Coming out at work Our stories of what makes a great workplace for LGBTQIA+ people With thanks to:  Chloe | Social Media Manager | She/her Stuart | Senior Clinical Support Worker | He/him Eliza | Freelance Content Creator | They/them Linnea | Art Director and Visual Designer | She/her At SH:24, we are all about sexual health. Sexual health isn’t just about getting tested for STIs or using contraception, it’s also about feeling happy and comfortable with your sexuality so that sex is always a healthy, safe and joyful experience. We have lots of fantastic LGBTQIA+ colleagues, and we want ..read more

We’ve interviewed Cindy Gallop, champion of the Social Sex Revolution and founder of MakeLoveNotPorn. How would you describe what you do? I’m the founder & CEO of MakeLoveNotPorn, the world’s first social sex user-generated video-sharing platform, designed to celebrate #realworldsex as a counterpoint to porn and to socialize sex to make it easier for everyone to talk about, in order to promote good sexual values and behavior. At MakeLoveNotPorn we call ourselves the Social Sex Revolution. The revolutionary part isn’t the sex; it’s the social. The strapline to Make Love Not Porn is “Pro-se ..read more

By Jess Bolton I’m on a mission this year to love my body unconditionally - and you should be too, whatever it looks like! I recently read that by the age of 10, a third of all girls and 22% of boys, say how their bodies look is their number one worry. Although I was shocked, I can't say I was surprised. I’ve always known that my relationship with my body was causing me problems, but I’ve only recently begun to understand how much negative body image impacts on our lives. Lack of body confidence disproportionately affects women. The 2015 government Body Confidence Campaign progress repor ..read more

Health and fitness coach, Phil Hyland is here to give you some some practical advice on the surprising ways exercise can improve your sex life… Exercise. To some, just the sight of the word induces nausea and cold sweats, while others retreat to the safety of their duvet. This could be because of laziness, fear of injury, something more personal, or because of the huge pressure some of us feel to ‘lose weight’, which can induce a host of negative thoughts and feelings about these good ol’ bodies of ours. But exercise is about more than changing your body shape. Yes yes yes. There a loads of b ..read more

By Nicola Miller  When you reach your 100th birthday, you can expect a letter from the Queen. When you reach your 25th birthday, you can expect a letter from the NHS inviting to your first cervical screening and usually every 3 years after that. Fab, let’s party. Pass the speculum. But whether it’s your first or your fifth, if your cervical smear test’s due and you haven’t been, you’re not alone. According to the charity Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, 1 in 4 people don’t attend theirs. At SH:24, we did our own rough and ready Twitter poll for Cervical Cancer Awareness Month and found 43% o ..read more

Kindness is one heck of an underrated quality, but it’s a powerful and transformative gift that you can give to yourself and others. Here are some tips to make your world a kinder place. 1) Start with you There’s a saying that goes you can’t pour from an empty cup. This phrase is often used when it comes to self-care however it’s equally relevant with self-kindness. Many people are kinder to others than they are to themselves. This is a problem because it can mean they’re susceptible to low mood from negative self-talk, or can end up resenting others they feel might be taking too much from th ..read more

Fitting the coil “I was asked to remove my trousers and underwear and lie on the bed with some paper towel over me - a bit like going for a bikini wax but without the mellow music and anticipation of searing pain.” With more and more people opting for longer-lasting contraception methods, we answer the question: what’s it like to get a coil fitted? SH:24’s Laura tells all… A few months ago, I went for my first Mirena coil (or IUS - intrauterine system) fitting at my local GP. I’ve had three children, and while I’ve previously used the progesterone-only pill and the Natural Cycles method, I d ..read more

Issy Gosse is a BSc Psychology student at Goldsmiths, University of London and has interned on the Goldsmiths Against Sexual Violence campaign. Trigger Warning: this piece contains references to sexual violence and sexual coercion.  This summer, I have been interning on the Against Sexual Violence campaign at Goldsmiths University, University of London. Misinformation about what consent means has come up a lot. A lack of understanding about what constitutes consent can be a barrier that stops someone from saying that they have experienced sexual violence. Situations where “a person didn’t real ..read more

We’re turning Black Friday into Red Friday to raise awareness of homelessness and period poverty. For those without a home, having a period can be hugely difficult, shameful and painful. With limited access to pads or tampons, for many, the only option is to go without. Together we can #TurnBlackFridayRed! Read more about our campaign here. Homelessness is rising in the UK - more people living without secure housing or on our streets means more people are suffering from period poverty. We’re thrilled to be working with Pathway to deliver the period products bought with 15% of sales on Fettle ..read more

Black Friday falls during the coldest month of the year. While many are spending money on not-so-essential goods, there are thousands living on our streets without access to basic necessities. The most requested (and least donated) items for homeless people are socks and period products. For those without a home, having a period can be hugely difficult, shameful and painful. With limited access to pads or tampons, for many, the only option is to go without. So we’re challenging the consumerism of Black Friday by raising awareness of period poverty and homelessness. Together we can #TurnBlack ..read more