Sex
Who Was Norma McCorvey, the Woman Behind Roe v. Wade?
Dubbed "Jane Roe," McCorvey sought an abortion after becoming pregnant in 1969 but was thwarted by Texas' restrictive reproductive laws
When Abortion Was Illegal, Chicago Women Turned to the Jane Collective
A new documentary spotlights the group that helped thousands seeking abortions in the 1960s and '70s
The Royal Scandal That Rocked Elizabeth I's Teenage Years
A new Starz series, "Becoming Elizabeth," dramatizes the future queen's controversial relationship with her much-older stepfather, Thomas Seymour
Where Could Gay Men Dine in the 1960s South? This Coded Guide Held the Answers
For locals and tourists alike, the "International Guild Guide" identified places of refuge in a ruthlessly homophobic society
The Gay Asian Activist Whose Theories on Sexuality Were Decades Ahead of Their Time
In the 1930s, Li Shiu Tong's boyfriend, Magnus Hirschfeld, was a prominent defender of gay people. But Li's own research has long been overlooked
The Woman Who Fought to End the 'Pernicious' Scourge of Kissing
New understandings of how disease spread informed Imogene Rechtin's ill-fated 1910 campaign to ban a universal human practice
What Did the Suffragists Really Think About Abortion?
Contrary to contemporary claims, Susan B. Anthony and her peers rarely discussed abortion, which only emerged as a key political issue in the 1960s
Escape From the Gilded Cage
Even if her husband was a murderer, a woman in a bad marriage once had few options. Unless she fled to South Dakota
Saving the Imperiled Saltmarsh Sparrow
Conservationists are racing to rescue a delightful coastal animal from rising seas
The Revolutionary 1965 Supreme Court Decision That Declared Sex a Private Affair
A Smithsonian curator of medicine and science looks back to the days when police could arrest couples for using contraception
Why NASA Scientists Want to Send Nudes to Space
The naked truth: It’s a plan to make contact with intelligent life forms in the Milky Way
The Wild West Outpost of Japan's Isolationist Era
For two centuries, an extreme protectionist policy barred foreigners from setting foot in Japan—except for one tiny island
In 1973, a Leak at the Supreme Court Broke News of an Imminent Ruling on Roe v. Wade
Nearly 50 years later, a similar disclosure revealed that the court is poised to overturn legalized abortion in the U.S.
Why Was Erotic Art So Popular in Ancient Pompeii?
A new exhibition spotlights 70 examples of sensual imagery discovered in the Roman city
This Male Spider Catapults Itself Into the Air to Avoid Sexual Cannibalism
The arachnids propel themselves to safety at breakneck speeds after they’ve mated to avoid being eaten alive
Why Have Female Animals Evolved Such Wild Genitals?
From ducks to dolphins, females have developed sex organs that help them deter undesirable suitors and derive pleasure from non-reproductive behavior
FDA Approves First Condom for Anal Sex
Health experts say FDA authorization may increase condom usage during anal intercourse and reduce sexually transmitted infections
The Sects That Rejected Sex in 19th-Century America
Why three religious groups traded monogamy for celibacy, polygamy and "complex marriage"
Female Dolphins Have a Fully Functional Clitoris
A new study finds surprising similarities between human and cetacean sexual anatomy
Half of These Earwigs Use Their Right Penis. The Other Half Use Their Left Penis. Why?
Scientists mated males with females under a microscope to try and understand why some are southpaws and others are righties
