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Many people with evident physical impairments — like those that require the use of mobility devices — encounter rude questions from nondisabled people on the regular. Those with chronic illnesses and other impairments that might not always be immediately obvious certainly come in for their share as well. Sometimes it feels like we should be selling tickets to the freak show.

If you want to explore various aspects of kink — or whatever you want to call it — there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, and it can be fun and one way to build rich, fulfilling relationships.

When we talk about disabled people having awesome sex lives, sometimes something dehumanizing creeps into the mix: Some (usually nondisabled) people profess an “attraction to disability.” What they mean is they find disabled bodies — not disabled people — sexually stimulating. That means seeing your body as a sexual object. If that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up, you’re not alone.

You are who you are and who you are is great! But sometimes a neurodivergent brain needs a little extra care and feeding for healthy relationships.

Nondisabled people sometimes assume masturbation is a snap, but for some of us, it can be more challenging. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

You do know how to say “no” to sex. The issue is that you’re afraid to say it, and that’s a big red flag. I don’t know how your boyfriend reacted the one time you said no, but it was clearly intense enough that you’ve done the calculus and decided it’s better to have sex you don’t want than face…

In Part 1 and Part 2 of our intersectionality series we spoke about how identity and the way it intersects is personal. So, to explore that, we (Jacob & Al) decided we would have to get specific, we would have to get personal, and we would have to write about ourselves. Part 3 is a conversation between two people who somehow find themselves asking, “Are we like pies?”

In Part 1 and Part 2 of our intersectionality series we spoke about how identity and the way it intersects is personal. So, to explore that, we (Jacob & Al) decided we would have to get specific, we would have to get personal, and we would have to write about ourselves. Part 3 is a conversation…

So we’ve talked about what intersectionality is in Part 1. How can you put this idea into action?

You’re asking a common question Arty. I want to turn that question around a little. What difference would it make if this was baby fat? Your answer can tell you a lot about the messages about bodies, beauty, and worth you’ve internalized over the years. Everyone’s answer will be different, and I can…

Our identities and histories can be important and awesome, but they can also be a little difficult to figure out. What happens when your ideas about who you are clash with each other, or when you don’t feel like you fit anywhere at all? Perhaps you think you identify with words like ‘bisexual’ or ‘black/white’ or ‘man/woman’ but nothing feels quite right. Who is the real you? It can sometimes feel like everyone else knows who they are while you’re wearing clothes that don’t quite fit. Amidst that confusion it can be a struggle to navigate relationships with family, friends, and community. Intersectionality is here to help!

Being disabled doesn’t mean you can’t have a rewarding and awesome sex life.

This is part of our series for parents or guardians . It starts with our big five guiding principles for parents or guardians and includes resources for those supporting teens and young adults . To see all posts in the series, click the Scarleteen Confidential tag here at Scarleteen, or follow the…

The good news is that you do not have to be sexually active until you’re ready. Virginity, aside from being an idea rather than a physical thing you can lose, is not something you need to race to “get rid of.” There are no prizes for being the first person in your school to have sex, and no…

A guide for teen girls covering healthy sexuality, loving relationships, gender fluidity, sexually transmitted infections (STI), consent, sexual assault, and more.

An urgent account of sexual politics, feminism, and the rules of power in America-and a potent vision for the way forward.

A truly practical, friendly guide through the confusing, and sometimes alarming, world of sex and sexuality.

We normally make ourselves available over the holidays when many other organizations are closed, but this year we’re going ahead and giving all of our staff a holiday break. We’ve had such a hard year, like so many, and time for all who work so hard here to rest and regroup at the end of it is…

Hey fellow sex educators, parents, big sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles and anyone else who’s got younger people between the ages of 10 and 14 in your life! There’s a new, fantastic sex education resource that’s been added to the sex ed video lexicon we think you’ll be awfully glad to discover. We’re sure proud to be a supporting partner. AMAZE is a series of videos expressly designed to provide accurate, fun and engaging sex, sexuality and bodies education for pre-teens and very young teens.

A guide to getting pleasure and fulfillment out of life from places besides sex or romance.

First off, I’m sorry to hear about your sexual assault. If it helps to hear this, having a strong fear of pregnancy after a sexual assault isn’t unusual, especially when someone is feeling shame over it or worrying that they caused or deserved it in some way. Pregnancy can feel like an inevitable…