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Love+Sex

Adding ‘K’ to LGBTQIA: Is Kink Inherently Queer?

Posted on February 22, 2019
A photo of queer kink.

We started out as the GLB community. Letters were rearranged in the 1980s, and we soon became LGB. The 1990s brought us to LGBT, and now, in 2019, we are LGBTQ, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, or even LGBTQQIP2SAA. Whew! The fact of the matter is that we are ever expanding and searching for the right acronym to represent the plethora of identities that fall under the queer umbrella. We bond these letters together to represent a common, shared experience between each—one rooted…

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When ‘The One’ Becomes Two: Top 5 Myths About Polyamory

Posted on February 14, 2019
An illustration of polyamory.

Polyamory, like many relationship expressions that fall outside the societal “norm” of monogamy, is largely misunderstood, often dismissed, and rarely validated as a natural way for humans to connect with one another. This dynamic is not as provocative or alluring as the media depicts, nor is it fraught with more complications that the traditional two-party relationship system. In fact, almost no mammal on earth is truly monogamous (yes, even those that “mate for life”). As queer people, our relationships are…

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Why Are Straight Folks Obsessed with LGBTQ Folks’ Bodies and Sex Lives?

Posted on November 5, 2018
A photo of LGBTQ bodies.

So, who is the man and who is the woman? We’re both males. We’re partners. We share duties and don’t subscribe to traditional gender roles. At least, that’s how it is in my own relationship. And here we are, six years together, and people still believe it’s okay to ask me if my partner or I shapeshift into a lady behind closed doors, as if the notion that two people of the same gender can live together and share their lives,…

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The Queer Doula: Adventures in Providing Support and Education Around Birth, Abortion, and Pregnancy

Posted on November 1, 2018
A photo of a queer doula.

I have always loved birth. As a teen and young adult, I would spend hours glued to TLC’s A Birth Story and other ER shows that depicted live births with a twist of trauma and terror. I found every unique birth story endlessly fascinating. What was this family’s journey? How would this birth be different? What would the baby look like? As I observed birth after birth, I came away with one clear conclusion by the age of 14: I…

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Hitorijime My Hero: English Dub Explores Complexities of Being Young, Queer, and in Love

Posted on October 20, 2018
A photo from Hitorijime My Hero.

Over the past few decades, anime—a medium of Japanese animation for film and television—has gained a growing popularity here in the United States. The art form’s stories are larger than life. Tales of spikey-haired protagonists collecting mystical balls to save the universe, rivaling ninja villages, pocket-sized monster battles, space pirates, regular pirates, and countless other adventures have set the mainstream standard for American audiences ever since Speed Racer debuted in the late 1960s. But today’s anime isn’t your dad’s anime.…

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