UC Berkeley’s hallowed halls and towering monuments stand as markers of our groundbreaking academic prowess. But beyond a legacy of Nobel laureates and periodic table discoveries lies the sultry and often unsung reality of our campus’s vibrant sex life. It’s high time we admit that the “work hard, play hard” mentality does not simply stop on Cal Day — we carry it all the way into the bedroom.
Don’t believe us? Look up from your books! Sex is all around us. For one, take a look at our infamous campus sex map or our phallic and yonic photo essay, where everyday campus landmarks might just hold some sexy secrets. Hungry for more? Indulge in a variety of pieces ranging from the phenomenon of hating your friends’ boyfriends to sexual awakenings and the trials and tribulations of hookup culture.
It’s our deepest desire that this iconic issue serves not just as a frivolous respite from daily news but as a reminder of the potential that sex has to unite us. Without further ado, it’s time to come together and lose ourselves in the 2026 Sex Issue.
– Nathan Sledjeski, Sofia Wallace, Asiya Siddiqui, Eleanor Dalton & Ella Carter-Klauschie
“Before anything physical happens, the body listens. Music’s ability to regulate emotion and arousal had made it a near-universal companion to intimacy, raising questions about what exactly happens in the brain when desire meets a beat.”
– Amy Zhang
“What I love about buffets is that you can sample just about any kind of food you want, whenever you want, however you want.
It is for these same reasons that I loved Hinge. A seemingly endless array of men sit on the platters of their profiles, only a swipe away from a free sampling of what they have to offer.”
– Emily Hamill
“What I believe, to state it more firmly, is that any worthy conception of the divine must accommodate imperfection, difference and vulnerability. It must appreciate the many vices and indulgences of life: a cigarette, vulgar music, sex in the morning and a dessert all to oneself, to name a few.”
– Nathan Sledjeski
“In January 2026, California Attorney General Rob Bonta opened an investigation into Elon Musk’s company, xAI, citing concerns about the platform’s failure to block uploads of sexually suggestive images of minors. Individuals who create, knowingly distribute, or facilitate the creation of synthetic sexual content without consent can now be liable for up to $250,000 in statutory damages.”
– Asiya Siddiqui
“As a “Sex and the City” enthusiast and skimmer of Cosmopolitan who has encountered partners on the extremes of ultra-boring and ultra-freaky, these are my five positions that will impress people anywhere along the spectrum of sexuality.”
– Lisa Zivanic
“From that day forward, I promised myself and all of my friends this: My friends always come first, and their boyfriends are not my friends.”
– Esi Otoo
“In my experience with hurt of any kind, the only way to move forward is to get two fingers on your pulse and feel it.”
– Leoni Day
“Since moving to Berkeley, I’ve been asked whether I feel I am missing out on the college experience, as if the commitment of a relationship means I have thrown away the years of my youth.”
– Lucy Blanchard
“The concept of straight men expressing themselves and their emotions freely has become so uncommon that it’s conflated with queerness or performativity.”
– Blake Plumlee
“My high school boyfriend was my first experience of romantic love. But what it taught me more than anything was how many other things I was in love with, and how love is something that is ever-circulating, constantly festering and steadily flowing through my physical and spiritual being.”
– Amara McEvoy
“This may come as a surprise, but getting the most popular flowers on the market is maybe, just maybe, not the best way to make your significant other feel significant.”
– Maanini Lakshmanan
“Every girl loves the basics — biceps, cologne and hockey jerseys — but certain things that turn me on could be considered random or straight weird.”
– Corinne Keller
“Balling on a college budget doesn’t mean you can’t be creative when planning Valentine’s Day. I hope some of these options sparked an idea and put a twinkle in your significant other’s eyes.”
– Olivia Schallich
“Sleazy guys are easier to tolerate when the drinks are free. I knew that walking in. Does this make me some kind of prostitute? Worse, does this make me sexist? Does profiting in a sexist system count, even in a several-degrees-removed kind of way?”
– Davina Jou
“The company’s current product, YCT-529, stops sperm production. By taking the pill, men will have very little sperm in their ejaculate, preventing pregnancy.”
– Myesha Phukan
“On campus, student and staff organizations are supporting the transgender community by providing gender-affirming resources, wellness events and other forms of care and celebration at a time of heightened anti-trans rhetoric.”
– Ingrid Lu