Sex and sexuality

Illustration of two female anthropomorphic bears in a romantic embrace sitting on a window sill, with trees in the background and a red bird beside them.
SEX AND SEXUALITY

Sweet illustrations capture women’s stories of first-time queer attraction

A film by Diane Obomsawin

A Chinese middle-aged woman tending plants on a rooftop garden with residential buildings and a blue sky in the background.
SEX AND SEXUALITY

Shuli’s mother has known he was gay for years. Can they finally talk about it?

A film by Shuli Huang

Painting of a seated man looking at a small dog, which has its paw on his knee in a room with a decorated door.
SOCIAL HISTORY

How the law soothed broken hearts in 19th-century America

What does a deep dive into the transcripts of historical seduction trials reveal about how we account for hurt feelings?

by Jinal Dadiya

Abstract blue and white line drawing of multiple nude female figures, seen from various angles, arranged in a pattern.
ARTISTS AND ART HISTORY

A minotaur shifts shapes and sexes in this ferociously original animation

A film by Chaerin Im

A smiling shirtless man with the outline of a child, as if cut out by scissors, sitting on his shoulders.
PARENTING AND FAMILIES

No kidding! Inside one childless comedian’s choice to get a vasectomy

A film by Jordan Temple

Photo of a casino scene with people, poker chips on a table, and a man lighting a cigar. A woman in a blue top smiles.
WORK AND VOCATION

The ways Sugar Babies navigate two roles: lover and employee

‘Sugaring’ involves the commodification of romance – presenting a puzzle of love, labour and autonomy for those involved

by Brynn Valentine

Medieval painting of three musicians playing instruments, seated under arches with colourful robes and curly hair.
MUSIC

Courtly love songs are a window into medieval sex lives

Song lyrics acted as a sexual script for aristocrats, revealing some edgy practices that ignited their imaginations

by Elizabeth Eva Leach

Black and white photo of a man smiling next to a woman laughing at a formal event. Other guests visible in the background.
SEX AND SEXUALITY

Everything I know about flirting, I learned from the Cold War

The rewards of flirtation go beyond sex or romance. But, as in other exchanges, you have to know where the red line is

by Youngbin Yoon

Illustration of two people holding hands while walking in the sea, with a sunset in the background. One wears a pink shirt; the other a skirt.
SEX AND SEXUALITY

Sarah recalls how sex, religion and shame have intertwined in her mind

Directed by Lori Malépart-Traversy

Close-up of a woman with curly hair playfully biting a man’s shoulder while both are smiling.
LOVE

In the bliss of budding love, a couple becomes – quite literally – entangled

Directed by Ben Brewer

Painting of a mysterious woman with long dark hair and a snake, set against an orange and black background.
SEX AND SEXUALITY

My take on ‘Venus in Furs’ as a modern-day dominatrix

My experiences as a 21st-century femdom echo the gendered themes that feature in Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s 1870 novel

by Gia Marcos

Photo of two bonobos hugging standing on grass with leafy jungle background.
ANIMALS

Same-sex sexual behaviour in mammals evolved to keep the peace

Although these new findings can’t tell us much about human sexuality, they could help to solve an evolutionary paradox

by Shayla Love

Close-up profile of a plastic golden crown with colourful jewels on top of dark, short hair against a blurred, warm-toned background.
CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE

Charting seven decades of heartbreak and rebellion for queer teens at prom

Directed by Andrew Moir

Photo of children observing a large sculpture of a couple embracing in a museum setting with paintings in the background.
PARENTING AND FAMILIES

How to talk to your children about sex

It’s not about one embarrassing ‘big talk’. Prepare and protect them by applying these basic principles early and often

by Eva Goldfarb

Two people sitting on a bench next to a marina with several boats in the background, partially covered by tree branches.
PARENTING AND FAMILIES

Young, gay and Arab, Omar navigates the seasons of his life in Montreal

Directed by Aziz Zoromba

Photo of a rocky path winding through a grassy landscape with cloudy skies and distant hills in the background.
SACRED PLACES

Nan Shepherd delved into a queer erotic kinship with nature

In the Highlands, Nan Shepherd found an erotic kinship with nature: ‘The Living Mountain’ a core text for queer ecology

by Melissa Matthewson