LGTBQIA…and the list goes on. What we once simply called gay expanded to gay and lesbian, then to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender, and then further to include the umbrella term queer, as well as intersex and asexual. A recent New York Times article by Michael Schulman tackles this expansion of inclusive terms, discussing the new generation of queers and the gender inclusivity that they are striving for. “If the gay-rights movement today seems to revolve around same-sex marriage, this generation is seeking something more radical: an upending of gender roles beyond the binary of male/female. The core question isn’t whom they love, but who they are — that is, identity as distinct from sexual orientation. Continue Reading →
Michaela
Michaela is a senior in college studying human sexuality and anthropology. When she's not blogging, you'll catch her crafting, cooking, or working at impish, a baby boutique. She hopes to one day be a professor of feminist anthropology/sexuality studies.
Recent posts
Jimmyjane Hello Touch Review
I’ve always thought that the purpose of sex toys is to enhance a sexual experience. Usually toys provide some sort of sensation that your body (or your partner’s body) alone can’t provide. The Hello Touch wearable vibrator from Jimmyjane takes this enhancement to a new level. When I first saw the Hello Touch, I thought it was some sort of iPod accessory. Seriously, doesn’t this look like something you might go jogging with? Continue Reading →
Sex Toy Review: Vibratex Mystic Wand
Love the Hitachi Magic Wand but hate the fact that it needs to be plugged in? Yeah, me too. Worry not, my dear MSP readers- the solution is here. The Vibratex Mystic Wand solves that problem, and has some fun extra features to boot. This adorable toy, available at Good Vibes, is a great Hitachi alternative. Continue Reading →
Denmark’s Sperm Bike
Talk about genitals in the wild! I recently stumbled upon an article that added another bullet point to my long list of reasons to live in a Scandinavian country. The Nordisk Cryobank, a European sperm bank, decided to get creative in transporting donor samples. Naturally, they chose a bike- but this isn’t just any bike.
The “sperm bike” is not only a green form of transportation, but it serves as a wonderful form of advertisement for the Cryobank. Continue Reading →
Product Review: Renew Toy Revitalizing Cleanser
Our friends over at Good Vibrations recently sent me a new product to review. It’s like Christmas all over again! The Renew Toy Revitalization Cleanser is such a handy little thing! Forget about interrupting sexy times to run to the bathroom to clean a toy- a swift pump of this little spray bottle and you’re good to go! This comes in handy especially if you share a bathroom- I can’t tell you how awkward it is to try to clean a sex toy in a dormitory bathroom. You get all kinds of weird looks. Continue Reading →
Communication Fails: www.HeTexted.com
Last week, I stumbled upon HeTexted.com, a website devoted to “interpreting” cryptic text messages from men. Here’s how it works: a user sends in a text message, includes their own comments giving necessary background information, and leaves the decision up to the internet. Anyone in the blogosphere can vote in one of three ways regarding the sender’s intentions: either he’s into you, he’s not into you, or the verdict is still out. Sound familiar? My first instinct was to hate it, to repost the link with some snarky comment about the novel idea of actually asking your partner what they meant. My second instinct was to hate it more, wondering why these people couldn’t just ask their friends what they thought rather than airing all their dirty laundry on the internet. Continue Reading →
Hasbro to Produce “Gender-Neutral” Easy-Bake Oven
McKenna Pope, a 13 year-old girl from New Jersey, is a bad-ass. After searching for an Easy-Bake oven for her younger brother for Christmas and discovering that the Hasbro product only comes in pink and purple, Pope decided to make a change. She headed over to Change.org (you know, the people behind those daily emails with inflammatory headlines that you can’t quite figure out how to unsubscribe from) and started an online petition, which received over 40,000 signatures. Hasbro recently announced that they would be releasing an Easy-Bake oven in “gender-neutral” colors (black, silver, and blue), and have promised to include boys as well as girls in their advertisements. This is great news! Continue Reading →
Sex Toy Review: We-Vibe 3
Thanks to the lovely ladies at Good Vibrations, I bring to you a brand new toy review! The We-Vibe 3 Couple’s Vibrator is the third in a fantastic series of partner toys. This tiny silicone vibrator offers dual stimulation in two ways (internal/external, you/partner), and packs quite a punch! With this third model, they’ve amped up the power of the vibrations and extended the battery life. What I love:
It’s just so cute! Continue Reading →
The “Delayed Notification” Phenomenon
It’s bad juju to publicize your pregnancy before you’ve reached the second trimester. This delay in notification is practiced widely in Western culture, but nobody has really asked why we keep our early pregnancies a secret. As a component of a recent research paper I wrote about miscarriage and fetal personhood, I anonymously interviewed 17 women who have given birth in the past seven years about this practice. The results were striking. According to my survey results, 10 out of the 17 women chose to keep their pregnancies secret until after the three-month mark. Continue Reading →
Shocker! Kids Don’t Know Enough About Sexual Health
According to a recent city-wide standardized test, students in Washington D.C. are suffering from a serious lack of comprehensive sexual health/sexuality education. The test found that high school students, though fairly aware of the basics of anatomy and safe sex, were unable to pinpoint where and how they could access health care and who to talk to. Fifth graders and eighth graders, on the other hand, aren’t nearly “as educated about the human body as they should be.” So there are a few issues here. Continue Reading →