Multiple states and politicians in the USA are trying to make it illegal—or at least as difficult as possible—for people to get abortions. When the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade this spring, it became up to each state to decide whether to either legalize or ban abortion. As a result, in many states, obtaining an abortion became nearly impossible. No matter how many politicians (or, let’s be honest, white male Republicans) attempt to prevent people from getting abortion care, the need for abortions will...

FROM A YOUNG age, 26-year-old Yasmin Benoit knew she was different. “I realized before that, but I found the word [asexual] 10 years ago when I was 15,” she says. Asexuality is the lack of, or complete absence of, sexual attraction and desire. Until recently, not much was known about this sexual orientation; therefore, research and information about people who are asexual or aromantic, is sparse. Upon discovery of the term, however, Benoit says she didn’t have an a-ha moment. “[Asexuality] was very much just something that...

Q: I've been having trouble connecting to myself sexually because of past sexual trauma. Porn, in particular, is a trigger for me. I have a therapist but don’t want to talk about it. Do I have to?  A: You don’t have to talk about it, no. But if your full question is more like, “Will working with a therapist help me get over the effects of sexual trauma if I don’t address it in therapy?” your reticence around opening up is not a plus. It’s not...

The fact that Diana Ross’ R&B pop hit “I’m Coming Out” was released in 1980 and is still popular to this day is a testament to the idea that there is no expiration date for choosing to embrace your true self. Although we live in a very open, and mostly accepting society nowadays, for people in the LGBTQIA+ community, that wasn’t always the case. Same-sex marriage was only legalized in the United States in 2015, and as a result, many people waited to not only...

BUST is looking for fresh "One-Handed Reads." We publish erotica and erotic-romance that appeals to our audience. This includes contemporary, BDSM, queer stories, sci-fi, and fantasy. Right now we're especially interested in BIPOC and queer pieces.  Rate: $50 for 900 words. Send submissions to submissions@bust.com ...

Rooted in the intention of pleasing only oneself, masturbation is the ultimate self-care, and for many of us, watching porn and masturbating go, well, hand in hand. But despite the fact that according to a 2018 study by TENGA, a sexual health and wellness company, 76 percent of American women masturbate regularly, many women and nonbinary individuals lament the lack of pornography that appeals directly to them. Traditional visual porn all too often centers the male perspective, and a concerning lack of accountability in the...

“Vabbing,” the fringe trend of using vaginal secretions as perfume by dabbing one’s vaginal fluids (hence: “vabbing”) on the wrists and neck, has recently surged in popularity thanks to TikTok. The idea behind this emerging trend is that vaginal fluids produce pheromones that may attract sexual partners. As a result, people are using vabbing as a way to attract dates, primping themselves with their own naturally-made perfume in preparation for a night out.  @keni.mov ♬ Top Off - Gunna So is there any merit to vabbing?...

I've heard it and I’ll bet you have, too: someone minimizes a bad sexual encounter by saying “It’s just sex”—as if their definition of sex easily accommodates experiences that, honestly, most of us would rather not have. Bad sex comes in so many varieties. Let’s look at some and see if we can flip the script. What Constitutes Bad Sex Anyway? Sex where you don’t get turned on enough to orgasm Some people never orgasm and don’t miss it—I don’t define bad sex solely by the presence or absence...

Artist Katy Horan (@goodyhoran) made the comic, Bodies, the day after the SCOTUS draft was leaked. "I had to get to the root of why it felt so violent and cruel," she explains. "As the owner of a uterus and a sexual assault survivor, these words and images communicate how I have felt about living in this world with a female body since I was a teenager. Moving forward, I want to make comics telling real-life stories of those who have chosen abortion. The anti-choice...

How old were you when you realized that your health teacher’s mumbled, 10-minute tangent about how you should always use a condom or else you’ll die instantly was not an exhaustive and inclusive sex education? Was it when you had queer sex for the first time and realized you weren’t quite sure about any of the details? Maybe it was when you heard from a friend-of-a-friend that sex was supposed to feel good, even for people with vaginas? It could’ve been when your friend tested...