Sex columnist

A sex columnist is a writer of a newspaper or magazine column about sex.

Sex advice columns may take the form of essays or, more frequently, answers to questions posed by readers. Sex advice columns can usually be found in alt weekly newspapers, women's magazines, health or fitness magazines, and student newspapers. While some are written by trained sexologists, many are penned by people lacking credentials in human sexuality and relationships, yet willing to divulge their opinions or personal bedroom antics.

The television series "Sex and the City" protagonist Carrie Bradshaw was a sex columnist, which author Candace Bushnell modeled after herself in her original non-fiction book based on a column of the same name. The show, which first aired in 1998, is credited with the increase of sex columnists found in college campus newspapers and blogs [Some pertinent articles in the media:
* Patterson, Randall, [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/magazine/30Chastity-t.html "Students of Virginity"] , New York Times Magazine, March 30, 2008. Refers to Lena Chen's Harvard blog. "Perhaps no one at Harvard represents the hookup culture better than Lena Chen, a student sex blogger ... Chen’s viewpoint, as she explained it to me, was not complicated. 'For me, being a strong woman means not being ashamed that I like to have sex,' she said. And 'to say that I have to care about every person I have sex with is an unreasonable expectation. It feels good! It feels good!'"
* Hoover, Eric, [http://chronicle.com/free/v48/i40/40a03301.htm "The New Sex Scribes: Female columnists spark interest and controversy at student newspapers"] , The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 14, 2002.
* Rimer, Sara, [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A02E5D8163BF937A35753C1A9649C8B63&fta=y "Sex and the College Newspaper; Student Columnists Explore a Familiar Campus Topic"] , The New York Times, October 4, 2002
* Harris, Paul, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/oct/16/students.internationaleducationnews "Columnists lay bare sex and single student"] , The Observer (UK), Sunday, October 16, 2005.
* Marklein, Mary Beth, [http://www.usatoday.com/life/2002-11-14-casual-sex_x.htm "Sex is casual at college papers"] , USA TODAY, November 13, 2002] , such as at Ivy League colleges and many other schools. [Confer:
* Cheng, Grayce Y., [http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=514692 "RATED X for Mature Eyes Only : Campus sex chronicler has Harvard all hot and bothered"] , The Harvard Crimson, Wednesday, October 04, 2006.
* Mancini, Liana, [http://cornellsun.com/node/31241 "Am-bi-valent: The Sun’s new sex columnist is in the house"] , The Cornell Daily Sun, August 28, 2008
* Krinsky, Natalie, [http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/4185 "No matter what it costs -- Keep it neat, keep it clean, keep it real"] , Yale Daily News, column "Sex and the (Elm) City", Friday, April 12, 2002] One such columnist, Meghan Bainum [Stanford, Ian, [http://www.kansan.com/stories/2006/sep/14/meganbainum/?print "Not a typical school girl: Former sex columnist for the University Daily Kansan talks about what she has done"] , University Daily Kansan, University of Kansas, Thursday, September 14, 2006.] , at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, placed in the 42nd annual William Randolph Hearst Foundation Journalism Awards Program (2001-2002) for her column. [Eblen, Tom, [http://www.news.ku.edu/2001/01N/DecNews/Dec4/journalism.html "KU journalism students place in national writing competition"] , KU School of Journalism News, University Relations Office, University of Kansas, December 4, 2001. "Bainum's article "Different Strokes for Different Folks" appeared in the Nov. 30, 2000, issue of the University Daily Kansan. She discussed the causes of sexual attraction and fetishes and society's conception of sex."]

Notable sex columnists

General

* Isadora Alman, Syndicated sex column, Ask Isadora runs in 16 US alternative weeklies, since 1984.
* Jonathan Bass, "Guy Report" columnist for Unzipped magazine.
* Violet Blue, "Open Source Sex" column for "San Francisco Gate"
* Candace Bushnell, former "Sex and the City" columnist for the "New York Observer"
* Rachel Kramer Bussel, formerly "Lusty Lady" for "The Village Voice", also writes for "Penthouse" & "Penthouse Variations"
* Tracey Cox, Author of sex books, columnist for Australian Cosmopolitan, iVillage, and many other media displays including television shows.
* Anna David, former sex and relationship column for Razor.
* Miriam Datskovsky, former "Sexplorations" columnist for the "Columbia Daily Spectator"
* Dr. Yvonne K. Fulbright, sex columnist for Foxnews.com, former "Sexpert Tells All" column from NYU's "Washington Square News"
* Dr. Sari Locker, current Maxim magazine sex columnist, former Teen People sex columnist, former Sassy magazine sex advice columnist.
* Elise Nersesian, former "Sexier Sex" columnist for "Redbook"
* Anka Radakovich, former Details magazine sex columnist from 1991-1999, often credited as the writer who defined the modern-day sex column.
* Stacey Grenrock-Woods, current sex columnist, Esquire magazine.
* Chip Rowe, current Playboy magazine, Playboy Advisor
* Dan Savage, "Savage Love" syndicated column
* Amy Sohn, "New York"
* Tristan Taormino, "Pucker Up" syndicated column from "The Village Voice"
* Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Ask Dr. Ruth column since 1980s.

Selected university newspaper columnists, past and present

* Meghan Bainum, University of Kansas, Lawrence
* Lena Chen, Harvard University
* Miriam Datskovsky, Columbia University
* Sari Eitches, University of California, Berkeley
* Dr. Yvonne Fulbright, New York University.
* Natalie Krinsky, Yale University
* Liana Mancini, Cornell University
* Anna Schleelein, Boston College

Notes

Bibliography

* Wolfe, Tom "I Am Charlotte Simmons", New York : Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2004. ISBN 0374281580

External links

* [http://newyorkmetro.com/lifestyle/sex/annual/2005/15060/ The Vagina Dialogues: Sex columnists compare notes]
* [http://www.sexherald.com/sexual-advice/ask-sex-advisor.html Thalia @ Sex Herald]
* [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2007/10/11/violetblue.DTL Violet Blue writes on The Sex Columnist Meta-Universe]
* [http://www.aasect.org/ American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists]