Sex

As summer begins, more places around the world are preparing to re-open public places after shuttering due to the spread of COVID-19 - including parks, beaches, and some restaurants and offices. Many daters have spent the last several weeks virtual dating from the comfort of their homes, but now according to Mashable, they are considering whether or not to take those dates offline and meet in person. They are also navigating what that might look like. 

COVID-19 has interrupted typical dating practices, but it’s also introduced us to the upside of virtual connection. Zoom dates have become popular in recent weeks not only because the pandemic has forced people to rely on technology for interaction, but also because people like the idea of getting to know someone better before actually meeting.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, dating app OkCupid is seeing a surge of user activity across the globe.

In a recent blog post, the company shared some interesting statistics – including a 900% increase in mentions of “coronavirus” and “social distancing” on OkCupid profiles between February and March. And this translates to user activity as well. OkCupid reported a 20 percent increase in conversations and a 10 percent increase in matches globally as people are messaging and going on virtual “dates” in increasing numbers.

OkCupid also reported a 30 percent increase in messages since the beginning of March when people began to isolate at home. Women in particular are reaching out more than ever – they have increased the amount of first messages they send to matches by 40 percent.

The pressure to write the perfect dating profile is enormous. It needs to be confident but not arrogant, intriguing but not cryptic, unique but not outlandish, alluring but not unapproachable. There’s nothing easy about condensing your personality into a few carefully curated sentences and photographs. Inevitably, things must be left out. But which things?

For many users, the answer is sexual preferences. It’s an easy detail to omit - and some would say the rules of decency require such details to be omitted - but brothers Emerson and Morris Hsieh see things differently. The young co-founders launched Waves, a dating app that allows users to match based on sexual interests, and are currently part of famed incubator Y Combinator’s Summer 2019 batch.

At the very beginning of the relationship, both partners are sexually attracted to one another. You can’t keep your hands off one another and connection between you two is almost palpable. In time, it seems like attraction and passion slightly decrease. Do you feel the same? Don’t worry; most people in long relationships deal with this problem. Just because one or both partners feel there is no attraction to the other person it doesn’t mean your relationship is over. Here are ten useful tips that can help you.

1. Redefine attraction

Probably one of the most common reasons why people feel like they aren’t attracted to their partner anymore is failing to accept the relationship changes. You want to stay in that “honeymoon” stage of relationship forever, but it doesn’t work that way. The more you get to know one another, the more your relationship changes and it’s not a bad thing.

As your relationship lasts longer and makes a progress, it becomes more meaningful. You get to know each other’s personality, not just your body. When you feel like sexual attraction is fading away, instead of giving up try to redefine it. What does this mean, exactly? Real sexual attraction doesn’t always have to be about physical appearance, it’s about a person you see when all of the pretenses fade away. Focus on your partner’s soul rather than superficial beauty and trivial things. Redefining attraction doesn’t happen out of blue, but with a little bit of consistency, you can do it. You can redefine attraction based on some of your criteria as well.

Photo-focused dating services like Tinder and Grindr are no strangers to stigma. Since day one, conservative singles and media outlets have called them “hookup apps” designed for the desperate, horny, and swipe-obsessed.

But if you’ve been holding off on joining over fears of friends’ ridicule or a chock-a-block casual sex schedule you just can’t keep up with, put those worries to rest. A new study published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences found that the reality of dating apps is far more chaste than its salacious reputation.

Researchers at NTNU examined the "sociosexual orientation" - the degree to which an individual is open to short-term sexual relationships that don’t lead to a committed partnership - of 641 students at the university between the ages of 19 and 29.

With the explosion of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, there has never been a more public conversation around sexual assault, abuse and consent. Gay social network Hornet is the latest company to take a stand against sexual violence, partnering with Planned Parenthood and the Los Angeles LGBT Center to support survivors and provide education for Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

“Sex education is where sexual assault prevention begins, for all people — not just LGBTs,” says Sean Howell, President of Hornet. “The public deserves this kind of information. We must work to take care of our community and will continue to provide helpful information that gives the community skills to navigate healthy relationships, sex and consent.”

As the largest global LGBT newsroom, Hornet stands to play an important role in this initiative.