Welcome to The Second Circle. A sex podcast for overthinkers.

In episode seven, Franki talks to sex educator Ruby Stevenson about why wanking gets a bad rap and whether masturbation it could ever be considered as important as partnered sex. In The Overthinkers Guide To Sex we hear how a disappointing sexual encounter turned out to have unexpected benefits for Rory.

To enter the competition to win a Womanizer Premium please tweet us @The2ndCircle or email us [email protected] and tell us what wanking advice you’d give your younger self.

In discussing Rory’s pigeon story, we talk about the rates of erectile dysfunction among young men. We also point out that almost half of men in their 30s report having trouble getting hard at times (and that this is NOT the same as erectile dysfunction) and that this can be for a number of reasons, as outlined here.

The Second Circle is a sex and gender politics podcast produced and hosted by journalist Franki Cookney. It seeks to bring some (okay, a LOT) of the nuance back into discussions of sex, relationships, and gender and challenges the idea that sex doesn’t deserve the same thought and attention that we give to the rest of our lives.

Series 3 of The Second Circle is supported by That’s The Spot.

Get in touch on Twitter @The2ndCircle or email us [email protected].

If you’re enjoying the podcast, please visit the Patreon page to find out more about how you can support sex-positive content AND get rewarded for your loyalty! Or if you just want to low-key share the love, why not buy me a coffee?

Support the Show.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Second Circle. A sex podcast for overthinkers.

On this episode Franki talks to trans activist and all-round kinkster Alyssa Henley about her experiences with sex and gender identity. And in The Overthinkers Guide To Sex, we hear how alcohol shaped Africa Brooke‘s relationship with sex and how she went about relearning how to connect with her body now that she’s sober. Download on your favourite podcast app now.

Alyssa is the CEO of LGBTQ charity Support U in Reading.

In discussing Africa’s story, we mention a study by University College London which found that the proportion of 16 to 24-year-olds who do not drink alcohol has increased. But we also point this this recent Atlantic article that said that actually not that many people have quit altogether.

The Second Circle is a sex and gender politics podcast produced and hosted by journalist Franki Cookney. It seeks to bring some (okay, a LOT) of the nuance back into discussions of sex, relationships, and gender and challenges the idea that sex doesn’t deserve the same thought and attention that we give to the rest of our lives.

Series 3 of The Second Circle is supported by That’s The Spot.

Get in touch on Twitter @The2ndCircle or email us [email protected].

If you’re enjoying the podcast, please visit the Patreon page to find out more about how you can support sex-positive content AND get rewarded for your loyalty! Or if you just want to low-key share the love, why not buy me a coffee?

Support the Show.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Second Circle. A sex podcast for overthinkers.

On this episode Franki talks to sex and libido blogger Laura about her experiences with low sex drive. In The Overthinkers Guide To Sex we hear from disabled sex writer Finn about how a period of singleness taught them more about what they want from sex and relationships than being coupled up.

We also reference Franki’s article on whether the pressure to be “sex positive” can sometimes have negative effects. We shout out Esther Perel’s podcast episode on “sexlessness” as well as her writing on sexual desire in long term relationships. We also recommend The Apple Tree in London for all your queer and alternative lifestyle events.

The Second Circle is a sex and gender politics podcast produced and hosted by journalist Franki Cookney. It seeks to bring some (okay, a LOT) of the nuance back into discussions of sex, relationships, and gender and challenges the idea that sex doesn’t deserve the same thought and attention that we give to the rest of our lives.

Series 3 of The Second Circle is supported by That’s The Spot.

Get in touch on Twitter @The2ndCircle or email us [email protected].

If you’re enjoying the podcast, please visit the Patreon page to find out more about how you can support sex-positive content AND get rewarded for your loyalty! Or if you just want to low-key share the love, why not buy me a coffee?

Support the Show.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Second Circle. A sex podcast for overthinkers.

Franki talks to sex worker and co-curator of Objects of Desire Rory about having sex for money and what kinds of stories get left out of conversations about sex work. In The Overthinkers Guide To Sex, we hear how a university hookup made Heather re-evaluate her approach to kink.

We also discuss the ways sex work gets talked about in the mainstream media. We talk about Amnesty International’s policy on protecting sex worker rights and the backlash it faced as a result. We touch on the damage done by SESTA-FOSTA, mention the Decrim Now movement and recommend the book Revolting Prostitutes as a starting point for anyone interested in the subject of sex work and decriminalisation.

Objects of Desire runs at the Schwules Museum in Berlin until 01 June 2019.

The Second Circle is a sex and gender politics podcast produced and hosted by journalist Franki Cookney. It seeks to bring some (okay, a LOT) of the nuance back into discussions of sex, relationships, and gender and challenges the idea that sex doesn’t deserve the same thought and attention that we give to the rest of our lives.

Series 3 of The Second Circle is supported by That’s The Spot.

Get in touch on Twitter @The2ndCircle or email us [email protected].

If you’re enjoying the podcast, please visit the Patreon page to find out more about how you can support sex-positive content AND get rewarded for your loyalty! Or if you just want to low-key share the love, why not buy me a coffee?

Support the Show.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Second Circle. A sex podcast for overthinkers.

On this episode Franki talks to writer Sangeeta Pillai about the stigma and stereotypes around sex when you’re a South Asian woman. Sangeeta is the founder of Soul Sutras and creator of The Masala Monologues as well as the forthcoming Masala Podcast. In The Overthinkers Guide To Sex we hear from sex blogger Exhibit A about how an sexy encounter with a Canadian couple allowed him to tap into previously unrealised desires.

We also discuss the ways in which South Asian sexuality gets represented in the mainstream media (spoiler: it doesn’t!) and how, while reporting on human rights issues in other parts of the world is important, it’s also really crucial we hear the individual stories as well.

The Second Circle is a sex and gender politics podcast produced and hosted by journalist Franki Cookney. It seeks to bring some (okay, a LOT) of the nuance back into discussions of sex, relationships, and gender and challenges the idea that sex doesn’t deserve the same thought and attention that we give to the rest of our lives.

Series 3 of The Second Circle is supported by That’s The Spot.

Get in touch on Twitter @The2ndCircle or email us [email protected].

If you’re enjoying the podcast, please visit the Patreon page to find out more about how you can support sex-positive content AND get rewarded for your loyalty! Or if you just want to low-key share the love, why not buy me a coffee?

Support the Show.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Second Circle. A sex podcast for overthinkers.

On episode two of series three Franki talks to filmmaker and visual artist Simon Eves about his experience living – and fucking – with HIV. In The Overthinkers Guide To Sex we hear from Genie, the host of kinky swingers club Future Parties, about how a long-term affair changed her whole outlook on sex and relationships.

We also discuss the ways mainstream media HIV coverage has changed over the years, including the positives such as this story and the negatives such as the framing of PrEP as a “promiscuity pill” by the Mail.

The Second Circle is a sex and gender politics podcast produced and hosted by journalist Franki Cookney. It seeks to bring some (okay, a LOT) of the nuance back into discussions of sex, relationships, and gender and challenges the idea that sex doesn’t deserve the same thought and attention that we give to the rest of our lives.

Series 3 of The Second Circle is supported by That’s The Spot.

Get in touch on Twitter @The2ndCircle or email us [email protected].

If you’re enjoying the podcast, please visit the Patreon page to find out more about how you can support sex-positive content AND get rewarded for your loyalty! Or if you just want to low-key share the love, why not buy me a coffee?

Support the Show.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Second Circle. A sex podcast for overthinkers.

On the first episode of series three Franki talks to queer disabled writer and sex worker Ms Eve Adler about her experience of sex with disability. We also hear from sex blogger Girl On The Net in our brand new section The Overthinkers Guide To Sex.

We also discuss the ways sex and disability get talked about in the mainstream media, drawing on personal essays such as this one by journalist Hollie Anne Brooks and YouTuber and sex educator Hannah Witton’s story of sex with a stoma.

We reference the work of disabled photographer Robert Coombs and give a shout out to Andrew Gurza’s #disabledpeoplearehot Twitter campaign.

The Second Circle is a sex and gender politics podcast produced and hosted by journalist Franki Cookney. It seeks to bring some (okay, a LOT) of the nuance back into discussions of sex, relationships, and gender and challenges the idea that sex doesn’t deserve the same thought and attention that we give to the rest of our lives.

Series 3 of The Second Circle is supported by That’s The Spot.

Get in touch on Twitter @The2ndCircle or email us [email protected].

If you’re enjoying the podcast, please visit the Patreon page to find out more about how you can support sex-positive content AND get rewarded for your loyalty! Or if you just want to low-key share the love, why not buy me a coffee?

Support the Show.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

October was a depressing month for sex news but we managed to dig out a few rays of hope in the form of a new type of condom. We discuss the consultation on the Gender Recognition Act, dodgy biscuits and the appointment of Brett Kavanagh to the US Supreme Court. Then Franki sits down with porn performer Lina Bembe to talk about the ethics of porn (both producers and viewers!) and also how the heck you have an orgasm “by accident”.

LINKS

This RightsInfo feature has a good breakdown of the legal rights being discussed and fought for in the debate around the Gender Recognition Act.

You can find out all about the self-lubricating condom here (although you’ll have to wait for Franki’s thrust report!)

Lina recommended us some fantastic ethical porn sites. If you’re interested you can check them out here:

Bright Desire

Erika Lust

Blue Artichoke Films

Pink Label

We also talked about Four Chambers and not forgetting Ersties themselves! You can hear Lina and her colleagues on the Ersties Podcast here.

The Second Circle is a sex and gender politics podcast hosted by Franki Cookney. Get in touch @The2ndCircle or via our contact page. If you enjoyed the show today and want to low-key share the love, why not buy me a coffee?

Support the Show.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With London Pride just around the corner, Franki wonders whether she will ever feel “queer enough” to join the parade. As a straight-passing bisexual person, it’s easy to feel as though you don’t really belong… after all, you may not have experienced the same marginalisation as the rest of the LGBTQ community. So where does your identity fit in? Welcome to The Second Circle’s Solo Sessions, shorter, more intimate, episodes in which Franki ponders a question or shares a dilemma that’s been on her mind.

My friends made a film with Pink News about bisexuality, bi visibility and the ways in which bi people have their sexual identities “erased” by others. You can watch it here.

The Second Circle is a sex and gender politics podcast hosted by Franki Cookney. Get in touch @The2ndCircle or via our contact page. If you’re enjoying the podcast, why not buy me a coffee?

Support the Show.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There’s a lot of vagina news this week including a discussion about summer vaginas… so we ask what a summer penis might look like. Franki interviewed sex and relationships therapist Dr Lori Beth Bisbey about how sexuality develops and changes throughout our lives and Rob has a lot of thoughts about that. Plus, we have a look at a question about polyamory and have a go at unpicking it ourselves.

LINKS

This Teen Vogue piece about “summer vaginas” has come in for a lot of flak, not least from a canadian gynaecologist who has debunked its claims.

The Mail Online says this woman is calling for designer vaginas to be available on the NHS but she’s not actually talking about aesthetics at all, she’s talking about curing incontinence and boosting sexual pleasure for women which seems pretty worthwhile.

This week Rob stole an Everyday Sex question from The Guardian’s sex column. It was about polyamory and monogamy.

The Second Circle is a sex and gender politics podcast hosted by Franki Cookney. Get in touch @The2ndCircle or via our contact page. If you enjoyed the show today, why not buy me a coffee?

Support the Show.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.