The Happy Trail

Earlier this month, tech giant Facebook changed how its users are able to identify in terms of their gender. As of Feb. 13, users in the U.S. are now able to identify as one of 58 various options including the traditionally used male and female. Some of the most recent examples include identities such as Cis, Trans*, Genderqueer, Pangender and Twospirit. Users are also now able to select which pronouns they wish to use. This means that instead of the typical ‘he’ or ‘she’, people can now be referred to...

Tinder, an app that pairs you with others, has been touted as a revolution in the modern dating scene. Let us know your thoughts about it below: Do you or have you used Tinder, the dating app? (polls) Why do you use Tinder? (polls) Which gender do you identify as? (polls)...

In his most recent performance-art project, Heather Cassils spent 20 minutes attacking a 2,000lb clay sculpture in the darkness with only the occasional flash of a camera to illuminate his work. The piece, which was recently named as the winner of a 2013 MOTHA (Museum of Transgender Hirstory & Art) Art Award, was meant, amongst other things, to draw attention to the disproportionate levels of physical violence experienced by trans* and genderqueer people worldwide. Cassils uses extreme physical training to shape the body, much like he shaped the sculpture with...

Love is sometimes crazy. Sex is sometimes confusing. However, the disjointed hit-or-miss nature of good and bad in such relationships may actually have a common underlying factor at play: oxytocin. In understanding this neural hormone which has captivated the scientific community in recent decades, we may become more in tune with ourselves, others and our relationships to each other. And have better sex  to boot! Oxytocin is a social hormone released with eye contact, physical touch, social interaction and, as implied, sex. It is a primary regulator of trust, empathy,...

An increasing number of people have been discovering that monogamy is not their ideal relationship structure. Some may feel that their sweetheart lives too far away for either party to be getting everything they need and/or want out of the relationship. Others might find themselves attracted to more than one person and want to explore those attractions ethically and with the consent of everyone involved. Still others might find that they want to focus the bulk of their energies on themselves, but still want to engage in meaningful relationships that...

Genital piercings have been a longstanding taboo in American society. As a result many myths and assumptions exist about piercings themselves as well as the bodies of those to whom they belong. While they may not be for everyone, many of those who have decided to partake in piercing their privates have found euphoria with increased sensation to their already sensitive areas. But every piercing has its critics, so here are a few commonly cited facts and falsehoods about getting your goodies blinged out. Typical piercings for someone with a...

All too often­—through media, government regulation or percieved “social norms”—people get the message that their sexuality is wrong, weird or somehow deviant. Only by bringing awareness to real sexual experience, both bad and good, can individuals prove that sexuality is more personal and diverse than has been previously thought. Advertisements, movies and TV shows give women the impression that they should either be sexual objects, existing for the aesthetic pleasure of others, or that they should be virginal and sexless. Men receive equally limiting prescriptions for their sexuality: that they...

Many of us have been there before: something or someone new and exciting comes along and all of a sudden we’re entranced. There’s a natural attraction to newness and uniqueness. However, when does this attraction veer away from simple exploration of those who are different from us and enter into the danger zone of sexually exoticizing others? The traditional script for the start of a relationship in which one or both members exoticizes the other begins with a simple thought of “I’ve never been with (insert difference here) before, I...

Modern concepts of gender are expanding at an increasing rate to include people who do not feel comfortable as exclusively “female” or “male.” Germany recently added “X” as a third gender option on birth certificates, and Sweden introduced the gender neutral pronoun “hen” around 1960. In order for notions of non-binary gender to be fully embraced, though, we must develop a vocabulary to talk about it with depth and complexity. People unfamiliar with trans*, third gender and genderless identities may feel confused or even threatened when it comes to speaking...

According to a recent study by Comparative Legal Services, unreasonable behavior has outranked adultery as the most common reason cited as grounds for divorce in the United States. By tracking and analyzing the reasons couples divorced since the 1970s, this study pointed towards a remarkable change in attitudes in American culture towards a possible greater acceptance for adultery in relationships. While some may consider this a sign that the family unit is all but dissolved, others, including a burgeoning group of family therapists, see adultery as an opportunity for a...

The Happy Trail wants to know! If you're a guy, were you circumcised at birth or not at all? How does this affect your self identity. Let us know in the poll below or leave a comment! Men: How do you feel about circumcision? (polls)...

The male condom is possibly one of the most commonly used and misused form of birth control in any sexual act involving male genitalia. Many who use the male condom tend to do so due to its affordability, effectiveness in the protection against STIs and pregnancy as well as the fact that this concrete barrier against potential disaster is ubiquitous among drug stores, super markets and around college campuses such as our own (check out CHWS if you want some for free!). While I could spend an entire article talking...