Disclaimer: This article discusses the topic of sexual abuse. We acknowledge that there are many words that individuals use to describe themselves after experiencing sexual abuse. In this article, we use the term “survivor” for the sake of consistency. We acknowledge that there are many ways of processing abuse, and we believe that each person…
Tag: legal
Transition and Gender Affirming Surgery
Transition is the process for trans individuals to express their internal gender identity outwardly through emotional, social, or medical means. Gender dysphoria is defined as strong negative feelings such as distress an individual experiences when their sex assigned at birth does not match their social and psychological identity.1 Keep in mind that there is a…
Bodily Autonomy
Bodily autonomy is defined as the right to self governance over one’s own body without external influence or coercion. It is generally considered to be a fundamental human right. Bodily autonomy relates to the concept of affirmative consent, which requires full and eager participation in any sexual encounter. Bodily autonomy is also applicable to each…
When to Lose Your Virginity
Defining “Losing Your Virginity” What exactly does “losing your virginity” mean? Virginity can be defined in different ways according to your sexual orientation, beliefs, and culture. Losing your virginity is often described as engaging in penetrative sex, including anal sex, for the first time. The definition can also be expanded to include oral sex and manual stimulation. Oftentimes, when sexual intercourse and virginity…
Sex Work
Sex work is defined as the “commercial exchange of sex for money or goods,” and sex workers are individuals who are employed in the sex industry.1 Sex work differs from sexual exploitation, or sex trafficking, in that sex workers are not forced into any act by coercion, violence, or deception. The broad category of sex work includes specific jobs…
Voyeurism
Voyeurism, or voyeuristic disorder, is a paraphilia in which a person derives sexual pleasure from the act or fantasy of watching unsuspecting people while they are undressing, bathing, participating in sexual acts, or engaging in other private activities. Voyeurs are also commonly known as “Peeping Toms” or simply, “peepers.” Males are more likely to engage in voyeuristic behaviors…
Necrophilia
Necrophilia describes a paraphilia in which an individual is aroused or attracted to fantasies of or potentially direct sexual contact with the dead. Contact between the necrophile and the corpse can take the form of penile-vaginal intercourse, anal intercourse, oral sex, or masturbation in the presence of a corpse, but can also solely manifest as fantasy. Experts and lawmakers consider the explicit practice of necrophilia as…
Coping With Abuse
Disclaimer: We acknowledge that there are many different words that individuals use to describe themselves after experiencing abuse. In this article we use the term survivor for the sake of consistency. We acknowledge that there are many different ways of processing abuse and believe each individual person should choose the language that they are most comfortable with. Unfortunately,…
Pedophilia
Pedophilia is a paraphilia that generally refers to sexual attraction towards children. The condition is split into two categories: pedophilia and pedophilic disorder, with the latter being more serious. Pedophilic disorder usually refers to people who have experienced extreme fantasies, often consuming child pornography, or to those who have acted on their sexual fantasies of…