Research dedicated to sex work and sexuality has seen exponential growth within the past 20+ years. Academic literature has seen a boost in the amount of articles published regarding a plethora of sub-topics inside the umbrella term of “sexuality”. Circa the 1980s, most articles relating to sexuality involved the prevention of HIV/AIDs, and most of the research done had a biological component focusing more on sexual health and reproductivity. In the 1990s up until the 2000s, articles about sexuality were scarce with less than 5 published per year. From 2002 onwards, the amount of articles published saw a massive boom, and this number still continues to climb with more of an emphasis on sexual orientation, behaviors, and practices.
For those not affluent in academia, or those who do not have access to it, finding journals and research might seem out of reach. Have no fear. I have compiled a list of academic journals that are pioneers in publishing the latest articles in the sex world.
OPEN ACCESS ARTICLES
All articles mentioned are open access, which means they are free to view and available for you to read at your discretion. Open access articles make it possible for scholars, policy makers, clinicians, and the public to access work rooted in academia that follows a strict method to ensure validity. This is so readers can get reputable information at little to no cost. Open access/free access articles will either have a gold or green lock to help people identify it.
HOW TO ACCESS ACADEMIC JOURNALS
If you’ve never read or accessed a piece of academic literature, you might not know where to start. Let’s think about Google. Google is one of the most popular search engines. All you do is type any thought or question into the search bar and there will be hundreds of links to explain what you need. There are search engines for academic journals as well, where you can enter a specific topic and articles relating to it will pop up. The most famous one is Google Scholar, however there are plenty more, such as Sage Journals, Springer Link, and Taylor & Francis Online that function similar to Google’s search bar. If you’re currently enrolled in college, you might have access to even more articles under these databases through your university’s library, so please check there to find out more on how to access.
SEX WORK and Sexual Academia
PORN STUDIES: Truly the first of its kind, the Porn Studies journal takes things classified as pornographic and analyzes them according to “their cultural, economic, historical, institutional, legal and social contexts.” Porn Studies dives into porn’s past and future to create dialogue about sex and sexuality based on observations and research. It puts sex (work) at the front and center, worthy and rich enough in history to obtain its own journal dedicated to it. One of my favorite articles is Sex in the Shadows of Celebrity, which I also broke down in another NymphoMedia blog post. One of the strengths of this journal is how it publishes articles relevant to modern trends in sex we see today; there are more articles related to BDSM, pornographic media, and how digital media plays a part in sexual identity. This is something new and innovative that we don’t see in other journals that are more theory heavy, or rooted in quantitative data (research articles dealing with scientific methods and hypotheses about themes in sex). This journal is for all sex enthusiasts, current and former sex workers, or anyone interested in learning more about the rich and thick discourse of sex.
SEXUALITY
SEXUALITIES: Another one of my absolute favorite journals, Sexualities, covers current and relevant topics regarding sex, sexuality, and sex work, with special topic issues dedicated to breaking developments in sexology. From articles about BDSM and power exchange, to a close analysis of the NoFap community, Sexualities is sure to lure you in with catchy titles and digestible material that follows a more storytelling way of informing readers. Sexualities as a journal practices more freedom in the type of content it provides and is not tied down to one specific theme.
Sexual Academia: LGBTQIA+ RESEARCH
LGBTQIA+ RESEARCH: Though not a journal per-se, the LGBTQIA+ Research is like a hub of all free access articles across many other journals compiled into one user-friendly section. The articles are organized by sub-categories within sexological research, and have 2-3 articles related to the topic (i.e queer justice or sexual orientation). The downside of this resource is that it is basically a compilation of articles about certain topics and takes no political stance. It is also general in its subgenres, and does not go into more niche subjects like Porn Studies would. However, it is a great resource to utilize for preliminary and recent research, and can be used by those who want to dip their toes in.
GENDER STUDIES
GENDER AND EDUCATION: a completely open access journal, most articles published are from a feminist lens, where the experience of gendered subjects meet social, cultural, discursive and affective factors. The education aspect is broad, covering both institutionalized and cultural/social learning environments, to education across age ranges as well. One of the notable articles from this journal is a piece on street-based harassment in school-based environments. This journal is good for those who want to see how gender dynamics play out across a variety of settings. It may not be the broadest journal, however, it is important for understanding how gender and sexuality are taught.
OTHER RESOURCES for Sexual Academia
If academic jargon is not your thing, there are plenty of other ways to immerse yourself in sexual discourse. Following our very own Nyphomedia blog is a great way to catch up on fun and interesting topics regarding sex work, sexuality, and sexual orientation as well as learn about various sexual education programs the Sexual Health Alliance provides. If you’re into podcasts more, A Sex Worker’s Guide to the Galaxy aims to humanize sex workers by interviewing them about their real and authentic experiences in the field. More sex podcasts can be found in a list provided by Audible. For those who enjoy watching shows/movies, Vice TV has multiple shows related to sex work and sexuality, like Sex Before the Internet and Slutsever with famous sex writer Karley Scirotino. Hot Girls Wanted and Money Shot: The PornHub Story are both documentaries featured on Netflix, while Hulu has an interesting 12-part series about Playboy.
The journals mentioned above are by no means a complete list of all academic journals relating to these topics, but they can be used as a start. Sex and the way we interact with it is a tricky thing to navigate as it still feels like a taboo subject to many. These journals meticulously govern these spaces of uncertainty by providing strong articles that support sexuality and sex as something positive and worthy of discussion. As readers, we can use these resources to help educate ourselves and get a deeper understanding of sex in all forms. From this, we can use it to help support marginalized communities, like sex workers and at-risk LGBTQ+ folks by being informed about their experiences so we can make the change we’d like to see.
Written by Destiny
Ready to test your knowledge on sexuality? Take our 'What kind of sex nerd are you?' quiz now and discover how much you really know about sex education. Click to start!