identity

The short answer is this: intersex bodies are built differently, particularly compared to the usual paths people take through puberty. It’s up to you to decide if the word intersex feels right.

I am an autistic, genderfluid lesbian, and I experience these identifiers as tightly intertwined.

How does a person explore sexuality, sexual identity or sexual interactions without feeling awkward? There are loads of things you can do!

I did not feel ready to navigate possible transphobia alone, I needed backup. I was expecting to have that for this date via the person I was on the date with. Without her, I felt trapped in a restaurant where I felt other patrons looking at me or whispering about me. This was a steakhouse in the heart of Plano, Texas.

Gender identity can be a complex part of yourself to figure out. It’s easy to get in the weeds with gender any time you try and approach it from a new angle. Not everyone has access to things like transgender support groups, or other people in their lives willing to lend an ear. Journaling has been an incredibly helpful tool I’ve discovered in my own gender journey. Maybe it could help you, too?

The author of the new book Heavy Metal Heartbreak shares some of how dating went while recovering from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and has a little advice.

Historically, trans people and disabled people have had vocal training to change the way their voices sound; sometimes by choice and sometimes by way of strong culture pressure of what a gender and the voice of a person whose gender that is “should” sound like. Scarleteen volunteer Val was thrilled to sit down with a teacher who approaches the voice completely differently; not in the pursuit of “normal” or with an attitude of “fixing” but rather in the pursuit of uplifting self-expression and showing people the power of the tools their body has to express themselves.

Hi Sam! This is a great question. I love it for two reasons: first, because learning about feminism seems like a pretty great use for the internet, but far more importantly because you’re questioning the things you are reading and looking for additional perspectives so you can make your own mind up…

The number of people you choose to sleep with isn’t the crux of sexual liberation. People who choose to have sex with fewer (or no) people shouldn’t be ashamed, and neither should people who choose to have multiple partners. It’s all about the choice - having the agency to sleep with as many or as few people as you please. It doesn’t make you naïve or boring or a slut or a whore; it’s just a choice that you’ve made, and that in itself is sexually liberating.

Hi Parvati, It’s great to hear that you’re trying to be a good ally, and doing some of the self-examination and learning that comes with that! Since you helpfully broke your question down into three parts, I’ll go through them one by one. 1. Is gender really only a social construct? The short answer…