Talking with teens about race and sex.

THE THING ABOUT SEX is it's really confusing. Physically, it's an utterly basic act, of course, as essential and natural to human life as breathing. But there's so much more to it. The emotional roller coaster rides, the intricate details of receiving and giving pleasure, the electrifying fantasies and stultifying head trips--these are all parts of the mysterious interior of our sexual lives. And that's the bit that gets complicated: reconciling such an inescapable element of physical life with the internal maelstrom it stirs up. It's also the part Americans are least prepared to discuss--particularly if it involves either race or youth. In this sex issue, we invite you to consider both.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

While serving as guest editor for this issue of ColorLines, I also spent the winter discussing sex with young queer people of color, as part of promoting my new book. Drifting Toward Love. Young queers have grown into one of the most "at risk" groups of people in America--at risk for HIV and STDS, for depression and suicide, for drug use and sex work, and on and on. In the book, excerpted here, I explore the broader life contexts in ...