Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Illustration Rachel Choi

Your first time: don’t let these things turn you off

February 28, 2024

Opinion editors are not responsible for agreeing or disagreeing with their writers but rather elevate each individual’s specific voice. It was a random...

Illustration by Hailey Akau

What did you do on National Kink Day last Friday?

October 11, 2023

If you’ve ever had sex, or thought about it, there are likely specific things that really turn you on. Whether you are into missionary or you aced the...

Illustration by Rachel Choi.

‘No strings attached’ sex doesn’t exist.

October 4, 2023

Dear sweet generation of sluts, one-night-stands, situationships, hookups, Tinder “dates,” and friends with benefits, I love and appreciate how...

Illustration by Rachel Choi

I put the ‘virgin’ in Virginian: my first time was more than a social construct

March 22, 2023

The first thing I said to the man I forever trusted with my “V-Card” was, “I think I just lost my virginity.” And even though he already knew that,...

Wellness Center to host Sexual Health Fair Friday

Wellness Center to host Sexual Health Fair Friday

March 2, 2023

The Emerson Wellness Center will host the Come as You Are Sexual Health Fair on Friday, March 3, featuring a variety of activities for students to learn...

Ride or die: whether you embrace the pillow or not, you’re always a princess.

Ride or die: whether you embrace the pillow or not, you’re always a princess.

February 23, 2023

Recently, Gen Z has coined a new term that accuses feminine-identifying individuals of doing the deed as those who enjoy doing the deed with minimal exertion....

Illustration by Rachel Choi

Prioritize aftercare as much as your orgasm

December 7, 2022

What do you do after having sex? Cuddle with your partner, turn away and take a nap, or worse, wipe the remnants and just scroll on your phone? The emotional...

Illustration by Rachel Choi

The ideal birth control: No Nut November

November 16, 2022

Despite the magic in the air this holiday season, there won't be many sleigh bells jingling in anyone’s chimneys this winter.  With the current array...

Illustration by Rachel Choi

Dracula on the streets, Frankenstein’s monster in the sheets

October 26, 2022

Halloween brings out an aspect of peoples’ creative side that can be easily transferred to a steamy bedroom. Oct. 31 is the day to dress up in scary,...

Illustration by Rachel Choi

Sex is an asset in or out of a relationship

September 28, 2022

Sex comes in a variety of forms—we all know that—but we can all agree that there’s a difference between making love to a significant other versus...

It’s OK to get attached after sex

It’s OK to get attached after sex

November 18, 2021

Losing one’s virginity is usually a powerful moment in one’s life, and it often results in feeling a strong connection to whomever they lost it to....

Stop kink shaming: all types of sex are valid

Stop kink shaming: all types of sex are valid

November 11, 2021

People have sex. That is a concept that society has come a long way in wrapping its head around, which is great. Now, society needs to wrap its head around...

Hes Got Spunk: He texts me, he texts me not

He’s Got Spunk: He texts me, he texts me not

December 15, 2020

Much like everyone in my generation, I use dating apps. Tinder, Grindr, and Hinge are currently downloaded on my phone. And despite the desperation that...

Hes Got Spunk- The Ick

He’s Got Spunk- ‘The Ick’

October 22, 2020

Temperatures have started to dip below the sixties. The leaves in the Common are fluttering off the trees. The pumpkin spice latte is back. It’s...

A poster within Little Building asking students to practice safe sex.

Go solo or go home: The only way to have sex during a pandemic

October 8, 2020

“If you’re not going to wear a mask, at least wear a condom,” posters around Emerson dorm buildings read. However, safe sex means a lot more than...

Gary Sowder writes about love and sex.

‘On the DL’: The sexual politics of sleeping with closeted guys

October 1, 2020

My mom lives in Westchester County, New York, a place that is most known for being the home of the Clintons', and the last place Robert Durst’s wife...

Gary Sowder - Graphic by Ally Rzesa / Beacon Staff

It’s okay to have bad sex (and tell all your friends about it)

November 10, 2019

“Alright,” I said, hurling my tacos into a garbage can. “I’m going to go have sex with him.”  “What?” my friend Nicole asked.  It...

Gary Sowder - Graphic by Ally Rzesa / Beacon Staff

Don’t call me by my body count

October 25, 2019

My evening started like any other Thursday night—meaning it started at the Tam. It was early September, and I wore my nicest H&M button-up—okay,...

Senior Abbrianna MacGregor, and juniors Alison Michalak, Kamryn Leoncavallo created SHEETS this semester. Photo by Erin Nolan / Beacon Staff

SHEETS magazine pulls back the covers on sex and relationships

October 11, 2018

Juniors Alison Michalak, Kamryn Leoncavallo, and senior Abbrianna MacGregor always discuss their sex and love lives together. So, it's unsurprising...

Times Up for abusers, but accused men need to do more than spend time away

Time’s Up for abusers, but accused men need to do more than spend time away

September 13, 2018

Two weeks ago, and 10 months after he admitted to masturbating nonconsensually in front of five women, Louis C.K. took the stage for a surprise set at...