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For trans folks (and non-binary, genderqueer, agender, and all other gender non-conforming folks) gender expression can be a lot more tricky than it is for many cisgender people. How do you find clothing when many companies don’t acknowledge that people who are built like you exist? If you body doesn’t quite have all the bits you wish it did (or has some bits you really wish it didn’t), how can you present your body in a way that makes you feel like yourself?

So you’ve thought about sex and gender and all that good stuff and a little bird is telling you that you might be trans. But how do you know?

Whether someone peeped at your reproductive organs in utero or they waited until after you popped out into the world, one of the first things people probably defined about you was your sex, on the basis of what they found between your legs. Ever since, you’ve been stuck with the assigned gender label of “male” or “female,” and all the baggage that goes along with it. Well, here’s your chance to set that baggage down for a bit, because we’re going to go in deep on sex, gender, and identity.

I couldn’t be more excited to tell you that the brand, spankin’ new edition of Scarleteen’s long-popular sex, sexuality, sexual health and relationships guide, S.E.X.,(2007 & 2016, DaCapo Press/Perseus Books) is coming to bookstores everywhere this week!

Experiencing a little gender confusion? We know the feeling. In Trans Summer School, we’ll give you the big scoop about trans and otherwise gender nonconforming people, and answer your questions about the wide world of gender.

I’m sorry to hear you’re feeling insecure in your sexual relationship. It’s understandable that you’d feel a bit uncertain about your girlfriend’s enjoyment of sex since it sounds like you aren’t getting much, if any, honest feedback from her and are worried her responses during sex aren’t genuine…

So, you’ve got an STI. How do you tell current or potential partners?

We cannot begin to express our sorrow about the shootings at the Pulse in Orlando last night. Our hearts go out and are open to all of the friends, lovers, partners, community and family who have lost loved ones, and to those, and their loved ones, who have been injured. All of our wishes and hopes…

While it can sure feel like there is sometimes, there is no default setting when it comes to feeling sexual desire. There’s no one default, nor a universal normal, for who has those feelings, how often they have them, when in life they have them or they first develop, in what specific circumstances…

Another day, another famous person accused of abuse or assault. And with it, yet another wave begins of victim-blaming and denials from fans and people who know the person being accused of abuse personally or professionally. We’ve been here before, so many times. We’re all familiar with the kinds of…

Advice for sorting good information from the bad.

Yes, the adolescent brain makes impulsive behavior more likely. That doesn’t mean young adults don’t know what they want or what they’re talking about.

First things first - it sounds like your family needs to step back and let you make your own choices here, without adding their own commentary or judgment. They may be coming from a place of concern, but it’s misguided and hurtful, and whether they wind up being right about this or not, it’s still…

We have four free, direct support services so you can get one-on-one help if and when you can’t find what you need on the website, you need extra information or don’t understand something you’ve read, or when you want support, help, advice or discussion from our staff, volunteers or peer community…

This is a real-time chat, staffed and seen only by you and our staff and volunteers. It works just like an IM conversation or Facebook chat. You may also sometimes see the available chat icon outside of chat hours if and when staff are available for chat at times other than our set hours, and are…

It’s not surprising that this situation has you confused. It feels straight out of a romantic comedy, and when you take the plot of a romantic comedy and plop it into the real world it tends to feel much less humorous and more like someone stuck your head and heart in a blender and hit the “on”…

Gender identity can be complicated, and often people who are questioning aren’t comfortable in that space - but it’s a totally valid place to be.

Rule #1 of partnered sex: no one is entitled to any kind of sex with another person. Safe, healthy, pleasurable sex can only happen when both people are on the same page, and they respect each other’s boundaries and desires. Honestly, what I read in your question are many feelings of anger and…

First of all, a bit of information about HPV. In general HPV is quite common and quite contagious. It’s slightly less contagious in vulva-to-vulva contact when compared with penis-vulva contact or penis-anal contact, but it is still contagious nonetheless, and can be contagious even without direct…

First off, I want to talk about the idea of being “damaged goods.” I know this is a very common way to refer to people who have mental health struggles, or a history of trauma, but I encourage you to think about yourself, and other people who may be having similar concerns in their own lives, in a…

I’d like to start by addressing your use of the word “sex.” Sex can mean anything from masturbation (aka “solo sex”), to manual sex (“fingering”), to oral sex, to anal sex, and of course to what many people mean when they just say “sex” (and what I’m guessing you’re referring to in your question)…

soclara continues Because I lost all this weight without any form of exercise outside of basic walking when necessary or working, my body is legitimately disgusting. It’s flabby, loose, my breasts are like half empty sacks, my thighs are humongous blobs of fat and cellulite (not exaggerating, not…

Sometimes you meet an activist who is so dang cool you want to tell the whole world about it. We’re lucky to have two such folks who agreed to a Scarleteen interview: Luna Merbruja and Lexi Adist! Luna is the author of Trauma Queen, a member of the 2014 Trans 100 List, international performance…