Sexual Inactivity in Japan

A newly published review in the Journal of Sex Research synthesizes the results of 43 surveys conducted over the last 50 years concerning sexual inactivity, inexperience, and lack of desire among Japanese youth, which is increasingly recognized as a serious social problem in a country worried about population decline. Today, about half the Japanese population […]

Decline in Youth Trans and Queer Identification?

A study published by the Centre for Heterodox Social Science at the University of Buckingham uses three surveys to suggest a substantial drop (about 50%) in non-binary self-identification among American students since 2023, and a smaller but not insignificant drop (about 10%) in “queer” self-identification; however, the rate of identification with traditional labels like gay […]

Childhood “Nerds” Likely to be Lifelong Virgins?

A study of approximately 400,000 UK and Australian adults, mostly middle-aged and older, reveals that about 1% of the population goes through life without ever having experienced any form of sexual intercourse. The study found sexlessness is associated with a range of genetic, environmental, physical and mental factors – but much still remains unclear. Among […]

Fresh off the press: Sex Beyond “Yes”

Georgetown philosophy professor Quill R Kukla’s most recent book Sex Beyond “Yes”: Pleasure and Agency for Everyone is a much needed treatise on sexual pleasure. Sex, for many sexual subjects, is afflicted with a variety of contemporary concerns. Specifically, trauma, abuse, guilt, shame, and moral confusion are part and parcel of many a sex life. […]

New Book Gives Insight into Sex Work Decriminalization in New Zealand

Using the techniques of oral history, Cheryl Ware’s recently published book Untold Intimacies: A History of Sex Work in Aotearoa, 1978-2008 (Auckland University Press) tells the engaging personal stories of female and male sex workers in the periods both before and after New Zealand became the first country to effectively decriminalize the practice nationwide in […]

Magnetism Improves Female Sexual Arousal

A double-blind randomized control trial by Chinese researchers at the hospital of Xinjiang Medical University has shown the effectiveness of trans-cranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the dorsolateral pre-frontal cortex for improving female sexual arousal in response to erotic stimuli, and increasing sexual desire at least short-term. TMS is a medical treatment that uses magnetic pulses […]

Detransitioners Are Not a Monolith

Critics of gender-affirming care often point to the growing number of “detransitioners” to support arguments against providing it to minors. Estimates of the number who detransition vary widely and its prevalence may ultimately be unknowable, since detransitioners may break off contact with their former medical providers. York University social work professor (and trans powerlifter) Kinnon […]

The Norma Jean Almodovar Papers

For all my sex work scholars and aficionados out there…you’ve just been gifted a treasure trove of research! Norma Jean Almodovar is a former Los Angeles traffic officer turned sex worker turned sex work activist and founder of the nonprofit International Sex Worker Foundation for Art, Culture, and Education (ISWFACE), and her personal archive of […]