Release shame and express your sexuality. Even just writing those words fills me with a sense of, well, shame.

There is an embarrassment that comes when you begin to contemplate who you are and what you want, both in and out of the bedroom. We seem conditioned to pull away from anything more than standard, vanilla, socially acceptable expressions of the self.

There is a narrative, born of tradition, education, religion, and media, that seems to suggest it is okay to like and do and be one set of things, but not others…

One of the least discussed of the patterns we carry is hypersexuality after abuse, especially when it arises from the fawn response, a lesser-known trauma reaction. When fight, flight, or freeze aren't options, some individuals learn to appease. This coping strategy, often developed during or after abuse or neglect, can manifest later in life as hypersexual behaviour. While often misunderstood or judged, hypersexuality in this context is not about desire, it's about survival - at least on one level.

“I don’t watch porn, that shit rots your brain.”

These words were casually said to me by a friend of mine. We were discussing different ways that we ‘Guard Our Mental State’. Basically talking about mental health and the things that we do to ensure that we stay in a stable place …

The story of ‘that’ tattoo, pride month, and the nature of online discourse…