Check out our blog for some summaries of things we’ve learned from academic papers as well as links to the papers themselves.
Some of our favourite books on cliteracy, pleasure, sex and relationships
Becoming Cliterate by Dr Laurie Mintz (I came across this after I finished all my research for this project but found myself nodding along to every word she said. A fantastic, comprehensive book about the clit)
Come As You Are by Emily Nagowski (this book provides a really good overview of how our arousal systems work and the psychology of sex, explaining how the dual control model of sensitivity works and offering practical advice to work with your individual set up)
Rewriting the rules by Meg-John Barker (the second edition is a truly comprehensive guide to relationships in their many forms and offers practical exercises to help you rewrite the rules to suit you and to be a better partner
Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic As Power by Audre Lorde (a fantastic essay on women’s relationship to the erotic and our need to reclaim it - you can hear her read it on youtube)
Queer Sex by Juno Roche (trans writer and campaigner Juno Roche interviews leading trans and non binary figures about their experiences of sex, intimacy and relationships)
Trans/Love edited by Morty Diamond (beautiful anthology of stories of love and sex beyond the gender binary)
Pleasure Activism by Adrienne Maree Brown (this is about much more than sex and total joy of a book. She introduced me to a lot of great black women’s voices who had been absent from other literature I encountered)
She Comes First: The Thinking Man’s Guide to Pleasuring a Woman by Ian Kerner (This is apparently a great guide for technique though I haven’t read it myself)
The Ultimate Guide to Sex and Disability by Miriam Kaufman, Cory Silverberg and Fran Odette (Full of pracitcal advice on a range of topics across a wide span on chronic illnesses and disabilities)
The Sexual Healing Journey: A Guide for Survivors of Sexual Abuse by Wendy Maltz (I haven’t read this but a lot of the academics I have read recommend it)
The Hite Report – Shere Hite (The original inspiration for the clit test dates back to this seminal 1976 work. Hite’s revelations that the majority of women don’t orgasm through penetration made waves at the time but the evidence that our culture has taken this on board is scant. Hite interviewed women about their experiences of sex and masturbation. The rich testimony about women’s experiences makes for as interesting reading today.)
I found out about a lot of these books from Category is Books in Glasgow. Worth checking out their Instagram if you don’t live nearby.
Podcasts, websites and campaigns
omgyes.com - for a one-off cost the site offers an unparalled resource for learning different techniques for cis women’s pleasure. I’d challenge anyone not to learn something new from it, and by purchasing you’ll help them fund future research inlcuding research into sexual pleasure for trans people.
LGBT Youth Scotland have a really good introductory resource on sex for young trans people. Refinery29 have a good introductory article on trans sex for adults and The Body is Not an Apology have one on sex if you’re non-binary. For practical in-depth sex advice If you are gender diverse there’s not one account we would particularly recommend but there are several very practical and easily searchable youtube videos that can cater to your specific needs based on your type of transition and your relationship with your body and your partner/s.
megjohnandjustin.com - website and podcast featuring inclusive and accessible advice on a broad range of sex and relationship topics from two leading academics
sexpression.co.uk - sex education provided by young people for young people
scottishtrans.org - currently running campaigns on Gender Recognition Act and Scotland’s Census
engender.org.uk - Scotland’s feminist policy and advocacy organisation