7 Ways To Have Sex Without A Penis — Because You Really Don't Need One

When most people think about sex, their minds likely jump to penis-in-vagina (P-in-V) sex. And it's no wonder, given that the sex ed many of us had (if we had it at all) focused on teaching us how to not get pregnant. When pregnancy is the concern (or the goal) then the only kind of sex that seems to "count" is P-in-V sex. We're so invested in the penis' involvement in sex, that when the story of a man who lost his penis in a childhood accident came out on Reddit, people had one burning question: How can he fuck his girlfriend?

"We typically end up having this picture in our brain that sex involves a penis and vagina," says Laura Deitsch, PhD, resident sexologist of Vibrant. "It starts when a penis is hard and it ends when a penis ejaculates." That fixation on penis-in-vagina penetration as "real sex" not only leaves a bunch of people out, it also ignores all kinds of sexy things couples could be doing instead of sticking a penis into a hole, she says. Plenty of people default to penis-less sex because they have to — including cisgender women in queer relationships and trans or non-binary people who feel gender dysphoria around their genitals — but even straight, cisgender people could benefit from giving the penis a break. Taking one night off from P-in-V sex could inspire creativity in straight couples' sex lives, and that helps to stave off boredom.

Whether you're a cis queer woman wondering what to do with her penis-less partner, a trans person looking for ways to avoid gender dysphoria, a straight and cis person whose partner can't use his penis for medical reasons, or someone who simply wants to add a little excitement to your sex life, we've rounded up five ways to have sex without a penis. So, consider giving the P-in-V sex a break, and trying something new.