Portal:Human sexuality

Margaret Higgins Sanger (September 14, 1879 – September 6, 1966) was an American birth control activist, sex educator, and nurse. Sanger popularized the term birth control, opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, and established organizations that evolved into the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Sanger's efforts contributed to several judicial cases that helped legalize contraception in the United States. Sanger is a frequent target of criticism by opponents of birth control and has also been criticized for supporting eugenics, but remains an iconic figure in the American reproductive rights movement.

In 1916, Sanger opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, which led to her arrest for distributing information on contraception. Her subsequent trial and appeal generated enormous support for her cause. Sanger felt that in order for women to have a more equal footing in society and to lead healthier lives, they needed to be able to determine when to bear children. She also wanted to prevent unsafe abortions, so-called back-alley abortions, which were common at the time because abortions were usually illegal.

In 1921, Sanger founded the American Birth Control League, which later became the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. In New York City, she organized the first birth control clinic staffed by all-female doctors, as well as a clinic in Harlem with an entirely African-American staff. In 1929, she formed the National Committee on Federal Legislation for Birth Control, which served as the focal point of her lobbying efforts to legalize contraception in the United States. From 1952 to 1959, Sanger served as president of the International Planned Parenthood Federation. She died in 1966, and is widely regarded as a founder of the modern birth control movement. (Full article...)

• ... that New York City authorities asked the Museum of Sex (pictured) not to locate itself within 500 feet of a church or school?
• ... that the nature of the female orgasm is a field of research for academics studying female sexuality?
• ... that the term Cicisbei refers to legal and generally respected companions and often lovers of married women in eighteenth-century Italy? (1790 etching pictured)
• ... that a Mercedes roadster was colloquially named after a wealthy German call girl, Rosemarie Nitribitt (grave pictured), who was murdered in Frankfurt in 1957?
• ... that the scandalous tales of Aristides of Miletus are still being discussed after over two millennia, although not one word of them has survived?

January-June 2006

22 February 2025 – 75th Berlin International Film Festival

Norwegian drama film Dreams (Sex Love) wins the Golden Bear award at the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival, while Tilda Swinton is awarded the Honorary Golden Bear for her range and legacy. (DW) (Berlinale)

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