The Cicero Institute, a nonpartisan public policy think tank, recently published a report about the sizeable sex offender population that exists amongst homeless people in the United States. Some of the results of the study reveal that in 32 states more than 10 percent of unsheltered homeless populations are registered sex offenders. And in eight […]
Major advances at the state level for sex workers’ rights and protections
A fear of legal trouble deters many sex workers from coming forward to report violence and other crimes that they suffer or witness in their trade. The Nevada Legislature has recently proposed a bill that if passed would help to safeguard sex workers against prosecution for substance, vagrancy, and selling-sex offenses. Presently there is a […]
The courts are showing no love for My Inner Baby
Can role playing and infantile regression be sexual without involving sex? The Indiana Court of Appeals so ruled in upholding a lower court’s preliminary injunction closing My Inner Baby in Noblesville, IN, on the grounds that it constituted a “sex shop” in an industrial area not zoned for sex shops. The store, which does most […]
Adolescents’ encounters with online porn
A newly published study of 1,004 Australian adolescents aged 16-18 brings bad news for those who continue to believe in the sexual innocence of minors. About 69% have encountered porn by age 16, and 40% of those who have seen it did so by the age of 12. While some, especially girls, first encounter it […]
HHS releases systematic review of youth gender medicine
In response to an executive order by President Trump demanding a systematic review within 90 days, the Department of Health and Human Services released on May 1 a 409-page document reviewing the history and evidence surrounding medical treatment of minors with gender dysphoria. Given Trump’s politicization of the issue during the campaign and his subsequent […]
Lawmakers in conservative states continue to target same-sex marriage
In his article for Mississippi Free Press, Paul M. Collins Jr., Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, summarizes recent efforts in multiple states to pass legislation aiming to upend same-sex marriage rights. Although 70% of Americans approve of same-sex marriage, Republican lawmakers are taking advantage of the political […]
“Our Pleasure is Liberation” – An Analysis of Black Female Sexual Pleasure
In this small but mighty qualitative study of black women’s experiences of sexual pleasure from the Journal of Sex Research, scholars analyze sexual testimonies around the themes of emotional intimacy, out-of-the-ordinary experiences, physical intimacy, intentionality, open communication, and mindful presence. The article effectively contextualizes the research subjects’ – 25 American black women from the South […]
Histories of sex and sexuality are uber useful right now
Historian Rebecca L. Davis’s Fierce Desires: A New History of Sex and Sexuality in America was published last year, but journalist Marty Moss-Coane aired a wonderful interview with Davis on her radio show The Connection just last week. We think it’s well worth your time. Davis’ project is an in-depth and vast accounting of sexual […]
What’s next for LGBTQ+ issues and the Catholic Church?
So the Pope died, as you’ve probably heard. Pope Francis was an interesting figure in the Church. He seemed to raise public approval for his office, particularly amongst progressives, Catholic or not. Despite his jovial demeanour and his more tactful and compassionate approaches to controversial issues than past popes, journalist David Crary reminds us that […]
Queer characters in children’s books causing alarm for some parents
The Supreme Court is hearing a case that centers around elementary school curriculum, who gets to curate it, and queer visibility. The case is about how the Montgomery County school board in Maryland greenlit the use of five storybooks that contain LGBTQ+ characters, to which some parents objected, citing conflicts with their religious beliefs. Oh […]