Last week, a colleague of mine asked me, “Out of curiosity, what’s your husband’s last name?” “It’s McCombs. Like mine.” “Huh. Well, you just defy all stereotypes, don’t you?” Continue Reading →
Why I Took My Husband’s Last Name
Kate McCombs
Kate McCombs is a sex educator, blogger, and speaker, specializing in sex-positive and pleasure-inclusive approaches to sexual health promotion. She's originally from California, but moved to Australia to get her Masters in Public Health at the University of Melbourne, which she completed in 2011. In addition to facilitating workshops, Kate works as a teaching/research assistant and guest lecturer for the School of Population Health at the University of Melbourne. She's also the founder of sexgeekdom.com, a website designed to bridge the gap between online and real-life community for sex educators, researchers, and others who might identify as sex geeks.
Recent posts
MSP interviews Jason Ball, Activist and Gay Football Player
Australians will often tell overseas visitors that Aussie Rules Football, or simply ‘footy,’ is like a religion. It’s rare to find an Aussie who doesn’t passionately support an AFL (Australian Football League) team and team rivalries are deeply entrenched in family and footy culture alike. As with most sports, the professional teams are all male and reflect and reinforce traditional male gender roles. When I read that an Aussie Rules Football player – Jason Ball – had come out publicly as gay (the first ever to do so), I was thrilled to see how it would affect change in this traditional institution. Not only has he come out, he’s also become a passionate spokesperson for eliminating homophobia in the AFL. Continue Reading →
This Week’s Theme on MSP: Change
This week on MSP, our blogging team will be exploring the concept of change as it related to sex and relationships. Change can be both difficult and exciting, self-directed or out-of-control, but it’s inextricably part of our personal and public lives. With the upcoming election, many people are feeling the weight of potential change and what that means for their lives and others’ lives the world over. From marriage to health, education to homophobia in sports, this week’s posts will be discussing both personal experience and the larger cultural implications of change. Continue Reading →
Six Ways to Make the Most Out of Morning Sex
Morning sex can be a delightful addition to your sexual repertoire. When you first wake up, it’s too early to worry about the stresses of the day, testosterone levels tend to be higher, and you’re already in bed. Even though movies tend to depict sex as a nighttime activity, the luxurious laziness of staying in bed a bit longer mixed with early morning lighting are great ingredients for sexy times. On a weekday, you might only have ten or fifteen minutes tops before you have to rush in the shower and head off to work. That might not seem like a lot, but with a little planning and the right attitude, morning sex can be an excellent way to build intimacy with your partner (or person you met the night before) and gets your day off to the right start. Continue Reading →
Genitals in the Wild: Fungi Edition
I recently had the pleasure of visiting the spectacularly beautiful National Rhododendron Gardens, which are just outside of Melbourne near the Dandenong Ranges. While the gardens themselves were lovely, they were sadly void of natural genitals-in-the-wild (at least, as much as I could see). The gift shop, however, yielded much more in that department. Near the artisanal soaps, I saw this collection of porcelain fungi and LOLed at not only their phallic shape, but also at their shadows in the background. I was tempted to pay the $16 to own one for myself, but settled on a photo to share with you all for your filthy-minded amusement. Continue Reading →
10 Sex Educators You Should Follow on Twitter
Twitter is a great place to hear about the work sex educators and researchers are doing all over the world. Often it will be the first place I see the latest sex-in-the-news story or it’ll be the inspiration for a new sex ed project. In light of how much I enjoy the sex ed community on Twitter, I decided to write a post (an expanded #followfriday, so to speak) highlighting some of the folks who’ve inspired me recently. This isn’t meant to be an absolute “best of,” but rather, a snapshot of people and organizations doing great work that I admire. 1. Continue Reading →
New Research on “Promiscuous Cephalopods”
As regular MSP readers will know, I love learning about the fascinating (and sometimes hilarious) sex lives of Australian fauna. Multi-vaginated kangaroos and chlamydia-ridden koalas have a new companion in MSP’s catalog of interesting antipodean animals: the Australian dumpling squid. Dumpling squid rarely miss an opportunity to copulate, but their libidos and marathon mating sessions can compromise their safety. Zoologists at the University of Melbourne collected a sample of dumpling squid and observed their pre- and post-sex swimming endurance in a lab. Since these squid regularly mate for up to three hours, their ensuing post-coital fatigue can leave them vulnerable to predators. Continue Reading →
Plants With Sexual Names
On a recent visit to my parents’ house, I was admiring a lovely tree in their yard. It had colorful blossoms, many of which had fallen to the ground below. Curious to know more about the local flora, I asked my dad about it. It went something like this:
“What kind of tree is that, Dad?” “It’s a rainbow showers tree.” Continue Reading →
This Week on MSP: Sex and Nature
Welcome to October, MSP readers! We’re kicking off the month with a week of “Sex and Nature” themed posts. From Nature vs. Nurture debates, to animal penis lengths, we’re looking at the many thematic ways that sex and nature overlap. And of course, there will be a couple genitals-in-the-wild to share. Continue Reading →
Why Good Sex Ed Is Important: A Reminder
Not surprisingly, disclosing that I’m a sex educator often elicits questions, wide-eyed stares, and/or giggles. Recently, after telling someone what I do for a living, I was asked, “what do you think about abstinence-only education?” I replied (with a smile), “That’s like asking an evolutionary biologist what they think of Intelligent Design” and went on to discuss a few of the problems with America’s notorious (lack of) sex ed. While it’s not news to anyone who works in sexual health that comprehensive sex ed is a good thing and that abstinence-only sex ed doesn’t work, sometime it’s nice to be reminded why the work we do is important. Recently, I came across an article on Twitter (thanks @jezRSH) that describes some of the more noteworthy and atrocious “lessons” in New York State’s sex ed curricula that have been uncovered in a recent study by the New York Civil Liberties Union. Continue Reading →