Many women see their backdoor as a one-way street, so to speak. To them, anal sex is more laughable than sexy and it’s understandable that they should feel that way–after all, what has popular culture told us about anal sex? That it’s funny, disgusting, painful, or the dangerous means of a deviant lifestyle.

I will concede that anal sex is funny at times, but only so much as sex as a whole is funny (which it really should be). Also, we as a society seem to need to make light of the things that make us uncomfortable, and anal sex is still very taboo culturally because of widespread misinformation and closed minds.

For instance, many people still associate anal sex with homosexuality and the AIDS epidemic, and let their ignorance about the lifestyle inform their ideas about the nature of the act. Granted, some studies have shown that sexually transmitted diseases are more easily spread through anal sex, but they are even more easily preventable if the sex is practiced safely.

For all its perceived perversion, anal sex seems to be growing in popularity. In a 2005 study by the Center for Disease Control, they found that 34% of men and 32% of women between the ages of 22-24 have anal sex with the opposite sex, up from 20% in 1990. The Guide to Getting it On also reports that 30-40% of all heterosexual couples in this country have tried anal intercourse, with up to half of these continuing to do it on an occasional basis. Read More »

This morning, when my Michigan / OSU weekend hangover finally went away, I came downstairs and found my roommates laying around the living room drinking coffee and sharing stories from their weekend escapades. Note: any normal person would assume we all would know these stories since we spent the weekend together, but it was Michigan / OSU weekend…. Without my digital camera I would have no idea what happened.

It turns out that, while in bed, my roommate’s boyfriend, drunk as a skunk (yes, I just used that phrase) made an interesting request. Anal sex.

Now, this topic may not be as taboo as it used to – perhaps we can thank Brokeback Mountain for that? – but it is still a topic I would rather leave to the porn stars than bring into my bedroom. In fact, I am constantly wondering why so many guys make the request to begin with. I get that it may feel “better.” I also can see how it will really spice up a boring sex life (to which I must respond, “So will doing it in the shower.”).

But after asking around, I confirmed my suspicions as to the real reason: the story… Read More »