Brand. New. S.E.X. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

I couldn't be more excited to tell you that the brand, spankin' new edition of Scarleteen's long-popular sex⁠ (sex: Different things people choose to do to actively express or enact sexuality and sexual feelings; often this involves genitals, but not always. ) , sexuality, sexual⁠ (sexual: About or relating in some way to sex or sexuality.) health and relationships guide, S.E.X.,(2007 & 2016, DaCapo Press/Perseus Books) is coming to bookstores everywhere this week!

Me right now:

(Told you I couldn't be more excited.)

What's new in the new edition?

It's even bigger:

• It's got around 125 more pages than the first edition (and without costing more than a buck extra from the last edition).

More importantly, it's even better:

It's got all of what everyone loved about the first edition, and:

• is now written in a completely gender⁠ (gender: Characteristics that are seen or presented as distinguishing between male and female in a society. Gender may or may not include assigned or chosen: social roles, feelings, behaviors and/or presentation or appearance.) -neutral way, and includes more content than the last time specifically for trans or otherwise gender-noncomforming readers
• has a new chapter to help you sort through what you hear and see when it comes to sex from friends, family and media, including sexual media like pornography⁠ (pornography: Written, visual or other kinds of media either expressly designed to elicit feelings of sexual desire and/or which people use to elicit those feelings.) , and how to find what you think, want and feel for yourself
• includes our popular Yes, No, Maybe list from the website, and an adapted version of the Klein Grid better suited to young people
• has new content about sorting out⁠ (out: Short for ‘out of the closet’. When someone’s LGBTQ+ identity is known to other people.) and managing cultural conflicts with sexuality, sex or relationships
• has updated information on birth control⁠ (birth control: Any number of methods people use to intentionally prevent unwanted pregnancy, including the condom, the cervical barrier, the implant, the patch, the pill, the rhythm method, the ring, the shot, the IUD, spermicide and withdrawal.) methods, abortion⁠ (abortion: A procedure to intentionally end a pregnancy before a birth. Miscarriage is also sometimes called "spontaneous abortion," even though it is usually not intended.) and sexual health, including STIs
• has new information about making choices with relationship⁠ (relationship: An ongoing interaction or association with another person, place or thing.) models, including figuring out if you want open relationships, closed relationships or something in between
• has updated information on sex and the law, including a new guide with the basics of what to do (and what not to do) should you ever find yourself involved with the justice system
• has new or expanded content about navigating dating or sex when technology is involved, how to get great at consent⁠ (consent: To freely and actively agree to do a specific thing with someone else with all the information about what that thing is, and the right to change your mind.) , help and support for abuse⁠ (abuse: Purposeful harm or mistreatment of another person, which can be verbal, emotional, physical or sexual. An ongoing pattern or cycle of such mistreatment or harm can characterize an abusive relationship.) or assault survivors, and a guide to bystander intervention so we can all help better prevent or stop abuse or assault
• has a new foreword by Judy Norsigian and Wendy Sanford (SQUEEEE!), co-founders of Our Bodies, Ourselves, and brand new illustrations from the ever-talented Isabella Rotman

Considered by many to be the sex and relationships book for young people, S.E.X. truly leaves no stone⁠ (stone: In the context of sexuality, stone -- usually attached to "butch" -- describes someone who gets pleasure from pleasing/touching a partner, but does not themselves like to be touched sexually.) unturned. I have the undereye bags to prove it.

This 2007 Lambda Literary Award nominee covers everything from STIs to sexual orientation⁠ (sexual orientation: A term -- like homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, queer, straight, lesbian, gay, asexual -- used to describe a person's usual or current pattern of emotional, romantic and/or sexual attraction to other people as it relates to or is about gender.) , body image⁠ (body image: Our sense, awareness and perception of our body in appearance and function as it relates to our sense of self.) to birth control, masturbation⁠ (masturbation: Ways that people seek out and/or experience sexual pleasure by themselves, without a sexual partner.) to media to misogyny, the anatomy⁠ (anatomy: The body, parts of the body, or physical structure of organisms like people, animals or plants.) of the clitoris⁠ (clitoris: A sexual organ both external and internal on the vulva and inside the pelvis of those often assigned female at birth that is similar to the penis, but serves no other known purpose besides providing sexual pleasure.) to considering cohabitation. It's written for readers of all gender identities and sexual orientations; for those who aren't sexually active⁠ (sexually active: Someone who has had or is currently having some kind of genital sex with a partner or partners.) and those who are. It may just be the one everything-you-need, comprehensive, no-judgment sexuality and relationships guide to help you get you through -- and gasp: even enjoy! -- your teens and twenties.

Complete guides to making sexual choices, consent, figuring out working relationship models, gender and sexual identity⁠ (identity: The defining character or personality of an individual; who we feel like we are as a person.) , sexual media literacy, birth control methods, reproductive options for unplanned pregnancy⁠ (pregnancy: The state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the uterus. Medically, someone is considered to be pregnant when an egg has been fertilized by sperm, cells divide, and the fertilized egg is implanted within the lining of the uterus.) , safer sex⁠ (safer sex: Practices which aim to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections, such as use of latex/nonlatex barriers, regular testing for infections and limiting the number of sexual partners.) practice and sexual activities, sexual anatomy that's about pleasure, not just reproduction, sexual response and sexual healthcare are all included, tailored specifically to the expressed wants and needs of teens and emerging adults⁠ (adults: People whose age in years exceeds the legal age of majority, people considered to be adults by law, or people who a culture or individual considers to have reached an adult stage of life.) we hear from every day and have for nearly 20 years now.

S.E.X. doesn't ever presume there is one right set of choices for all young people, nor does it aim to tell you what to do: it aims to give you information, help and support to make YOU the expert, so that you can sort and spell out  the right, informed choices for you, and your life, uniquely.

Want a copy for your very own? You can grab it at:

• iBooks 
• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Women and Children First
• Elliot Bay Books
• Powell's Books
• and more independent booksellers 
• Don't forget the library! Check your library to see if they have it, and if they don't, you can always ask them to order a copy for you. :)

Want to check out some of the reviews and press from the first edition? Click here!

For publicity queries, please contact Raquel Kaplan at: Raquel.Kaplan@perseusbooks.com

- Heather