Special Coverage: Sex and Relationships

From the blogs

What Houston's Election of a Gay Mayor Tells Us About "Red State" Texas

The election inadvertently revealed the dirty little secret that native (and liberal) Texans like myself have known for a long time: Texas is not a conservative monolith.

Honduran Gay Activist Walter Trochez Assassinated

by Doug Ireland, Direland

The best-known LGBT activist in Honduras was assassinated on Sunday after speaking out against homophobic crimes and killings by the forces behind the coup there.

Sex Workers Offer Freebies for Climate Change Delegates in Copenhagen

by Tara Lohan, AlterNet

It's not too late to get out there for part of the meeting.

Sweden Cutting Aid to Uganda Over 'Appalling' Anti-Homosexuality Bill

by Amanda Terkel, Think Progress

Although the U.S. has not yet taken an official position on the bill, other countries are speaking out.

A Look at the Shady Morals of NY State Senator Hiram Monserrate Who Opposed Marriage Equality

by Jill Filipovic, Feministe

It's worth pointing out that those morals include slashing his girlfriend's face with a broken beer bottle.

NY Senate Votes Down Same-Sex Marriage, Anti-Gay Group Declares Victory For God (And Asks For Money)

by Liliana Segura, AlterNet

The National Organization for Marriage wasted no time in turning its big homophobic win into a fundraising appeal.

NY Set to Legalize Gay Marriage

by Kos , Daily Kos

The best part? There are no citizen initiatives able to overturn this in New York.

Why Do Mainstream Media Suck Up to Pastor Rick Warren?

by Adele Stan, AlterNet

On Meet the Press, David Gregory never asked about Warren's tacit support for Uganda's gay-execution law, or challenged Warren's description of abortion as a "holocaust."

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.

Sexy Mormons, the Joy of Vibrators and Sticking it to Puritans: 10 of Liz Langley's Best Pieces

AlterNet Staff, AlterNet. December 21, 2009.
Sex and relationships writer Liz Langley wrote some of the sexiest -- and smartest -- stories about the politics and culture of sex this year.

Guess What? Casual Sex Won't Make You Go Insane

Ellen Friedrichs, AlterNet. December 17, 2009.
Many cling to the notion that casual sex must be damaging. Recent research -- and a little historical perspective and common sense -- shows otherwise.

Tiger Woods Syndrome: How the Golf Star's Affair Will Help Him Win Our Hearts and Minds

Dr. Susan Block, CounterPunch. December 14, 2009.
The new Tiger Woods -- flawed philanderer, sex addict, bad boy -- is far more interesting than the scrubbed-down endorsement machine we're used to seeing.

Christian Kink: Why Traditional Religion and Non-Traditional Sex Are a Good Match

Sarah Sloane, SeXis Magazine. December 14, 2009.
What happens when a deeply religious person finds that their sexual interests seem at odds with their faith? Sometimes, it's easier to reconcile than it seems.

The Religious Right's Potty Paranoia

Stephanie Mencimer, Mother Jones Online. December 12, 2009.
Public restrooms: The final frontier of the right's war on queer folk?

There's More to Sex Than a Cum Shot to the Face: What Men Should Unlearn from Hardcore Porn

Vanessa Richmond, AlterNet. December 12, 2009.
No, porn does not turn men into crazed sex fiends. But it's clear that pornography has affected the way we view -- and have -- sex. Here's how to counter porn's effects.

Hot, Steamy Mormons: Are the Latter Day Saints Getting Sexy?

Liz Langley, AlterNet. December 10, 2009.
Calendars and videos featuring scantily clad Mormons are helping redefine images of the Latter Day Saints -- but not everyone in the Church is happy.

Why Fake Optimism Is the Worst Way to Deal with Life's Problems

Liz Langley, AlterNet. December 8, 2009.
Looking at crap and calling it candy has become a growth industry. But experts say there are better ways to deal with crisis.

10 Biggest Sports Sex Scandals of All Time: How Does Tiger Woods Rate?

David Rosen, CounterPunch. December 7, 2009.
Woods' sex scandal is the latest battleground for a media debate over moral order -- here are 10 others that captivated the press and public.

Going Undercover in the Crazy, Tragic World of Christian Gay-Conversion Therapy

Sena Christian, AlterNet. December 5, 2009.
Ted Cox posed as a gay man to infiltrate gay-to-straight therapy programs. What he found was equal parts shocking and tragic.

Prop. 8 Challenge Puts Homosexuality on Trial

Gabriel Arana, The American Prospect. December 4, 2009.
Much more than marriage is at stake in the federal legal challenge to Prop. 8. Like Brown v. Board of Education,it can change American life. But it can also go very wrong.

Why Is Tiger Woods in Trouble? It's Not His Steamy Sex Life; It's His Family Values Hypocrisy

Vanessa Richmond, AlterNet. December 4, 2009.
What's the biggest P.R. sin? It's not infidelity, or kinky sex, or making sex tapes. It's profiting from a holier-than-though public image based on lies.

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.

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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.

PEN

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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