Despite the fact that anal sex has become an increasingly common sexual activity, it’s a subject that continues to be ignored in almost all sex education. As a result, people generally have to learn about it all on their own, and there can be a bit of a learning curve. In today’s show, we’re going to explore how to approach this activity in ways that are safe and pleasurable, as well as some common myths and misconceptions surrounding it. My guest is Dr. Thomas Gaither, a physician who is currently finishing up his urology residency at UCLA. In addition to conducting research on LGBT health and sexual medicine, he is an active TikTok creator teaching the masses about sexual health. You can find him on TikTok at that_prostate_doc. Some of the topics we explore include: How many people practice anal sex? Why do people engage in anal sex? What do they get out of it? Is there any truth to the idea that anal sex causes long-term damage to the body? What should someone do if they experience pain during this activity? If someone is interested in trying anal sex for the first time, what do they need to know? To learn more, you can check out Tom’s linktree and follow him on TikTok. Thank you to our sponsors! Are you passionate about building a career in sexuality? Check out the Sexual Health Alliance. With SHA, you’ll connect with world-class experts and join an engaged community of sexuality professionals from around the world. Visit SexualHealthAlliance.com and start building the sexuality career of your dreams today. Support sex science by becoming a friend of the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University. Visit kinseyinstitute.org to make a donation to support ongoing research projects on critical topics. You can also show your support by following the Kinsey Institute on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. *** Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology? Click here for previous articles or follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram. Listen and stream all episodes on Apple, Spotify, Google, or Amazon. Subscribe to automatically receive new episodes and please rate and review the podcast! Credits: Precision Podcasting (Podcast editing) and Shutterstock/Florian (Music). Image created with Canva; photos used with permission of guest.

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