Anal sex

Sadly, Max Hardcore never could find the right hole.

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“”Behind the bar stood Anal Johnson… He always kept things nice and clean.

—Ballad of Rock Ridge from Blazing Saddles

Anal sex is the act of stimulation or penetration of the anus for sexual pleasure. This is mostly accomplished through the stimulation of the back part of the prostate or clitoris. Some people like it, some don't. We'd recommend going to sex education for better references on the subject, though.

Endless euphemisms

It is also an endless source of unintentional euphemisms (e.g. "George W. Bush engaged in backdoor politics").

Hints and tips

For now, we'll just remind you: Things can get torn up in there. Lube up, communicate clearly, stop if it hurts — and stop if your partner asks you to — and don't ever stick anything that just came out of a butthole in a mouth or a vagina. While ass to mouth is probably safe provided that the ass and the mouth belong to the same person, ass to vagina can cause infections. And don't believe everything you see in porn. The performers generally clean their dicks between takes.

Anal sex and homosexuality

Some heterosexuals practice anal sex. Some women who have sex with women, too. And some men who have sex with men. However, many homophobes seem fixated on the idea that anal sex is the big thing about being gay.

Anal sex is common in countries where a girl's physical virginity (hymen) is highly prized everywhere where people have sex. As such, unmarried couples sometimes practice it in Muslim and Middle Eastern countries, notably Turkey because it feels good.

In the US, anal sex was considered illegal in some jurisdictions until the 2003 United States Supreme Court ruling in Lawrence v. Texas effectively found that consensual anal sex in private was a right.

Anal sex and HIV/AIDS

If one partner is HIV-positive, unprotected anal sex carries a high risk of seroconversion for the HIV-negative parnter. The anus is a very thin piece of tissue (only a few cells wide) and the virus can be transmitted through small "microtears" in the anus of the "receptive" partner or the penis of the "active" partner. There is less natural lubrication in the anus than the vagina, making it easier for condoms to break during sex. Always use a condom during anal sex with a new partner, check frequently during intercourse to make sure the condom hasn't broken, and don't have unprotected anal sex with someone who isn't vigilant about getting tested for HIV and doesn't know their status. And don't "double-bag" it (use two condoms simultaneously); that actually increases the risk of condom breakage.

Anal sex and incontinence

In 2016, several news sources reported the results of a study claiming that anal sex is linked to incontinence. According to the headlines, having buttsecks doubles your chances of developing incontinence, even if you only try it once! Quelle horreur!

However, even a cursory examination of the study itself reveals some serious flaws. Firstly, the authors of the study admitted they found no evidence that anal sex itself causes incontinence: correlation does not imply causation. They also made no inquiry into how frequently their subjects were having anal sex. Furthermore, "a quick glance at the stats reveals that the vast majority of those who were having anal sex were not incontinent." Approximately 10% of those surveyed who practiced anal sex (both male and female) experienced some type of incontinence, versus approximately 5% who didn't practice anal sex; hence the "double" claim.

Of course, running a headline stating that almost 90% of people having anal sex report no issues just wouldn't generate as many clicks.

Anal sex and prolapse

For those wondering what "prolapse" means:

Rectal prolapse

Long story short, unless you're having intercourse with a blue whale, it's exceedingly unlikely.

Saddlebacking

Saddlebacking is the practice of engaging in anal sex as a means by which to ostensibly preserve one's virginity while still gettin' it on. The term typically describes activities undertaken by young people who have been taught to value abstinence, but who rationalize their behavior with the logic that only the act of vaginal penetration "counts" as sex (this is actually the philosophical definition of sex).

The term was coined by the readers of Dan Savage's weekly sex column, who borrowed it from the Saddleback Church, an Evangelical outfit run by Rick Warren, an outspoken homophobe, to point out the hypocrisy of teaching "abstinence" to hormone-riddled teenagers. (A much older term exists in reference to a young woman who indulges in the practise: demi-vierge; there's nothing new about this.)