virginity

Facing up to my rape, and learning to heal from it, forced me to investigate my sexuality seriously, and for the first time. That is not to say I am glad it happened. I am not. I think I would have gotten there eventually, but how I lived with my assault definitely shifted my perspective.

Maybe you grew up in purity culture. Even if you didn’t, you’ve probably encountered and have to live with its ideas about virginity. I want to unpack some of those things, and consider what’s true and what isn’t.

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...

You know, one of the neatest, most interesting things about sex from my perspective, is that what people do and don't enjoy is so diverse. One person's least favorite sexual activity is another person's favorite. I think that's really cool. All of our bodies, sexualities and situations are so...

What I'm hearing a lot of in this question is you wondering if you're okay. So, I wanted to start out by saying: Yes, you are okay, just the way you are. I realize this may not be a comfort, but in spite of how it might seem, there are plenty of 19-year-old folks (plenty of folks of any age, for...

I don't think there's anything wrong with you. But, boy howdy, does it sound like plenty was wrong with this situation. You did not WANT to engage in sex with this person. You were also clear that you didn't feel ready to have sex with this person once it was obvious to you that you felt that way...

Figuring out who you are as a sexual being, and what your sexual experiences mean to you, in a world full of double standards and outdated definitions can be quite confusing. Here's my story of "losing my virginity" and finding my identity when it comes to sex.

If it's wrong for people to engage in sex with someone without knowing and disclosing all of who they are, might be or become, or will be, in any respect, including sexually, for all of their lives, then every single person on earth who has ever engaged in sex has been doing wrong. We could say...

If by "normal" intercourse you mean vaginal intercourse, and both of these kinds of sex were unprotected, then yes, this is an easy way to potentially develop a vaginal bacterial infection. That's why it's advised that for couple who want to engage in both kinds of intercourse, they use condoms...

Virginity isn't a term used in sexual health or defined medically, anatomically or by any one sexual activity. It's a word some people use to determine when they or others have or have not had sex, based in either personal or cultural ideas or experiences of what they consider sex to be. I can't...