I Wanna Know

Sex and your body

All lesbians are masculine.

MYTH! ! Sexual orientation has nothing to do with the personality traits or gender roles a person can express.

It’s easy to tell if someone is gay.

MYTH! Despite what you may have heard about “gaydar,” you can’t tell whether or not someone is gay, lesbian or bisexual simply by how they look, talk or act.

Only gay men like anal sex.

MYTH! Anal sex is a sexual act that many people enjoy, both gay and straight, men and women. This activity has nothing to do with sexual orientation.

“Blue balls” is a real medical condition.

FACT! But . . . not a serious one. The correct medical term for “blue balls” is vasocongestion. This happens when blood builds up in the testicles and/or prostate when a male gets aroused (“turned on”) but doesn’t ejaculate. It is often accompanied by a cramp-like ache and pain or tenderness in the groin area. While this can be uncomfortable, it is not a serious condition and is not an excuse to pressure a partner into sex. There are two ways to get rid of this problem–a guy can masturbate until he ejaculates, or just let the feelings of arousal go away on their own (which they will). It should be noted that girls can have the same pain and discomfort from getting aroused and not having an organsm as well.

Girls don’t masturbate.

MYTH! Girls in fact are curious about their bodies and do masturbate. However on average, guys are more likely to report that they masturbate than girls. Girls might be afraid to engage in or admit to masturbating to the same degree as guys do.

The average penis size is about 5 to 6 inches.

FACT! According to the Kinsey Institute, the average erect (hard) penis length of U.S. males is between 5 to 6 inches, and average flaccid (not erect, or soft) penis length ranges between 1 and 4 inches.

Baby oil and Vaseline® are okay to use as lubricants with latex condoms.

MYTH! Oil-based lubricants (like baby oil, Vaseline®, handcreams, Crisco) can break down latex and allow STDs/STIs to pass through. Instead, water soluble lubricants like K-Y Jelly®, Glide®, Aqualube®, most contraceptive jellies, saliva, or even plain ol’ water are good lubricants to use with condoms.