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Big day? Fighting with insecurity? Got a hot date? ARE the hot date? Starting a new project, school or job? Going to do something where everyone’s watching? Coming out? Just got tested or asked for what you really, really wanted in bed for the first time? Getting yourself out of a bad relationship…

Maybe you grew up in purity culture. Even if you didn’t, you’ve probably encountered and have to live with its ideas about virginity. I want to unpack some of those things, and consider what’s true and what isn’t.

I’ve changed dramatically because of this place that never insisted I change. This place where it didn’t matter how—or even if—I was sexual gave me sexuality as something I could live. Sex became something I could know about, talk about, do, enjoy and choose. My body became livable. Imagine that.

Whether your friends are your boyfriend, your dog, your best friend from almost the minute you were born, your third cousin, your booty call, your Dad, your guitar teacher, your downstairs neighbor, your brother, your girlfriend, your iguana, your teammates, your band, your Mom, your gaming group, your sister, your cat, your uncle, your cool new friend from work, your lover, your secret crush, your guardian, your gerbil, your stepmom, the kid you mentor, your choir director, your sponsor, your lab partner, your co-author, that cool person you always talk to the whole way home on the bus, your training buddy, the lunch lady, your locker next-door neighbor, or anyone else, this one’s for them. And for you, friend.

It sounds like this is really stressing you out. Hopefully I can help by answering your first question right off the bat: yes, this is normal. I think you’re right that the lack of contact could have been a factor in the cooling of your feelings towards your long-distance partners; that’s a common…

Hoo boy. You’ve hit on a lot of big questions here. Some are the kind that can (and sometimes do) lead to knock-down, drag-out fights in the queer community. I’m going to do my best to tread lightly. What’s coming across in your question is that your evaluation of your friends’ identity is more…

You’re facing down a process that, according to a bazillion sitcoms and teen dramas, ought to fill you with dread: introducing the person you’re dating to your parents and trying to peacefully navigate their feelings about your budding romance.

I’m an HPV vaccine evangelist. Every opportunity I get, I stand on my metaphorical soap box and preach to everyone who will listen about why it’s so important to get vaccinated against HPV. But it wasn’t always like this.

Your question came in well before COVID-19 was on the horizon, but ever since it reared its virus-y head, a LOT of people are finding themselves in your situation. If someone experiences sexual attraction or desire, there is going to be a point in their lives where they feel sexual urges they can’t…

On Friday, the Japanese Supreme Court voted to uphold a law that requires transgender people to be sterilized before their gender can be legally changed on official documents. Law No. 111, first implemented in 2003, set forth requirements that need to be fulfilled before Japanese trans people could…

A young writer powerfully talks about what it’s felt like to experience some of the blatant and painful anti-trans bias and rights violations of the Trump administration.

Bonnie Rough is thoughtful in addressing fears parents have about all the ways in which sex ed can go wrong and offers excellent ways to navigate those fears.

Hey friend, Thank you for writing in with your question; I completely identify with the anxiety of searching for acceptance from your faith community when your life choices are at odds with religious dogma. It’s a hard place to be in. I want to say two things unequivocally that I think can both be…

As we approach this new annum and everything that lies in store, instead of thinking about the ephemera one could manifest into being, I want to ask how we create the space to make our queer love and joy stand out and shine.

A comic that follows the daily adventures of two best friends — Andy, a trans genderqueer individual who is both tough and loving, and their BFF Scout, an all-feelings-all-the-time mistake-maker — as they navigate friendships, roommates, and romances within their community.

From Heather Corinna, founder and director of Scarleteen.com, and Isabella Rotman, cartoonist and sex educator, a graphic novel guide that covers essential topics for preteens and young teens about their changing bodies and feelings. Friends Malia, Rico, Max, Sam and Alexis talk about all the weird…

This groundbreaking feminist classic dismantles the way we view rape in our culture and replaces it with a genuine understanding and respect for female sexual pleasure.

An all-inclusive, uncensored, must-have guide for teens who are living in this world, who identify as transgender, nonbinary, gender non-conforming, gender fluid, or are questioning their gender identity or how they express themselves, and for their cis-allies and advocates.

This book is written for anyone—but especially educators, parents, fellow students, coworkers, and employers—who have helplessly looked around in the midst of some type of sexual injustice wondering, “What can I do?”

Real-deal consent requires clear, open and honest communication. And if we’re going ahead and actually being sexual together in some way, that also means an ongoing, nuanced and pretty highly situational process of communication, not just one or two super-quick, super-basic exchanges. Not only is communication as a process essential to keeping it consensual, it’s a big part of sex actually being any good for everyone involved.

You are not being unreasonable. I don’t think his response and behavior about the lube is fine. I don’t think it’s okay for him to tell you that not having sex isn’t a big deal for you, or to tell you how important sex is to your relationship for both of you. I don’t think it’s fine for him to be…

We had the means to help, and the motivation. So we did. But we didn’t want to provide just any old sex ed, or to cut-and-paste other people’s content. We wanted to do it better. It was important to us that the sex education we offered be as real as we could make it.