Special Coverage: Sex and Relationships

From the blogs

Rick Warren Refuses to Condemn Death Penalty for Homosexuals

by Allison Kilkenny, True/Slant

Warren refuses to reject the radical ideas of Martin Ssempa, a rabidly anti-choice and anti-gay Ugandan pastor who has visited to his Saddleback Church.

Court Bars Couple from Having "Unnatural," "Hysterical," "Howling" Sex

by Booman, Booman Tribune

After complaints from everyone, including the mailman.

Quiz: Which African Country Just Proposed Legislation Making Being Gay a Crime Punishable By Up to Life in Prison?

by CaitieCat, Shakesville

Here's a great letter-writing opportunity.

In Trying to Prevent Gay Marriage, Texas May Have Accidently Abolished it for Everyone

by Liz Langley, Liz Langley's Blog

It's rare a story about banning gay marriage actually has a silver lining.

Video: The Victimization of Carrie Prejean? How a Sex Tape and a Softball Question From Larry King = Christian Persecution

by Adele Stan, AlterNet

The former Miss California is being presented as a Christian martyr, even after her pornographic video surfaced.

Transgender Asylum-Seeker Caught in Immigration Detention Hell

by Staff, RestoreFairness.org

Esmeralda never realized that her experience in detention would match the trauma of discrimination she had faced back home.

Breast Flaunting for Jesus

by Thers, Whiskey Fire

The life of a failed California beauty pageant contestant gets even weirder.

Idaho Republican Blake Hall Fired for Throwing Used Condoms on the Lawn of a Woman He Was Stalking

by Steven D., Booman Tribune

"It's unimaginable that a 56-year-old would be so deviant."

MSNBC's Brewer Adopts Anti-Gay Rhetoric

by Jamison Foser, Media Matters for America

Anchor Contessa Brewer's introduction of a segment about Maine's repeal of a law allowing same-sex marriage is right out of the right-wing playbook.

Meet the 28 (Male) Anti-Choice Dems Who Are Stalling Health Reform

by mcjoan, Daily Kos

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) claims he's recruited over 40 anti-choice Dems to sabotage the current bill.

6 Tricks to Sex After a Divorce

Julie Bogart, Sirens Magazine. December 1, 2009.
Whether you're looking for a new relationship or are simply looking to get laid, here's what to expect the first time you have sex after a break-up.

"You Like That Baby, You Like That?": Has Porn Made Men Bad at Sex?

Cord Jefferson, Nerve.com. November 28, 2009.
Porn is entertainment, not a how-to manual. If men want to know what really turns women on, hetero porn is the last place they should look.

When Sex Hurts, and No One Can Tell You Why: The Mysterious Condition Called Vulvodynia

Carey Purcell, AlterNet. November 22, 2009.
Imagine a choice between no intercourse or sex with unbearable pain. Then imagine that no doctor knows how to fix it. That's the world occupied by women with vulvodynia.

Hot Mormon Muffins and Models for Jesus: What's With All the Sexy Christians?

Liz Langley, SeXis Magazine. November 22, 2009.
The weaving of assertive sexuality and assertive spirituality is bizarre, untried terrain. Is it hypocritical for Christians to flaunt their assets in a flirtatious way?

Hey Guys, Don't Want Kids? A Vasectomy Is Probably the Way to Go

Anna Clark, RH Reality Check. November 20, 2009.
Historically, the burden of family planning has almost always fallen on women. Isn't it about time for that to change?

Catholic Bishops Put Sex Obsession Ahead of Mission to the Sick and the Poor

Adele M. Stan, AlterNet. November 16, 2009.
First they threatened to take down health-care reform over abortion coverage. Now they're threatening services to the sick and poor of Washington, D.C., over same-sex marriage.

How Abstinence-Only Programs Perpetuate Dangerous Stereotypes

Martha Kempner, RH Reality Check. November 12, 2009.
It's bad enough the media teaches my daughter harmful gender stereotypes. Does she have to get it at school, too?

9 Silly Things People Say When They Hear You Don't Want Kids (And Ways to Counter Them)

Liz Langley, AlterNet. November 10, 2009.
Wanting kids isn't just the social norm, it's said to be a biological imperative, the only supposed "duh" of evolution. But yet, some of us choose not to -- and for good reason.

Instant Sex: Has the Digital Age Destroyed Relationships or Made Them Better?

Vanessa Richmond, AlterNet. November 7, 2009.
Digitally-enabled mating culture has opened up the mate-finding process while also generating a whole new set of dating anxieties.

What Michelle and Barack's Marriage Has in Common with 56 Million Other Ones

Annabelle Gurwitch, AlterNet. November 7, 2009.
The first couple has tried to preserve their "date night tradition." So have my husband and I.

Is Adultery Good for Women? In Defense of Ashley Madison, the Cheaters' Website

Jeff Schult, Your Tango. November 3, 2009.
Despite criticism, Ashley Madison -- a website that facilitates affairs between married men and women -- attracts an unprecedented percentage of female users. Why?

"Restless Vagina Syndrome": Big Pharma's Newest Fake Disease

Terry J. Allen, In These Times. November 3, 2009.
The pharmaceutical industry wants you to think that if you don't have sex like a porn star, you're in need of their drugs.

Boobs to Die For

Elisheva Wolfe, Nerve.com. November 1, 2009.
I love my boobs. I'm going to use them every day until they start to kill me.

6 Marriage Myths Shattered: How Barack and Michelle Shun Fairy Tale Romance

Vanessa Richmond, AlterNet. October 31, 2009.
The first couple's imperfect union helps shed light on the reality of marriage.

Is Sleeping With a Married Man Sexist?

Mandy Van Deven, RH Reality Check. October 27, 2009.
How does sleeping with a married man square with feminist politics?

Can Drugs Make You Love Someone You Don't?

Josey Vogels, My Messy Bedroom. October 22, 2009.
Research into the chemicals that control love, lust and attachment could eventually result in drugs that would make you fall in love and bond with another person.

How I Realized I'm Bisexual

Rabbit White, SeXis Magazine. October 21, 2009.
I wanted to have sex with both women and men. But how could I tell if I was really bisexual, or acting out "Girls Gone Wild" faux lesbianism?

Why Do Men Catcall?

Ronnie Koenig, AlterNet. October 21, 2009.
Screaming at women about their appearances reinforces some men's sense of dominance -- but it's street harassment.

Rethinking Marriage. The World Has Changed. It's Time!

Melissa Harris-Lacewell, The Nation. October 19, 2009.
We must do more than simply re-integrate new groups into an old system. We need to seriously consider our assumptions about the system itself.

The 10 Most Notorious Sex Scandals in Hollywood History

Phil Nugent, Nerve.com. October 17, 2009.
We can learn a lot about shifting mores by charting the careers of those caught in the spotlight with their zippers down.

How to Have Sex Like a Virgin for Only 30 Bucks

Tana Ganeva, AlterNet. October 16, 2009.
Who doesn't want to have sex with virgins?

Working With the Victims in the Complex Struggle to Fight Sex Trafficking

Noy Thrupkaew, The Nation. October 13, 2009.
The Philippines suffers from a significant problem with child sex exploitation, but it also provides more fertile ground for US work on anti-trafficking.

Why I Like Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Body Better Than Jennifer's

W. Scott Poole, Religion Dispatches. October 13, 2009.
Has a new horror film about a murderous cheerleader subverted the mythos of woman as the source of evil or just the opposite?

Marriage Equality in Califorina: Why We Can't Wait Until 2012

Love Honor Cherish. October 10, 2009.
Every day that Prop 8 remains part of the California Constitution, we each lose something. Here's why we should not lose a moment in the fight to repeal it.

Bare Naked ... Not So Young ... Ladies

Vanessa Richmond, The Tyee. October 8, 2009.
What does it say when aging superstar models keep trying to emulate their far younger "sisters?"

Lysol-Scented Vaginas: The Strange History of Douching

Cherry Trifle, SeXis Magazine. October 5, 2009.
Thanks to a media marketing machine bent on making money by making women feel bad, women used to pour Lysol in their vaginas. Some still douche. But why?

The Rise of the Student Sex Columnist Movement

Alex DiBranco, The Nation. October 4, 2009.
The explosion of student sex columns represents a campus movement possessed of the same subversive potential that fueled 1960s student activism.

What Is an Orgasm, Anyway?

SeXis Magazine. October 2, 2009.
So you think you know what an orgasm is (and isn't)? Think again.

Therapy to Help Couples Break Up?

Josey Vogels, My Messy Bedroom. October 1, 2009.
Counseling can't keep some couples together. But it can help them break up.

No, Not All Bi Women Love Threesomes: Silly Myths About Women and Bisexuality

Saucy Sarah, SeXis Magazine. October 1, 2009.
Being bisexual means that you are attracted to members of both sexes, even if you’re not sleeping with them. Here are some things bisexuality doesn’t mean.

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CSC

The Center for Sex & Culture promotes sex education, advocacy and research, helping advance progressive perspectives on sexuality. The center offers classes and workshops on sexual issues.

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The Center for Positive Sexuality (CPS) arms teens with the information they need to take care of their sexual health. CPS also aims to facilitate dialogue on condom availability and sex education in schools.

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The Prostitutes' Education Network (PEN) is an information service about legislative and cultural issues that impact prostitutes and other sex workers. PEN is a valuable resource for sex workers and activists/educators who study issues of decriminalization, human rights in the context of prostitution, and violence against prostitutes.

White Knot for Equality

White Knot for Equality strives to educate people on the importance of Marriage Equality, provoke dialogue, and show the wide-spread support Marriage Equality truly has.

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