To better understand Australians’ lives and their needs, we need a clearer understanding of sexual orientation - but the research presents a complicated picture.
Most young women we interviewed said they gained pleasure watching sexually explicit material, but their focus was often on their male partner’s needs, desires and expectations, rather than their own.
Women’s solo sex can be taboo even today. But in 17th century England it featured in many texts from poetry to medical books, suggesting knowledge or even acceptance of female self-pleasure.
Research suggests that men who are exposed to cultural images of traditional masculinity have a greater vulnerability to sexual dysfunction than those who aren’t.
Including queer texts in the English curriculum has the potential to affect real social change, including in understanding and confronting inequalities.
Studies confirm what many older adults already know: They are sexual. And, studies also suggest that sex is good for them. But health care providers are reluctant to talk to them about the risks.
Physician Magnus Hirschfeld advocated for those he called ‘sexual intermediaries.’ His activism began before World War I – and ended only when the Nazis came to power.
Dick pics are widely considered a form of sexual violence. But while that is often true, they can also be funny, sexy and playful. Apparently, some straight guys even send them to each other.
Lara Schwartz, American University School of Public Affairs
Twenty years ago, Matthew Shepard was brutally murdered for being gay. A lawyer who helped implement hate crime legislation in Shepard’s name reflects on its strengths and limitations.
Sex, sexuality, respectful relationships, and gender all need to be discussed in schools as a measure to combat discrimination against LGBTQ people, rising rates of STIs and violence against women.
Professor of Media and Communication and Associate Investigator, ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making + Society, Swinburne University of Technology