California just became the first state to ban conversion “therapy” for minors. That’s “therapy” which attempts to “cure” people of homosexuality, same-gender desire, or gender non-conformity, “converting” them to heterosexuality and “normal” gender behavior. My regular readers know that I have been a licensed psychotherapist for 32 years—about 35,000 sessions with men, women, teens, and [...]
Could it be that we have reached the point in society where it’s more acceptable as adults to read porn than to read an adult fairytale? I’m not saying that would be a bad thing. In fact, quite the opposite. I’m delighted that a book billed as “erotica” has gained such wide-spread acceptance. I think…
2011 was quite a year for Sexual Intelligence. Some 75 posts were viewed over 125,000 times. The blog was also honored twice. It was named number 21 of the Top 100 Sexuality Blogs. And the post on the circumcision debate (Self-Hatred As Public Policy) was expanded and reprinted in the book Best Sex Writing 2012, [...]
I was recently interviewed by internet safety expert Dr. Larry Magid for a piece on kids looking at porn. We had such an interesting conversation I thought I’d write about this myself. Of course, 700 words can’t possibly cover every aspect of this issue. But let’s begin. Given the typical danger-oriented media coverage of pornography, [...]
President Obama has joined President Bush in opposing the widest possible access for Emergency Contraception (Plan B). And he’s done it for the two worst possible reasons: emotion and “common sense.” After years and years of dishonest stalling, the FDA has finally recommended that minors get complete over-the-counter access to Plan B. In a rare [...]
I’ve now been in Brazil for over a week. And after blogging (with photos) every day about history, culture, architecture, or nature, it’s time to mention the women. Everyone knows they’re gorgeous, so let me say a little more than that. For starters, Brazilians are a mix of three races: the indigenous Indians, European settlers, [...]
Mandatory disclaimer: Sex abuse is gruesome, rape is horrifying, unintended teen pregnancy destroys lives. One single case of any of these is way, way too much. Now to the science: there’s been a dramatic drop in child sex abuse and rape for several years. And while these two crimes are obviously under-reported, there’s no reason [...]
Last week I had the honor of addressing the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality. Everyone was very nice to me, and my talk was received enthusiastically. But that wasn’t nearly the best part. For four days I got to listen to the country’s best sexual scientists. It was a festival of fact, tested [...]
Like a bad penny—or like an abusive ex-husband, or a public policy cancer—abstinence is back, just when we thought it was gone. Through the 1970s, U.S. policy was to reduce teen pregnancy. In 1981 the goal was changed, to funding programs to reduce teen sexual activity. During the Bush Administration, $1.5 billion was spent trying [...]
Today was World Contraception Day. Sponsored by organizations from most parts of the globe, its goal is straightforward: to create a world in which every pregnancy is wanted. So simple. So life-affirming and life-enhancing. Such a dramatic, proven program for reducing poverty and domestic violence. Who could be against such a thing? Unfortunately, way too [...]
Sex work refers to a wide range of activity where sexual interaction is explicitly exchanged for something of value.
WSFA firmly believes that human beings possess a fundamental right to develop and express their sexuality.
Sexual Health is a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well being in relation to sexuality.
Sexuality and faith are two of the most deeply important and deeply personal aspects of human identity.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are entitled to the realization of the full spectrum of their human rights.
Civil rights are one sub-set of human rights that exist equal to and interdependent with multiple fundamental human rights.
Grounded in the human rights framework, reproductive justice refers to all of the conditions necessary for all people to enjoy reproductive freedom.
Every human being deserves access to medically accurate and inclusive information about sex and sexuality.
