Author: Reece Glenny - Page 2

Convictions During the Hundred Years’ War: How Military Justice Handled Sexual Violence

Dec 14 2025 / History & Culture

During the Hundred Years’ War, rape by soldiers was common but rarely punished. Royal pardons, weak enforcement, and a justice system focused on military needs left civilian women with no protection.

Asherah in Ancient Israel: The Fertility Goddess Who Was Erased

Dec 13 2025 / History & Culture

Asherah was once worshipped as a fertility goddess alongside Yahweh in ancient Israel-until state reforms erased her. Archaeology reveals her widespread presence, especially among women, and how her symbols were absorbed into monotheism.

UN Disability Convention and the Right to Comprehensive Sex Education

Dec 12 2025 / Social Policy

The UN Disability Convention guarantees people with disabilities the right to comprehensive sex education - yet most still receive none. This is how legal rights, real programs, and systemic change are making a difference.

Ottoman Bath Masseurs: The Hidden Realities of Same-Sex Interactions in Hamams

Dec 11 2025 / LGBTQ+ History

Ottoman bath attendants known as telks performed intimate physical services in hamams, where discreet same-sex interactions occurred under the radar of law and religion. This is the hidden history behind the steam.

The Vein of Love: How a Medical Myth Shaped Wedding Ring Tradition

Dec 10 2025 / History & Culture

The 'vein of love' is a centuries-old myth claiming a direct connection between the ring finger and the heart. Though debunked by science, it still drives wedding traditions worldwide. Here's how a medical error became a symbol of love.

Imperial Taxes on Prostitution: How Rome Taxed Sex Work from Caligula to Anastasius

Dec 9 2025 / History & Culture

From Caligula to Anastasius, Rome taxed sex work for nearly 500 years - turning marginalized women into revenue sources while denying them basic rights. A deep look at the world's first state income tax on prostitution.

ACT UP: How Direct Action Changed the AIDS Crisis Forever

Dec 8 2025 / LGBTQ+ History

ACT UP transformed the AIDS crisis through fearless direct action, forcing governments and drug companies to act. Their protests saved millions, changed medical policy, and redefined patient rights - all without waiting for permission.

The Fossil Record of Sex: How Scientists Uncover Ancient Reproductive Strategies

Dec 7 2025 / History & Archaeology

Paleontologists are uncovering how ancient life reproduced over 500 million years ago using spatial analysis, embryonic fossils, and advanced imaging. Discover how sex evolved long before dinosaurs-and why it changes everything we thought about early life.

The Río Negro Massacres: Sexual Violence as a Weapon in Cold War Guatemala

Dec 6 2025 / History & Culture

The Río Negro Massacres were a state-sponsored genocide against Q’eqchi’ Maya communities in Guatemala during the Cold War. Sexual violence was a systematic weapon used to destroy cultural identity, yet remains underreported. Survivors still seek justice.

The Hicklin Test: How Courts Once Defined Obscenity

Dec 5 2025 / History & Culture

The Hicklin Test was a 19th-century legal standard that banned any material deemed potentially corrupting to vulnerable readers. It led to the censorship of literature, medical texts, and art for over 60 years in the U.S. until it was overturned in 1957.

From Acts to Identities: How Homosexuality Became a Modern Category

Dec 4 2025 / LGBTQ+ History

Homosexuality as an identity, not just an act, emerged in the 19th century through medical and scientific classification. This shift changed how society sees sexuality, from sin to sickness to rights-and now beyond binaries.

Sex Reassignment Without Consent: The Lifelong Harm of Non-Consensual Medical Interventions

Dec 3 2025 / LGBTQ+ History

Non-consensual intersex surgeries caused lifelong harm to thousands of infants. This article separates these historical violations from modern, consent-based transgender care-and explores the fight for justice and bodily autonomy.