Orville Peck, an openly gay country music artist, has broken genre conventions and calls out underlying homophobia in the culture of country music. Throughout his career he has been unapologetically himself and disregarded industry norms while addressing serious issues within the queer community, such as substance use, coping mechanisms, and the importance of checking in […]
Going Too Far with Sex Toys Can Put You in the Hospital
Thousands of Americans a year wind up in the hospital for misusing vibrators or dildoes. It is most often young men under 30 who have an object lodged so far up their rectum that it does not come out. Toys stuck in vaginas are less common. The resulting injuries can be serious enough that nearly […]
High-End Sex Ed for Adults
In Berkeley on Sept. 25 to Sept. 27, Slutcon, a sex education convention organized by the online sexographer Aella, will hold dozens of events facilitated by sex educators, sex workers, a philosopher, a doctor, a therapist and others. The ticket prices range from $3,000 to $18,000, based on the exclusivity and personalization desired by the […]
Global Challenges to Queer Rights are Escalating
An Outright International Survey found that US foreign-aid cuts have disproportionately harmed LGBTIQ organizations in countries where queer people face the most severe repression, discrimination, and violence. Specifically, Outright report notes that 203 of 229 organizations across 94 countries had lost funding following the Trump administration’s cuts in 2025, with nearly half losing at least […]
Michigan Removes Half Its Sex Offenders from Registry
On September 9, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that placing people on the state’s public sex offender registry whose offense was prior to 2011 (when the law establishing the registry took effect) constituted ex post facto punishment and was therefore unconstitutional. This ruling is significant because it frankly acknowledges that the registry is in fact […]
Barriers to Gender Affirming Care Can Exist in Blue States Too
Massachusetts has committed to preserving access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth after the Trump administration barred federal Medicaid funding for such treatment for people under 18. The state will draw on its $8.5 million Affirming Health Care Trust to help cover treatments like puberty blockers and hormone therapy for MassHealth recipients. About 550 Massachusetts […]
The Bulwarks of Democracy, Bullied
As public facing workers, librarians are resourceful and well-educated heroes who – especially in urban areas – find themselves assisting marginalized and vulnerable populations who may find themselves with limited options regarding where they are allowed to exist. In addition to this sort of social work, librarians are also crucial actors in democracies, defending free […]
The Fight to End FDM
The practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) has been around for at least 2000 years and was believed to ensure women’s virginity and reduce female desire. Although the practice is dangerous and unnecessary, the fight to end FGM is difficult because it is still engrained in some cultures and based on religious beliefs or ideas […]
(De-)Criminalizing Teen Sexuality
Washington’s state legislature has passed a new law that recognizes the difference between teen sexting and the production/distribution of child pornography; laws intended to address the latter were crafted before smart phone technology was in the hands of virtually every teenager, and are routinely misapplied to prosecute what has become a common means of teen […]
2026 Sex Census: Young Australians are More Traditional Than Boomers
The lifestyle website Body + Soul has published the results of their 2026 Sex Census, based on its survey of over 2000 sexually active Australian adults, asking about sexual positions they have tried (only 52% admit to having tried oral sex, 30% anal sex, 24% table-top sex, 33% sex while standing up) and favorite fantasies […]