many older …
Continue reading “When a Partner Dies, Grieving the Loss of Sex”
By Jennifer Evans [F]ifteen years ago, as a junior scholar, I was advised not to publish my first book on the persecution of gay men in Germany. And now, one of the major journals in the field has devoted an entire special issue to the theme of queering German history. We have come a long …
Understanding your body is essential to building healthy relationships with others and yourself By Sky Jordan [B]odies do some pretty astonishing things. Everything from love to sex to reproduction is such a personal experience, and each experience means a different thing to each person. It is extraordinary when you consider all the experiences your body …
Why is care for sexual health issues considered a luxury when it’s a necessary part of population health? By Zachary Hafner [W]hen Americans seek care for most common health conditions, there is rarely much question about coverage. Every day, consumers—including those on Medicaid and Medicare—seek care for sore joints, depression, and even acne without worrying …
Continue reading “Time for a Sexual Revolution In Health Care Treatment”
by Hilary White [T]hink of the things you might have learned about BDSM from Fifty Shades of Grey. OK, now forget pretty much all of that. While the books and movies got a few things right, there’s a lot more to the multifaceted world of BDSM that people should know (and try out, if they’re …
Continue reading “If You’re Totally Clueless When It Comes to BDSM, This Video Clarifies a Lot”
By Leah Fessler [E]ver faked an orgasm? Or just had orgasm-less sex? If you’re a woman—especially if you’re straight—your answer is probably “Ugh.” Followed by “Yes.” Not reaching orgasm during sex is, obviously, a real bummer. Not only does it make the sex itself unfulfilling, but can lead to envy, annoyance, and regret. Thoughts like …
“Inequality within a relationship doesn’t cost men as much,” researcher says By Bert Gambini [P]ower imbalances in heterosexual relationships are common, but having less power takes a greater toll on young women than young men, according to a recently published University at Buffalo study. The results, appearing in The Journal of Sex Research, suggest …
Surprising Attributes Lead to Luck in Bed by Joan Raymond [W]hen it comes to sex, we are quite the shallow bunch: Something as simple as the smell of your sweat, the dilation of your pupils or the proportion of your waistline can make all the difference. Yet science also shows that personality traits matter at …
By Stephanie Auteri [I]n a predictable bit of news, the results of a study released this past September show that students consider most sex-education programs to be out-of-touch, outdated, and lacking in the information that might actually prove useful to them. Among the deficiencies reported by teenagers were a focus on fear-based lesson plans, curricula …
Continue reading “The way we teach sex-ed is old and ineffective. Here’s how to fix it.”
What I learned about mental health from BDSM By Jen Chan [N]ot too long ago, I took my first step into the world of kink. I was a baby gay coming to terms with my borderline personality disorder (BDP) diagnosis, looking for any and every label that could help alleviate the lack of self-identity that …
Why do people with fetish preferences feel stigmatised despite the success of Fifty Shades of Grey? By Olivia Blair [W]e now live in a society which is more open and positive about sex than ever before, but one expert says we’re not as sexually free and liberated as our post-1960s society would have us believe. In …
Being more present with each other can lead to better sex, therapists say By Olivia Blair People have turned to mindfulness to make them happier, less stressed and even more able to deal with their mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression – but could it improve your sex life too? Being mindful essentially means …
Continue reading “How your sex life can be improved with mindfulness”
We need to open up to the significance of love and sexuality in later life By Des O’Neill [A]lthough Valentine’s Day is often criticised as a cynical creation by florists and the greeting cards industry, it is a useful focal point for considering love and sexuality as elements of human wellbeing that often escape attention …
Continue reading “Time to make room for sex in our care homes”