Earlier this year, I was watching a repeat episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show." The guest on this particular episode was Dr. Oz, who was tasked with answering a series of health questions, many of which were related to women's reproductive health.

After Dr. Oz answered a question about douching,...

Three months ago, I launched a website, The Current Conscience, which primarily features my point-of-view and my writings about women, gender inequality, popular culture, and politics. It's also been eight months since I began actively writing about women.

In my writing, I discuss issues that brilliant women writers...

The shocking and tragic events at Penn State that have unfolded over the past two weeks, which have allegedly exposed former assistant football coach, Jerry Sandusky, as a sexual predator, have (yet again) brought the issue of child sex abuse to the forefront of our collective consciousness.

In light of...

It's great to be a man in our society. The perks seem to be endless. Everything is built with the intention of accommodating our needs. It's fantastic, really. We men are constantly validated.

And the bedroom is one place where we receive consistent validation. I'm talking about women faking orgasms...

My friend Karen (all names changed to protect privacy) was confused and frustrated when she called me on a Friday night.

About a year ago, she met a guy, Michael, through work. They met a few times for drinks with colleagues and then one night, she met him for dinner,...

You're so sensitive. You're so emotional. You're defensive. You're overreacting. Calm down. Relax. Stop freaking out! You're crazy! I was just joking, don't you have a sense of humor? You're so dramatic. Just get over it already!

Sound familiar?

If you're a woman, it probably does.

Do you ever...

It's September, which means it's Menopause Awareness Month. But most of us aren't aware of this. Nothing comes up on a cursory search on Google News: no real news stories on menopause, despite the fact that this year, another 2 million women will reach menopause. These women will join approximately...

The other day, my friend Dina was talking about her experiences of being catcalled--street harassment is a more accurate term--while walking around the streets of New York. This wasn't the first time I've heard about the epidemic of street harassment. Many of my women friends have remarked about experiencing and...

When I tell people I'm Iranian and gay, they inevitably ask two questions: do your parents know, and if they do, what was their reaction?

I came out to my parents 9 years ago, when I was 22. Before I told them about my sexuality, I managed to create a...

When most people are seeking love, they have a basic list of check boxes they hold up to their prospective partners. On this list are questions like: is he single? Is he ready to be in a relationship? Is he emotionally available? Does he want to be in a relationship...

A few weeks ago, there was a hubbub over Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's decision to sign, "The Marriage Vow," a fourteen-point pledge drafted by Iowa conservative Christian group, The Family Leader.

The controversy over the pledge centers on the fact that signers are asked to oppose same-sex marriage on all levels...

I was born a boy and a feminist on Thanksgiving Day, 1979. We are all born feminists, just as much as we are all born free of racial discrimination. The definition of feminism is the same now, as it was on the day I was born: a man or woman...

Last December, I sat in my friend's living room, glued to her television as we watched one of the last episodes of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. I was completely hooked on The Real Housewives series. I loved the characters and their loud, crazy, dramatic interactions with each other....

This past weekend, as I was leaving the shopping mall near my apartment, I overheard a man tell his son and daughter that they needed to rush home for dinner because, "We don't want mommy to get really upset."

For the record, the guy seemed like a...

Ricky Smith used to spend his Sundays on Jones Street, doing drugs and sleeping on cardboard. His three children never saw him and he spent his days working as a pimp. He was one of many chronically homeless living in San Francisco.

But after years on the streets, he finally...

I want to explore an issue that has bothered me for some time: politicians who are publicly pro-choice while claiming to be against marriage equality, aka gay marriage.

As an LGBT activist and former political staffer, I have never been blind to the reality of what...

Before submitting my writing for online publication, I often send it to my friend Craig for feedback. The advice he offers ranges from pointing out typos to critiquing overall themes. But it was his response to my latest piece, "I Didn't Go to College and I'm Proud of...

I love the mistakes I've made in my life. What I love most are my biggest mistakes. But I am always mystified as to why we seem unable to learn from other people's missteps. Why must we travel down the same bumpy road, the one other people already regret traveling...

For most people, there is nothing more exciting than a press conference given by a politician who is confessing to his/her personal transgressions.

There they are, completely vulnerable and exposed to the world. They bare their private lives for all to see, asking their families and...

PayPal co-founder and Facebook investor Peter Thiel recently announced that he was going to give twenty-four college-age students a $100,000 grant to pursue their entrepreneurial ambitions instead of going to college.

Many commentators have criticized him for diminishing the value of a college education by encouraging his...