May 5, 2020Robert, 48, on growing up not “normal” in the MidwestRobert is 48, white, and Christian. He grew up in the Midwest and now lives with his wife in the south, working in a professional field. Robert talks about growing up with sexual desires outside the norm, and trying to have satisfying relationships. Childhood Fantasy What is your first memory…Sexuality24 min readSexuality24 min read
Nov 2, 2018Jiyoung, 51, on Good Sex and the Death of a MarriageWhat is your first memory of your own sexuality as a child? I have to say it would be in middle school. I have this distinct memory of sitting in my living room. I was reading a Marilyn Chambers book. I don’t even know where I got it. It must…Sex25 min readSex25 min read
Oct 15, 2018George, 29, on Loneliness, Yearning, and Slow SexHow did you know to be ashamed of masturbating? I think it has to do with this lack of communication. It was definitely not normalized. We didn’t talk about it. We didn’t acknowledge it as a thing. I stumbled upon it and found out about it through school, through hearing…Sex19 min readSex19 min read
Oct 3, 2018Kelly, 45, on Her Dad and Winning Men with SexLet’s start with childhood and your first memory as a sexual being. Yeah. I think I was probably very young. I can remember locking myself in my mom’s bathroom. She had a Hitachi Magic Wand vibrator. I remember laying on the floor and using that. It’s just feeling good and…Relationships14 min readRelationships14 min read
Jul 25, 2018Charlie, 28, on Growing up Gay, Fat, and ChristianWhat religion were you raised in, and what do you consider yourself now? I was raised a mixture of Methodist and Southern Baptist. My family is from Cuba, but my family was converted from Catholicism to Methodism when they were in Cuba. Then when I was about in middle school…LGBTQ20 min readLGBTQ20 min read
Jul 11, 2018Jackson, 46, on Childhood and Older WomenStart at the beginning with your first memory of yourself as a sexual being. I remember exactly when it was. I was maybe 11, 12. In bed I was rubbing myself and that felt good. That was definitely the first erection that I recall. …Sex19 min readSex19 min read
Jul 6, 2018Men and Real Sex — They’re Coming!Last year I started This Is Real Sex, interviewing women and publishing their most intimate stories of sexuality. …Sex3 min readSex3 min read
Jul 6, 2018Alex, 24, On ‘The List’ and the Joy and Sorrow of SexHow did you learn about sex? I found out about sex when I was in kindergarten or first grade. My mom gave me a book on the basics of what sex is, where babies come from. I remember she told me about it, and she told me I couldn’t tell…Relationships12 min readRelationships12 min read
Jun 28, 2018Denise, 40, on Sex as a Man, and then a WomanWhat was the general feeling about sex in your family and your community? We didn’t talk about sex at home at all. It was kind of the whole Catholic line on things. You wait until you’re married. I did wait, even though when I got married it was to someone…Sex18 min readSex18 min read
May 15, 2018Ellissa, 43, on Growing Up Shy and LesbianBack in high school, did you have girlfriends, boyfriends? None. I never dated anyone until late in college. I was a lesbian, and it was the 80s or 90s. I couldn’t be out as a high-school kid, and I was pretty shy, embarrassed, horrified, at the idea of dating in…Love7 min readLove7 min read
