It's back to school for you and back to the basics here at Scarleteen. How about adding some sexuality primers from our articles, blog and advice answers to your DIY sex ed courseload this year?

Want the basics of sex and gender? It's a Genderpalooza. You can find out what you might not already know about puberty, then get educated on about male sexual anatomy with extras on foreskins and the the prostate gland. You can get the lowdown on female anatomy, and check out some additions on labia, breasts and vaginal discharges.

Do you have your prereqs on sexual orientation? We've got The Bees and...the Bees: A Homosexuality and Bisexuality Primer for you. Thinking about coming out this year? Here's a guide on How to Come Out of the Closet Without Tripping Over Your Laundry.

Don't know how the fertility and menstrual cycle works or how to find out what's up with yours? Take a look at our guide to menstruation and find out why It's Smart to Chart. Worried about late periods? Here's why yours might have missed the bus. Need a refresher course on human reproduction?

Having sex with a partner or thinking about it? Check our readiness checklist, read up on the sexual response cycle, learn 10 of the Best Things You Can Do for Your Sexual Self (at Any Age) and find out how holding off on intercourse can be about pleasure, not fear. Get some basics on being your own sexual partner with one of our pieces on masturbation.

Need a Safer Sex 411? If you want to find out about the infections anyone who's sexually active is at risk of, you can take a stroll through our Infection Section. While you're at it, check your condom use skills, and discover why we think men shouldn't be the only ones carrying condoms.

If the sex you're having or might be includes intercourse, you can also find out about every method of birth control under the sun with Birth Control Bingo and also learn about The Buddy System. Heading to the gynecologist for the first time? Here's what to expect.

Have questions about sexuality, sexual health and relationships? Dig into our busy message boards to get some answers fast, click here for our index of hundreds of advice answers or use our tags for your own do-it-yourself sex ed. You can also find advice from Scarleteen every week at the reproductive health hub, RH Reality Check!

Our volunteers did some great mythbusting on pregnancy and pregnancy risks, STIs and general sexuality. Your peers also have plenty to say on some of the basics and not-so-basics: read young people speaking in their own words on sexual metaphors, positive experiences with first-time sex, living without labels, working out sexuality and spirituality and more.

Need some relationship reading? Here's our Love Letter to you, how to create relationship models, talk with a partner, and how to protect your heart, not just your body. You can take the Blinders Off and see what abuse and assault are to assure relationships are healthy. About That "Talk" with Your Parents? Here are some ways to make it a lot easier on all of you.

Interested in the politics of sex ed? Check out A Calm View from the Eye of the Storm: Hysteria, Youth and Sexuality, What is Feminist Sex Education? and On Innovation and Inclusivity in Sex Education.


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have your say

Want your sex ed to go? Grab a copy of S.E.X.: the in-depth, fully inclusive, sex-positive young adult sexuality guide from Heather Corinna, the founder and editor of Scarleteen!

The All-You-Need-to-Know Progressive Sexuality Guide to Get You Through High School and College covers everything from ovulation to orientation, body image to birth control, masturbation to misogyny, the clitoris to considering cohabitation, STIs to WTFs. CLICK HERE to find out more about it and where you can get one, or hop over to Amazon and nab yours now.

"I am elated that online teen-sex resource Scarleteen's Heather Corinna has finally put something out in print. If you're a parent looking for an accurate and non-judgmental text for your blossoming adolescent, or a blossoming adolescent or twenty-something yourself, here it is." "- Sasha, Love Bytes, EyeWeekly/Toronto Star Newspapers


S.E.X. The Scarleteen Book

Hello, my name is Christine, I am 20 years old and I have had a boyfriend for about 5 years. We have been having intercourse for over 2 years now but recently, for about 3 months, I have started going to an apostolic church and I am thinking about getting baptised and becoming a Christian. But I have a question about what I should do about my sexual life: should I abandon it until I get married now? Because this is really weighing heavily on my morals. I have asked many friends in my church on their opinion about this, and they tell me that premarital sex causes to leave an open doorway for the devil get in so that he can distort sex after marriage. I know that God will not love me any less or be disappointed in me, but if you sacrifice something for God, it will be so much better for you in the end. Everyone has heard that silly line: "sex stops after you get married". I don't want that to be the case...so will sex be better in marriage or does it really make a difference if I continue to make love to my significant other? Because this sounds like a skeptical concept to me... please help!! Thank you.

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