Ginger root has traditionally been considered an aphrodisiac in Chinese culture. A study by Chinese researchers just published in the International Journal of Sexual Health finds that daily ingestion of ginger supplements has a mildly positive effect on women’s sexual receptivity by reducing feelings of nausea. It improved reaction times for arousal and stimulation short-term, […]
Sex Isn’t Real?
In Sex Isn’t Real: The Invention of an Incoherent Binary, Beans Velocci argues that biological sex is not a natural fact or stabile category, but a socially and historically constructed classification system congealed via powerful cultural discourses. Velocci explains that scientific ideas about sex have always been entangled with racism, colonialism, eugenics, and efforts to […]
“Treat Me Like a Bitch!” Gay Men’s Misogynistic Rape Fantasies
A study of profiles composed by middle-aged gay and bi-sexual men in Spain who used the hook-up app Scruff reveals that those who characterize themselves in feminine terms use rhetoric implying passivity and openness to degrading or even violent treatment. It correspondingly found that dominant partners express a desire to treat other men this way. […]
Age Verification Laws Limit Sex Education
A new report released by the Woodhull Freedom Foundation shows that 76% of sex education professionals are concerned that the age verification laws passed by nearly half of U.S. states will restrict youth access to sex education resources. One third of those in states with these laws say they have already interfered with their work. […]
1.4 Million Same-Sex Couples in U.S.
Data released by the U.S. Census Bureau establishes that as of 2024 there were about 1.4 million households headed by same-sex couples, 60% of whom were married. Female same-sex couples were somewhat more likely to be married than male. Same-sex couples were on average younger and better educated than opposite-sex couples. Male same-sex couples earned […]
Incels Target Underage Girls
A study of posts to the online incel forum www.incels.is, newly published in the Journal of Sex Research, suggests a heightened interest of this community in justifying sexual access to pubescent girls as young as 12, corresponding to what psychologists classify as hebephilia. One commonly finds messages like “get her young, before some chad her […]
Where Adolescent Sexting is Healthy and Common
A study following 743 Norwegian teens at ages 14, 16, and 18 documents the frequency and nature of their sexting experiences as they mature. Girls were slightly more likely than boys to send sexts: less than 8.8% by age 14, 34.7% by 16, and 40% by age 18. However, girls were much more likely to […]
Why Do Some Women Like Violent Pornography?
It is surprising, but well established in previous research that women are more likely than men to access pornography that emphasizes themes of dominance, submission, bondage, gangbangs, and even rape scenarios. These themes also pervade many romance novels read by women. A recently published study of 561 German women tested their responses to sexually explicit […]
Helping Young Adults with Disabilities Navigate Romance
Hard Copy has reported on studies exploring the lack of comprehensive sex education available to disabled individuals. Those studies find that not only does that lack of education infantilize developmentally disabled individuals it but also puts them at risk. In a new study published in the journal Sexuality and Disability, researchers developed a training program […]
3 in 10 College Students Have Sex While Driving
Sex in cars is no longer limited to back seat rumbles in a parked vehicle. A study recently published in the Journal of Sex Research surveyed 1,165 college students and found that 29% reported having sex (usually oral) in a moving vehicle. The practice is sometimes known as “roadhead.” The risk, novelty, spontaneity, taboo violation, […]