Sexuality
Humanity’s First Recorded Kiss Was Earlier Than We Thought
Ancient texts suggest romantic smooching, and likely the diseases it transmitted, were widespread in Mesopotamia
Behind 'Oklahoma!' Lies the Remarkable Story of a Gay Cherokee Playwright
Lynn Riggs wrote the play that served as the basis of the hit 1943 musical
Hans and Sophie Scholl Were Once Hitler Youth Leaders. Why Did They Decide to Stand Up to the Nazis?
Archival evidence offers clues on the radicalization of the German siblings, who led a resistance movement known as the White Rose
Colette Revolutionized French Literature With Her Depictions of Female Desire
Born 150 years ago this week, the author was known for her incisive portrayals of women's everyday lives
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
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
Untold Stories of American History
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
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
Why Was Erotic Art So Popular in Ancient Pompeii?
A new exhibition spotlights 70 examples of sensual imagery discovered in the Roman city
The Ancient Origins of the Easter Bunny
A scholar traces the folk figure's history from the Neolithic era to today
Male Birth Control Pill Expected to Start Human Trials This Year
The new non-hormonal pill was 99 percent effective at preventing pregnancy in mice
The Evolution of Betty Boop
Film censorship sparked the beloved cartoon character's mid-1930s makeover
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
Before Romeo and Juliet, Paolo and Francesca Were Literature's Star-Crossed Lovers
Centuries after Italian poet Dante published "The Divine Comedy," Romantic artists and writers reimagined the tragedy as a tale of female agency
Hidden Sketch Reveals a More Traditional Version of Edvard Munch's Sensual 'Madonna'
A chance discovery suggests the woman's provocative pose was originally somewhat subdued
The Sex Education Pamphlet That Sparked a Landmark Censorship Case
Women's rights activist Mary Ware Dennett was arrested in 1929 for mailing a booklet deemed "obscene, lewd or lascivious"
