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NSFW.

The Palace holds that providing factual and useful information about sex and sexuality is an important public service in its own right.  But in addition, factual and useful information about sex and sexuality makes conservatives lose their shit, so it’s just FULL OF WIN.  What animates much of social conservatism springs directly from some seriously unhealthy, fear-based, fucked-up views about sex and sexuality, and of course this must not go unmocked.  But the Wingnut War on Fucking is not going to implode all by itself, people.  Get your freak on.

PLEASE NOTE: I have attempted to ensure that the Bedroom is respectful and inclusive in its content and language.  Where it falls short in this regard, I would be grateful for criticism as well as suggested links to sex-positive writers and reality-based resources.

Palace posts that reference SEX & SEXUALITY can be found here.
Palace posts that reference LGBT can be found here.

BLOGS & ADVICE.

• Back Door Basics for Men and Women.  Information and guidelines for beginners interested in trying anal sex.
• Consent culture. The Pervocracy (Jan. 2012)
• The Dirty Normal. Blog of Emily Nagoski, sex educator and self-proclaimed “sex nerd.”
• How to Have Sex On Purpose.  The Pervocracy (Feb. 2013)
• Joe.My.God. “Gay culture, short stories, politics, and fabulous disco trivia.”
• The Pervocracy. “A kinky, feminist sexblog.”
• Safe Sex. Coalition for Positive Sexuality (CPS), a not-for-profit organization providing teens with candid sex education materials.
• Savage Love/Dan Savage.
• Scarleteen. “Inclusive, comprehensive and smart sexuality information and help for teens and 20s.”
• The Secret to Desire in a Long-term Relationship. Esther Perel, TED Talks (VIDEO) (Feb. 2013)
• Sex tips. (via Babeland)
• Vanilla Sex Checklist. (Thorne, C. Leadership in the Bedroom) (.doc)
• Yes Means Yes. “Visions of female sexual power and a world without rape.”
• Yes, No, Maybe So: A Sexual Inventory Stocklist. (Scarleteen)

GENDER & SEXUAL ORIENTATION.

“I am a lesbian trapped in a man’s body.” -Eddie Izzard

• 10 Things I Wish I’d Known When I Started My Transition.  Penelope, A., Huffington Post (Feb. 2013)
• ACLU: LGBT Youth & Schools Project. Working to “make public schools safe and bias-free for LGBT students, defending their free speech in school, and working to help students start gay-straight alliance clubs.”
• Dapper Q. “A transgressor of men’s fashion.”
• Gender.org.  “[A] national organization focused on the needs, issues and concerns of gender variant people in human society.”
• Gender Anarchy Project.  Digital art installation (2004-2005) that intervenes in public space to break down assumptions of gender by Amelia Marzec.
• Gender Identity and Research and Education Society. “Information for trans people, their families and the professionals who care for them.” (U.K.)
• Genderspectrum.org. “Gender Spectrum provides education, training and support to help create a gender sensitive and inclusive environment for all children and teens.”
• Gay Lesbian & Straight Education Network. (“GLSEN”) National education organization focused on ensuring safe schools for all students. (U.S.)
• Human Rights Campaign. (“HRC”) “seeks to improve the lives of LGBT Americans by advocating for equal rights and benefits in the workplace, ensuring families are treated equally under the law and increasing public support among all Americans.”
• The International Foundation for Gender Education. “We advocate for freedom of gender expression and promote the understanding and acceptance of All People: Transgender, Cis-gender, Transsexual, Crossdresser, Agender, Gender Queer, Intersex, Two Spirit, Hijra, Kathoey, Drag King, Drag Queen, Queer, Lesbian, Gay, Straight, Butch, Femme, Faerie, Homosexual, Bisexual, Heterosexual, and of course – You!”
• Immigration Equality. “legal aid and advocacy for LGBT and HIV-positive immigrants and their families.”
• It Gets Better Project. “created to show young LGBT people the levels of happiness, potential, and positivity their lives will reach – if they can just get through their teen years.”
• Pay It No Mind – The Life and Times of Marsha P. Johnson. “This feature-length documentary focuses on revolutionary trans-activist, Marsha “Pay it No Mind” Johnson who was a Stonewall instigator, Andy Warhol model, drag queen, sex worker, starving actress, and Saint…You should see it.” (Oct. 2012)
• The Pervocracy. A kinky, feminist sexblog.
• Transgender Law Center. “works to change law, policy, and attitudes so that all people can live safely, authentically, and free from discrimination regardless of their gender identity or expression.”
• Transguy Femme Butch. “a free forum open to all, where even the most isolated of us can be part of a community…where we can all feel free to be who we are amongst friends.”
• Truth Wins Out. (“TWO”) Combating the ex-gay industry and the myth of a gay “cure.”
• We Happy Trans. “A platform for trans people to share positive stories.”

KINK.

• Babeland. A women-friendly adult toy store. (Seattle, NYC, online.)
• Basic Guidelines for Safer Sex and SM Interactions. (pdf) The New England Leather Alliance.
• BDSM checklist.
• BDSM glossaries: differentequals.com. submissiveguide.com. wikipedia.org. xeromag.com.
• BDSM Safety and Common Sense.
• The Concise Kink Worksheet. (pdf) “a kink worksheet that fits on one page.  It assumes you already have a general idea of what you’re into, and only need some help condensing and communicating those ideas to your play partner.”
• FetLife.com.
• Kink + Culture. A blog devoted to the exploration of BDSM in art, design, and popular culture.
• On Writing Kinky Porn in Rape Culture. Christina, G., FreethoughtBlogs. (Jan. 2013) A thoughtful and provocative essay on writing fantasies about “non-consent in a way that doesn’t glorify actual, real-world non-consent.”
• RetroRaunch. Vintage erotica.
• Safe Sex Store. (“S3″)  Provides safe, quality sexual health products.
• Safewords and Check-ins.

SEXUAL HEALTH & EDUCATION RESOURCES.

• Back Door Basics for Men and Women.  Information and guidelines for beginners interested in trying anal sex.
• Contraception. (via CDC).  Information and resources for consumers and providers. [For information specifically concerning abortion, see the ABORTION section of The Hit List; Palace posts that reference ABORTION can be found here.]
• Disability and Sexuality. Photographer Robert Coombs showcases nude models who are disabled.
• How the Women of Good Vibrations and Babeland Have Helped to Liberate Female Orgasms: The history — and current form — of the sex toy industry tells us a lot about men, women, and a healthy sexuality. Rosen, D., AlterNet (Apr. 2013)
• Planned Parenthood. Delivering vital reproductive health care, sex education and information to millions of people worldwide for over than 90 years.
• RHRealitycheck.org. Reproductive & Sexual Health and Justice: News, Analysis and Commentary.
• Safe Sex. Coalition for Positive Sexuality (CPS), a not-for-profit organization providing teens with candid sex education materials.
• Safe Sex Store: LEARN.  A collection of informative resources for practicing safe and sane sex.
• Scarleteen. Inclusive, comprehensive and smart sexuality information and help for teens and 20s.
• sexualityanddisability.org. Sex and sexuality resources for women with disabilities.
• Sexuality and Disability. A scholarly journal “devoted to the psychological and medical aspects of sexuality in rehabilitation and community settings.”
• Sexuality Education for Students with Disabilities. National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (“NICHCY”).  A comprehensive resource (developed for schools) including sections on teaching human sexuality in general, how disabilities can affect sexuality, and materials developed with specific disabilities in mind.
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases. A comprehensive portal to information on STDs. (National Institutes of Health.)

SCIENCE OF SEX.

• 95% of Americans Have Had Premarital Sex.
• 9 Interesting Things You May Not Know About the Clitoris. Laurie, C., Alternet. (Feb. 2013)
• Abstinence-only education and teen pregnancy rates, Stanger-Hall KF, Hall DW., Department of Plant Biology, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, U.S. PLoS One. 2011;6(10):e24658. Epub (Oct. 2011)
• Benefits of Contraceptive Use in the United States. Guttmacher (2012) (VIDEO)
• Experiencing Alien-Nation: Effects of a simulation intervention on attitudes toward homosexuals, Hodson, G. et al., Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 45:4 (July 2009) pp. 974-978.
• Feminism boosts sexual satisfaction for both men and women. LiveScience Oct. 2007, reporting on Rudman LA & Phelan JE (2007). The interpersonal power of feminism: is feminism good for romantic relationships? Sex Roles (DOI 10.1007/ s11199-007-9319-9)
• How Can We Stop Pedophiles? Stop treating them like monsters. Bleyer, J., Slate (Sep. 2012)
• Is homophobia associated with homosexual arousal? Adams, HE et al, J Abnorm Psychol. 105(3):440-5 (Aug. 1996) “Homophobia is apparently associated with homosexual arousal that the homophobic individual is either unaware of or denies.”