By Alison Minor

Earlier this week, Elle Brazil celebrated their 29th anniversary and the LBGTQ community in a beautifully commendatory fashion. They featured a same-sex couple on their highly anticipated, glossy annual issue of the magazine. The cover is irrefutably beautiful and was met with an inspiringly positive response all around.

For the current sexual and political landscape of Brazil, this cover matters a lot. Members of the LBGTQ community in Brazil have been subject to fatal hate crimes, most of which did not involve any form of robbery. In the past four years, Brazil has lost nearly 1,600 beautiful gay, lesbian, and transgender souls to mindless and hate-fueled violence. This number is most likely higher, due to police’s preference to omit details of victims’ sexual orientation because of the strong taboo that surrounds the subject.

The issue’s theme was affection, and we applaud Elle Brazil, and all those who bravely stand for inclusivity and...

The Toronto Star ran a thoughtful piece on Caitlyn Jenner's Vanity Fair Cover today. Columnist, Judith Timson, critiques the sexy cover images and suggests that Jenner's image is a reflection of stereotypical standards of beauty. I'm inclined to agree.

Timson's critique is both important and thought-provoking and I share many of her concerns regarding images of female beauty and fantasy. However, I'm not sure I agree on all fronts, as I don't believe that "the way most women look" is any more impervious to cultural pressure.

I've shared a few (incomplete thoughts) about my conflicted response on Facebook and have decided to past them below. I encourage you to read the original article first, as it's a good piece and I hope that my brief comments below add to the dialogue.

My thoughts from Facebook:

What if she doesn't feel she needs to undress, but simply wants to? It's a complex (and personal) issue and so I feel a bit conflicted. The suggestion that...

By Arena Thomson

Women are undergoing below-the-belt cosmetic surgery at a growing rate in a quest for “perfect” genitalia. Labiaplasty consists of reducing the amount of tissue in either the labia majora or labia minora through surgery. Many women are turning to labiaplasty as an answer to their feelings of insecurity about their vulvas, some of whom have very little knowledge about the risks associated with the procedure.

This disturbing trend points to the larger issue of our patriarchal society’s tendency to police women’s bodies, and to instill unease in them over any divergence from the norm. Plastic surgeons who choose to perform labiaplasty often do nothing to assuage these women’s anxieties about their bodies, treating natural variations in vulvas as aberrations that can be “fixed”.

In spite of a small number of labiaplasty surgeries executed to alleviate physical discomfort, the prevailing reason for this surgery is far more...

As you probably know, I visit Desire Resorts in Mexico several times per year to facilitate couples workshops, host book signings and recharge my batteries to the sound of the ocean breeze. And if you've ever heard me speak, you know that I always return with a handful of stories, anecdotes and lessons (like The Claudia AKA The Goddess) drawn from my interactions with the couples I meet at the resorts. Not surprisingly, I receive more questions about Desire Resorts than almost any other topic (e.g. What happens there? Is everyone naked? Do you get naked? Do you see people having sex in public?), so I've recruited a "newbie" guest to answer some questions about her first visit.

Julie, a Canadian Public Relations specialist, was thrilled to share her insights and experience.

Jess: What prompted you to visit Desire Resorts in the first place?

Julie: I have always been a very open-minded, sexual being. It took years as an adult to discover who I am, and to...

By Arena Thomson

In 1989, Clark and Hatfield published their seminal study concerning gender differences in receptivity to sexual advances. The study was conducted on a university campus, and consisted of students approaching people on campus with invitations like “Would you go out tonight?” and “Would you go to bed with me?”. The study’s results found that women were more likely to reject the advances of men and that, in fact, zero women agreed to have sex with the strangers who approached them. While both men and women consented to going on dates with the same frequency, three quarters of the men took up the offer of casual sex, bolstering the hackneyed idea that men possess higher sex drives than women.

There has been much speculation and controversy about the results of the study, with emphasis on how the outcomes should be interpreted. Some argue that the study's results should be viewed through an evolutionary lens, claiming that women are more...

If you're experiencing a decrease in sexual desire, please check out this research study:

My friend and colleague, Dr. Brett Belchez, offers his expert opinion on a pregnant model with abs whose photos are creating controversy online. He also weighs in on purchasing breast milk and the unregulated market on today’s episode of The Morning Show on Global TV. Check it out!

A few weeks ago, I got to know an at-home conception aid called The Stork. We worked together to develop some tips for reducing stress and boosting intimacy for couples who are trying to conceive. I've posted them below. If you want to learn more about The Stork, check out the video and my layperson description below.

This device, which can be used at home during intercourse, involves two pieces -- one that resembles a condom and another that works like a tampon with a long handle. For male-female couples, the man wears the condom (they call it a conceptacle, as is contains a cervical cap-like device in the tip) during intercourse and then removes the cervical cap after ejaculating. The woman places the cervical cap on the tip of the applicator and  slides it into her vaginal canal to sit against her cervix. After 4-6 hours, she pulls it out using the tampon-like string.

Please note that as an educator, Jess is not a medical practitioner and does NOT...

Jess took the stage at TedX Vancouver in front of a live, enthusiastic and very large audience. In her first TedX speech, Jess highlights the grey-area between monogamy and open relationships that might just be the antedate to divorce. She suggests that the key to happily ever after for many couples may be found in the concept of Monogam-ish.

Join Astroglide’s Resident Sexologist, Dr. Jess on Tuesday, December 9th at 3PM EST for an hour-long Twitter chat on one of her favorite topics -- the joys of using lube to increase sexual pleasure. Tweet with us from your Twitter account using hashtag #SexTalkTuesday, from TweetChat.com or directly from the SexTalkTuesday.com page. @SexWithDrJess and @Astroglide will answer questions, dispel myths and offer tips on how to take your sex life to intimate new levels of ecstasy.

About our hosts: 

Sex Talk Tuesday, a Twitter chat from the women of Sssh.com, is at the forefront of the sex positive movement. They’ve built a massive, loyal online community of forward-thinking people who seek a greater understanding of their own sexuality. With over 100 active participants during most discussions generating 1,000 tweets (and more than 7 Million impressions) per hour, Astroglide and Dr. Jess are thrilled to share this experience with Sex Talk Tuesday’s 800,000...