Understanding how men who have sex with men (MSM) identify with sexual role labels such as Top, Bottom, or Versatile offers descriptive insights into how sexuality, identity, and self-presentation of masculinity intersect on dating platforms. Drawing on cross-sectional data from 141,156 active users of the global gay dating app Surge, a new study describes age-based […]
Students Shedding Pubic Hair
Researchers from Indiana University studied a total of 3,139 students (about evenly divided between males and females), who completed the online Campus Sexual Health Survey, to assess their habits of genital grooming. Over 97% of students had shaved or trimmed pubic hair at some point in their life, with an average starting age of 15.5 years. […]
Sexual Racism in LGBTQ Spaces
Interracial relationships are more common among LGBTQ people than in the heterosexual population. The common use of digital platforms by LGBTQ persons trying to find partners nevertheless exposes them to “sexual racism” through sorting algorithms and anonymous communications that permit insults that would not be tolerated in in-person interactions. Sexual racism can either take the […]
Trans Dolls with Removable Genitals
Two professors from the Eli Coleman Institute for Sexual and Gender Health at the University of Minnesota have developed paper cut-out dolls with interchangeable genitals, hair styles, clothing, and accessories to help gender diverse children aged 4-10 experiment with their options. They are to be marketed commercially as “MyGender Dolls” and promise to “make gender […]
Hunting Unicorns
A new study published in Psychology and Sexualitysurveyed 80 members of a couple, at least one of whom is bi-sexual, who had sought or were seeking a “unicorn,” i.e. a third partner to share sex and/or romance with both of them. Females are more often sought than males, which is unsurprising inasmuch as women are […]
Most Penis Size Obsession is Psychological
Physicians express concern about the growing popularity of penis enlargement procedures, which, despite the enthusiastic claims of some practitioners, the relevant professional societies regard as “experimental” due to the lack of sufficient safety and efficacy data. An opinion piece published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine recommends careful psychological screening of patients prior to receiving […]
Women Less Heterosexual than Men
LGBTQ+ identification has more than doubled since 2012 according to a recent Gallup poll. 28% of Gen Z women identified as LGBTQ+ compared with 10.6% of Gen Z men. In an in-depth piece, The Conversation brings together an interdisciplinary team (psychology, social work, and gender studies) to look at this national trend and ask if […]
Why Do Fathers Commit Incest?
A recently published study based on in-depth interviews with six UK fathers convicted of abusing their own children or step-children gives insight into the common characteristics that put men at risk for this profoundly damaging behavior. These include dysfunctional family environments in their own upbringing, an instrumentalizing attitude toward having children (i.e. doing it to […]
Sex Toy Education in Pornography
A team of three women from the University of New Brunswick has studied the use of sex toys in 100 mainstream heterosexual pornographic videos. They found that the toys (including vibrators, dildos, and butt plugs) are most frequently used by the male partner to enhance the pleasure of the female partner, but are often also […]
World Cup and Babies
Do major sporting events, such as this year’s World Cup, influence the sexual behavior of fans and cause a significant change in local birth rates and sex ratios? A review of 4 different studies indicates that the answer is “maybe”. These studies looked at birth rates and/or sex ratios in live births 9 months after […]