• Hey. You can find meaning without monogamy. “People will accept or reject you for reasons that have nothing to do with you at all,” writes Alana Hope Levinson. “I know that sounds depressing, but it can also be liberating.”
• It’s okay if you don’t like making out! You just have to find partners who feel similarly, or are willing to compromise on this issue.
• This post is from 2013 but I only just discovered it: Sinclair Sexsmith shared tons of helpful info about biting during sex.
• Here’s the only article about Rachel Dolezal worth reading.
• My friend Caitlin wrote about her experiences with mindful masturbation and made me want to do some too!
• Why do some people fake their orgasms?
• “A woman’s orgasm shouldn’t be the goal of sex,” argues Jessica Schreindl, because defining orgasm as a goal makes sex into a high-pressure, patriarchal performance for everyone involved. I agree that orgasm shouldn’t be demanded or pushed for, if the person or people involved don’t want to have one – but for me personally, orgasm is an important part of sex and I very much appreciate partners who’ll give me one when I want one!
• This article about piss play is beautifully written. I adore Katie Sly’s work!
• “I want you to consider the possibility that the more chill you seem to guys, the less likely you are to find a guy who loves you for exactly who you are right now,” suggests Heather Havrilesky in an Ask Polly column that tugged at my utterly un-chill heartstrings.
• You can help relieve a partner’s PMS symptoms by talking to them and being supportive.
• Here’s the always-charming John McDermott talking about why dating-related slang like “ghosting” and “cushioning” normalizes bad behavior. I’m not sure how I feel about his argument – I think it’s useful to name behaviors like this so we can identify them, call people out on them, and explain why they’re unacceptable – but it’s nonetheless an interesting thought experiment in how language shapes our actions.
• Katie Tandy wrote a stunning piece about using kink to heal from trauma and it made me cry a whole bunch.
• The ever-clever Alana Massey on One Direction, non-toxic masculinity, and why teen girls love boy bands as deeply as they do. “When you’re part of a fandom, you’re never really alone if you don’t want to be,” she writes, reminding me of so so so many life-affirming experiences I have had in the throes of various obsessions with bands, movies, TV shows, musicals, books, and actors.
• Should boners be frowned on at nudist colonies?
• Yo, Planned Parenthood isn’t just for women. I am tired of the anti-feminist rhetoric which says any effort that only benefits women isn’t worth undertaking (women are people! women are valuable! women are a huge percentage of the population!) but it is nonetheless worth noting that Planned Parenthood helps a broad range of people.
• There are still people using Craigslist to find sexual partners, apparently.
• Forearms are hot and therefore rolled-up sleeves are hot. (I have been saying this for years!)
• My friend Tynan wrote about how sex doesn’t have to be a priority in your relationship, so long as your priorities line up with your partner’s.
• Fuck “stealthing.” WHY ARE (some) MEN LIKE THIS??
• Science misunderstands female desire and this contributes to our cultural idea that women are less libidinous than men. The truth is much more complicated! (In summation: “Women like having sex. They don’t like being socially punished for it.”)
• Suzannah Weiss went to a nudist resort and it helped her learn better boundary-setting skills. Amaze!
• Consensual non-monogamy has its own unique benefits that you can’t get to the same degree from monogamous relationships. Interesting!
• Here’s why some straight men have sex with other straight men.
• Alana Massey wrote about consumerism as a coping mechanism in the era of Trump. Yikes.
• “I’m sitting covered in cum on Christmas Eve in my mom’s basement with a wire hanging out of my ass; I’m a pervert.” Gotta love a good story of masturbation gone awry.
• I love writing that combines sex, gender, and fashion! Here’s a piece on the iconic imagery of a woman wearing a man’s dress shirt after sex.
• Here’s a primer on tentacle porn, incase you were wondering.
• The history of artificial insemination is a long and storied one.
• Why do men like to have sex with the lights on? Gosh, I have such a crush on John McDermott: “I’ve done it in all grades of lighting… Blazing morning sun, a pitch-black cave, beneath the soft glow of a streetlamp…” (Incidentally, one time I was making out pre-sex with a Tinder hookup while my bedroom’s overhead light was on, and he said, “Is there a lamp you could turn on instead? It feels like a hospital in here.” Thanks, pal.)
• Can a robot be a pickup artist?
• Gala wrote about why her divorce was a blessing. I’ve never been married but this reminded me lots of the final ~4 months of my last serious relationship: the crushing certainty that I needed to end things, but the absolute terror every time I contemplated doing so. In retrospect, I wish I’d bucked up and done it earlier!
• Let’s replace the dick pic with the dick code. (There’s also a vulva code. Here’s mine.)