S Nicole Lane

“Intimate Justice” looks at the intersection of art and sex and how these actions intertwine to serve as a form of resistance, activism, and dialogue in the Chicago community. For this installment, I looked at Andrew Bearnot’s exhibition at the Leather Archives + Museum, “FRUITING BODIES” and had a Q+A interview in his Hyde Park apartment.
There is no denying how special the Leather Archives + Museum is to the Chicago queer community. With vests, sex toys, photographs, and original artwork on...

"The answer to bad porn isn't no porn," the feminist sexologist, editor, and porn actress Annie Sprinkle once said. "It's to try and make porn better." Pornography is now a $97 billion global industry—the Pornhub website averages 92 million visitors daily. Much of what appears on popular porn sites is stolen content or films that were produced in unhygienic, unethical, and unsafe circumstances. But there's also better porn out there.
Feminist and ethical adult-film production houses want to p...

When you first examine Cathy Hsiao’s work, you aren’t entirely sure of what you’re gazing upon. The material seems familiar, but the fragility, gentleness and sentimental appearance of the pieces surprise you.

Since 1964, researchers have been examining the connection between breast implants and autoimmune diseases. However, women continue to suffer from breast implant illness, also known as breast implant disease (BII), with no warnings to protect them from the disease and no treatments for the debilitating ailments.
In the Journal of American Society of Plastic Surgeons, researchers discuss how BII is a “challenging issue.” Ongoing studies and scientific evaluation are still necessary to better u...

There is much mystery to colorectal cancer, the third most common cancer diagnosed in the United States. Misconceptions, myths, and misinformation surround colorectal cancer, preventing people from accessing preventative care and treatment.
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. For the 130,000 Americans diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year, we hope to clear up questions and concerns about the condition.
Let’s break down the facts.
Facts About Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer is...

“Intimate Justice” looks at the intersection of art and sex and how these actions intertwine to serve as a form of resistance, activism, and dialogue in the Chicago community. For this installment, we talked to Vesna Jovanovic via email about medical illustrations and the act of drawing.
S. Nicole Lane: I think I saw your work a few years ago actually (I think at the Museum of Surgical Science?), and recently stumbled upon it again thanks to the internet. I’ve been interested in your attentio...

Working towards recovery after an opioid addiction is no easy feat. With over 289 million prescriptions written a year, and the U.S. is responsible for 80 percent of all opiate consumption, it’s no wonder there is an opiate crisis.
The opiate epidemic is leading people into intense and fatal addictions. After only four weeks of using opioids, a person can develop an addiction to painkillers. Repeated use leads to respiratory issues, depression, and changes to the immune system. But it’s imper...

A recent Danish study found that oral contraceptives, when taken under six months before conception or even during pregnancy, can be linked to an increased risk of childhood leukemia.
The study tracked 1.1 million Danish children over the course of nine years and estimated 25 cases of leukemia in Denmark that could be attributed to maternal hormonal contraception. As Medscape reports, the risk of leukemia in children was found to be 78 percent higher when mothers used hormonal contraceptives ...

There are 321,500 sexual assault survivors in the United States. An estimated 50 to 90 percent of them develop PTSD. Other health effects of sexual assault that victims face include depression, high blood pressure, anxiety, kidney disease, aneurysms, and diabetes, among other illnesses.
Physical Consequences of Sexual Victimhood
A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people with a history of sexual harassment had “higher systolic and diastolic blood press...

For over five years, I’ve been battling the human papillomavirus (HPV) and complicated procedures related to HPV.

After finding abnormal cells on my cervix, I had a colposcopy, as well as a LEEP. I remember staring upwards to the lights in the ceiling. Legs up in stirrups, my mind fueled by anger.

Being in a vulnerable position such as a colposcopy, or even a Pap test, infuriated me. The people I had dated, or were dating, were not probed and prodded.

In an intimate and collaborative photo series, Chloe Aftel turns her lens to one of the most misrepresented groups in the US.
Six years ago, photographer Chloe Aftel embarked on the project Outside & In Between – a cross-country examination of the non-binary and genderqueer community in the United States.
Aftel travelled all over the country talking to and photographing subjects, at a time when the public discourse around genderqueer issues was not as prominent as it is today. In order to fin...

Essure has been removed from the headlines—and the market—after The Bleeding Edge documentary painted a painful picture of the reality of women living with the implant. And just like that, Bayer is no longer selling the permanent contraceptive implant after 2019.
However, women still run the risk of being implanted due to loopholes and obstacles that don’t simply eradicate the device from medical offices. Furthermore, there are thousands of women living with the consequences of the implant.
E...

It’s common for women’s bodies to change, especially with age. Women may ache, develop stretch marks, become less flexible or begin to feel pain in new places.
All of these alterations are common and expected. But sometimes, common changes can indicate a deeper, underlying concern or something more malignant.
Here are 10 health symptoms that women should never ignore, especially if they are persistent and chronic.
Sudden Breast Changes
Checking breasts is a necessary exercise both at home and...

The 2018 Farm Bill will remove hemp from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) which means that hemp will be an agricultural commodity. Because of the bill, hemp will become more readily accessible for people to improve skin, hair, digestion, and calming the mind and body.
Dr. Janelle Kim, who has extensive training in Oriental Medicine, explains that “botanicals such as rice and hemp are known to absorb more heavy metals as they grow.” Since some people farming or growing cannabis want to save...

“Intimate Justice” looks at the intersection of art and sex and how these actions intertwine to serve as a form of resistance, activism, and dialogue in the Chicago community. For this installment, we talked to Cameron Clayborn in his Bridgeport live-work studio space about popcorn ceilings, inner dialogue, and letting your freak flag fly.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
S. Nicole Lane: Are you from Chicago? If not, how did you end up here?
Cameron Clayborn: I’m from Me...