Self-lubricating condoms for more pleasure, fewer infections
The researchers tested the friction that resulted when rubbing the polymer-coated latex over a surface resembling skin for around 15 minutes. After this time, the polymer-coated latex generated approximately half the friction compared with standard latex which had been lubricated with water. Non-treated latex with a commercially available lubricant performed better at first, but after the 15-minute test period was still not as effective as the newly developed polymer-coated latex. The new material additionally scored well when people were asked to rate its slipperiness. A massive 85 percent of test participants described it as more slippery than the non-treated latex with added lubricant.
“The next steps include manufacturing the condom under [good manufacturing practices] and conducting a marketing study with couples,” Grinstaff said. “One of the authors on the paper, Dr. Stacy Chin, has started a company, [Hydroglyde Coatings], to develop a self-lubricating condom. In fact, she has a new formulation that performs even better.”
The paper describing the work, “Friction-lowering capabilities and human subject preferences for a hydrophilic surface coating on latex substrates,” was recently published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
Netflix’ very queer teen drama Élite gets a second season
Élite, Netflix’s latest and gayest original teen drama, has just been renewed for a second season. The show follows the students of Las Encinas, a Spanish high school for the country’s wealthiest teens. But when the school on the poor side of town collapses, three students get scholarships to Las Encinas and their presence ignites a train of events that ultimately results in murder.
Viewers have been pleasantly surprised by the unexpectedly queer series. Élite boasts two gay characters, a few bisexuals, polyamory, and even a plotline destigmatising HIV. Combine that with the high stakes of teen drama, a beautiful cast, and a murder mystery, it’s no wonder the show’s garnered such an enthusiastic fan base.
Periodical Political Post *76
Queer News
- LGBTQ progress in US schools slows for first time in years
- Public referendum threatens same-sex marriage in Taiwan
- Thailand set to legalise same-sex unions, but not adoption
- Queer youth three times more likely to attempt suicide
- Anti-gay teachings ‘mainstream’ in Australian churches
Other News
- ‘Hyperalarming’ study shows devastating massive insect loss
- Trial: Cops carried toy guns to plant on people they shot
- Student loans are indeed a massive, generational scam
- YouTube stars accused of profiting off fans’ depression
- Denmark to label food according to its effect on climate
Netflix’ Big Mouth features a pansexual teen character
The second season of Big Mouth, Netflix’s cartoon about the trials and tribulations of adolescence, is fixated on the same issues as the first: uncomfortably and entirely relatable gags about boobs, stray pubes and “rubbing fronts.” But this season includes an unexpected gem: one of the 13-year-old characters came out as pansexual.
In Big Mouth, the heartaches and desires of the characters are personified by hairy, horned “hormone monsters” that serve as emotional, hilarious joke-cracking guides through the land of sexual maturation.
Spoilers for season 2 ahead:
Although Jay is a side-character, he’s also a close friend to the show’s main characters and is surprisingly complex. In the first season, we learn that his father is a shady divorce lawyer who regularly cheats on his mom. He also has two older abusive brothers and a curiously self-aware and depressed pet pit bull.
In the second season’s ninth episode, Jay makes out with Matthew, the show’s only openly gay character (voiced by gay actor Andrew Rannells), during a spin-the-bottle game called “Smooch or Share.” While their initial kiss (with tongue) at first comes off as the two literally kissing and making up from a fight they had earlier in the show, the two meet up later on for more flirting and kissing during a debaucherous lock-in in the school gymnasium.
Previous to Season Two, Jay had only expressed interest in girls and a female pillow named Pam. The show could have left his kiss with Matthew at that, giving its gay fans an unexpected moment of same-sex smooching. But then, in Season Two’s final episode, Jay struggles with feeling attracted to both a male and female pillow.
The female pillow, Suzette, initially tells him that he has to decide which one he feels more attracted to. But by the episode’s end, Jay has a threesome with both of the pillows, pretty much establishing himself as attracted to more than just one gender.
While it’s great to see Big Mouth feature a pansexual teen, the show proved itself to be quite progressive in its queer and sexual views long before its final episodes. Season Two features an entire episode on how sexually transmitted infections aren’t moral failings and Season One had a coming out episode in which a young character questions his sexuality — during the episode, the show made no homophobic jokes at his expense.
Live in Massachusetts? Please help keeping trans people safe <3
People in Massachusetts, USA, will be voting on whether to repeal a nondiscrimination law in November. The vote is on whether to repeal a 2016 law which prohibits discrimination in areas of public access on the basis of gender identity. It will be the third question on the ballot. So, a ‘Yes On 3’ campaign is encouraging residents to protect transgender rights when they go to the polls.
The stakes couldn’t be higher for trans people like 16-year-old Nicole, who is at risk of losing vital non-discrimination protections in Massachusetts. Vote #YesOn3 to uphold the dignity and respect for trans Bay Staters in November. #TransLawMA #MAPoli pic.twitter.com/F1rD2vzJ4J
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) October 8, 2018
Opponents of the non-discrimination law, Senate Bill 2407, gathered enough signatures for a state-wide referendum. The ballot will take place alongside upcoming midterm elections on 6 November. A No vote would repeal the law, while a Yes vote would preserve it and continue protecting people who are not cisgender in Massachusetts.
A group encouraging a No vote, to ‘keep MA safe’, released a transphobic advertisement last month. One of the biggest myths surrounding bathroom laws is that sexual predators will take advantage of laws protecting trans people. In fact, it’s trans people who face disproportionately high amounts of discrimination, harassment, and violence.