first time

For as long as I can remember, I have worked on cultivating strong and meaningful friendships. It’s through these friendships that I have discovered what I hope to get out of romantic relationships. My friendships teach me the importance of trust, communication, and commitment.

Figuring out who you are as a sexual being, and what your sexual experiences mean to you, in a world full of double standards and outdated definitions can be quite confusing. Here's my story of "losing my virginity" and finding my identity when it comes to sex.

(Michelle's second post:) I previously sent you a question on what to do with my ex-boyfriend. Now it's even worse. I don't know if he's being truthful or not, and I don't know how to move on. He's hurting me in every possible way. He had a pool party yesterday and my my best friend was there. My...

If it's wrong for people to engage in sex with someone without knowing and disclosing all of who they are, might be or become, or will be, in any respect, including sexually, for all of their lives, then every single person on earth who has ever engaged in sex has been doing wrong. We could say...

Lube can do some great things, it's true. But you know what it can't do? It can't turn a lousy partner into a good one. It also can't take pain away that's being caused by a partner being a jerk. I'm so very sorry to hear about how your boyfriend treated you. But this isn't about your body being a...

Feeling like you didn't "get anything in return" sounds very troubling to me. That strikes me as a huge deal, and like something that's probably bigger and about more than sex being a first-time for you and not for him. Someone with partners before you isn't limited in their ability to do their part...

PlaygroundPushover's question continued: I'm confused about what happens after he's ejaculated. Preferably I'd be using a condom but like I said I'm on the pill and have been since before we started going out. We've both been for STI screenings because we know you can catch STIs through other forms...

I researched sex before diving in. Nearly every article and website felt like it carried another warning. Besides worrying me about STIs and pregnancy, my research was showing me that my first time was likely to be painful. I like to mentally prepare myself for things like this and I thought I knew what sex would be like. But, I'm very glad to say that my story is different. It's good. No, it's amazing.

I can't make these choices for you, and I think it's really important you make and own your own choices in relationships and in sex once you start choosing to have them be part of your life. What I can do for you is to try and give you some extra information and perspective, based on what you've...

Hedo's question continued: While I was working with her and experimenting with what she liked I got a lot of positive feedback and encouragement. It was very clear that she was enjoying what I was doing, which felt amazing for me, too. But after we finished and cleaned up she got withdrawn and...