I have three kids — 15, 18, and 20 — and none of them has gotten pregnant, impregnated anyone, or gotten an STD (at least, as far as I know). And they talk to me about lots of things, including sex. Sometimes too much. If you want to achieve the same kind of open dialogue I have with my spawn, here are my eight tips for how to talk to your kids about sex.

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I see and fight bigotry on a daily basis, but I’ve always wanted to know why. Why is our structure this way? Why are women singled out for body shame? Why are fat people bullied to the point of suicide? Why have we learned to hate ourselves? How did we get here? We all deserve to live in a world full of truth and acceptance. So allow me to enlighten you.

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We all have that one person in our life who matters a great deal to us, is a tolerant and good-hearted individual, but who doesn’t quite understand why feminism is still important. Jessica Valenti offers suggestions about how to approach these individuals, how to argue that feminism does matter, and how to maintain some semblance of inner peace as you do this.

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I have been in a loving relationship for over a year but I can’t orgasm. Why? In short, I’m sexually repressed. Instead of embracing sex in all its beauty, I feel disgusted.

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Kim Kardashian from her Paper photo shoot

This culture financially and socially rewards women for how well they fit into a heterosexual lens of desire. Then, we ridicule those women who choose to gain from that dynamic. But instead of directing our ire at the people working the system, we need focus our attention on changing the system. As the old saying goes, “Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”

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Have you ever noticed how violent our language is? Even when we aren’t even talking about anything inherently violent itself? You’ve probably also noticed that that’s a lot of sexual violence. This language might seem unimportant or coincidental, but our language shapes the way we see our world. So how can every one of us work to stop using language derived from sexual violation?

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A lot of ignorance exists around sex and disability, especially regarding media portrayals involving providers of commercial sex.The problem lies in the way it’s presented, encouraging the audience to gawk and giggle. At the end of the day, no one is actually meant to perceive disabled people as desirable. So yes, getting laid is awesome, but it isn’t the end-all, be-all for everyone.

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If you grew up Latinx in the United States, you might have spent your most formative years going to church with your abuelita — not talking openly about sex or relationships with your parents. I was raised in a very Catholic, Mexican-American family. My Catholic school education included lectures by religion teachers about the dangers…

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If you grew up in the United States, it is almost inevitable that you’ve been subject to a few standard aphorisms. These include things like: “Anyone can make it here if they try hard enough,” “Nothing worth having comes easy,” “Hard work pays off,” “Winners never quit, and quitters never win,” and “Success is no…

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A majority of states require parental involvement in the decision of those under 18 to have an abortion. On the surface, this seems well-intentioned. But what’s really underlying these laws? Here are 5 reasons why parental involvement laws do more harm than good, and why no one, regardless of age, should be legally required to obtain consent from their parents for an abortion.

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I stood up for myself for what felt like the first time in my life. I defended myself. I put my foot down and made a pact with every punch, every kick, every stride I took through that desert that never again would I compromise my own potential, health, and safety to be obliging to someone who does not deserve me. I’ve learned how to apply feminism. It is a new era.

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