Welcome to Pipe Dream’s 2020 Sex Issue. For this issue, we hoped to highlight topics that will spark important conversations about sex — on campus and off. We want everyone to feel comfortable in their own bodies and embrace their sexuality, and that starts with a little bit of education and a comfortable environment to talk about intimacy.
In this year’s issue, you’ll find articles discussing contraception, health care options and resources for discussing sex and sexuality. We also delve into the fun parts of sex, such as how Generation Z finds love in the technological age, the history of lingerie and the perfect songs for getting it on. Our Opinions columnists share their thoughts on LGBTQ history and finding acceptance, and another piece dissects how movies are rated and why some types of sex are considered more explicit than others.
On a serious note, the Editorial Board writes about the increasing need for sexual assault education on campus, arguing that in a new, digital era of sex, assault and harassment is not only physical. In a world where nude photographs are increasingly exchanged and spread online, our definition of sexual assault and education surrounding it need to catch up.
As journalists, we’re also catching up to the times by making this year’s Sex Issue entirely digital. While previous Sex Issues have been published in print, this year’s can only be found at bupipedream.com. With this move, we’re aiming to create a more immersive and varied storytelling experience for our readers, incorporating more multimedia than ever into the 2020 Sex Issue. We’ve included a podcast, graphics, photos and comics as a part of our content, and we hope you enjoy. Thanks for clicking!
Editor’s note: This issue includes some content related to sexual assault and harassment that may be triggering for some readers.
Pipe Dream’s News Editor Jacob T. Kerr and Arts & Culture Editor Gabby Iacovano sit down with Laura Johnsen, a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate studying anthropology. Johnsen studies the technology surrounding the world of sex and the social implications it carries with it.
If you are sexually active and not planning on having a family any time soon, you should consider taking contraceptives. Along with the ease of mind of being less likely to get pregnant, hormonal birth control, such as the pill and hormonal IUDs, can minimize menstrual cramps, help control hormonal acne and reduce risks of developing ovarian cysts and cancer. But it can be hard to know where to get contraceptives while at college. Here’s a guide to start you off.
Despite seeming like a rather ubiquitous article of clothing, women’s lingerie and underwear has changed drastically over time. From providing extra support while doing physical activities, to achieving the ideal female body figure of the time, lingerie has undergone many changes to create the variety and diversity of women’s undergarments that we have today.
If you’re struggling to come up with a soundtrack to your sexual endeavors, you’re not alone. Finding good music to suit the mood is difficult, especially when you consider differences in taste. Luckily, we’ve gathered a collection of 30 songs in a Spotify playlist that can serve as inspiration, and we highlighted a few of our favorites.
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and with love in the air, residential halls are stocking up on contraceptive needs to have a safe holiday.
In response to Pipe Dream’s 2020 Sex Survey, 173 anonymous students indicated that they have experienced sexual assault. Just 26 answered that they sought help afterwards.
Many people have become accustomed to the age-old story of a couple meeting, falling in love and living happily ever after. But when those people happens to be a university student and a faculty member, problems arise.
Sexual and gender identity spectrums have been around since the dawn of time and are recognized as legitimate all over the world. From the Muxhe living among the Zapotec in present-day Mexico, to Thailand’s Kathoey traditions, to Italy’s Femminiello culture — the existence of sexual and gender nonconformists is both global and ancient. But despite its historic heritage within various cultures, even today, acknowledging and further accepting nonconforming sexual and gender identities and their history is perceived as broadly threatening.
WWhen I came close to dating a girl I knew during high school, I realized I was still questioning (and that I was petrified of) coming out — and so I told her that I couldn’t be her girlfriend. She didn’t exactly take it well, leading to a lot of online posts about how I was “this girl who rejected her” and how her followers were right: that I was just a straight girl who was queerbaiting her. Truth be told, I think it pushed me back further into the closet than any rumor ever did. I felt like a monster, all because I wasn’t ready to come out.
Few things in American culture are quite as taboo as female sexual pleasure. Even mere depictions of women enjoying sex are considered pornographic and obscene. This cultural discomfort with women’s sexual enjoyment is upheld by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and its system for rating movies.
Rebecca Bulnes has never had a boyfriend, and like countless creatives before her, she’s converted rejection into a channel for radical honesty, humor and self-reflection.
In Pipe Dream’s 2020 Sex Survey, 33.45 percent of respondents said they didn’t know if they had ever been sexually assaulted or harassed and 4.2 percent said they were unsure if they had ever sexually assaulted or harassed someone else. These results point to the lack of sexual assault and harassment education by Binghamton University, which is not currently set to improve.
When students move away from home and come to a new campus, their close friends are usually the ones they depend on most in important personal situations. According to Pipe Dream’s 2020 Sex Survey, that bond extends to sex and relationships.
Check out Fun Page’s Sex Issue comics here!