The season of gratitude and festivity is right around the corner, which means it's time to spend a lot more time with loved ones. Thanksgiving is near and is a holiday where families and friends gather to enjoy a home cooked meal and share what they are grateful for.

Our cultural conceptualization of gender as a society is changing. Most of us are aware of the rise in the use of gender-neutral pronouns, as the cultural visibility of others who do not feel identified within the gender binary has increased in recent years. About one in five Americans personally know someone who prefers a pronoun other than ‘he’ or ‘she’. Many of us may not understand what preferred gender pronouns are and why they are crucial to many.

It can be devastating to feel pain when you were expecting to feel pleasure. And yet, if you have ever experienced this, you should know you are not alone. The landmark "Sex in America" survey conducted in 1994 found that 1 in 5 women experience pain during sex, and this likelihood increases to 1 in 3 women when they are post-menopausal.

It’s a strange circumstance to have arrived at what some might call a golden age of cultural sexual freedom when, in fact, this freedom to choose any relationship style and engage in sex freely in or out of a relationship has not driven up our connection, but the reverse.

One of the most important and meaningful ways to participate in healthy, safe sex is to practice consent with our partners and set boundaries around what you we are and aren't comfortable with.