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Sex beyond the binary: rethinking bodies, pleasure and intimacy

Editorial Staff local sex shop podcast

In the season opener, the podcast dives into sex beyond the binary, focusing on gender-diverse bodies, pleasure and safer intimacy.

What does sex beyond the binary actually look like? That question sits at the heart of the first episode of the new season of the Local Sex Shop podcast. Host Mikaella is joined by Mo, a trans and queer sex shop owner, to unpack how bodies, language and expectations shape intimacy.

Mo’s path into sex education began at Minerva art school. While working on projects about bodies and body positivity, questions about shame and sexuality kept returning. When does a body become ‘sexual’? Why are certain forms of pleasure accepted, while others are hidden or taboo? Over time, Mo realised their interest lay less in making erotic art and more in helping people understand their bodies.

That shift eventually led to opening a sex shop focused on sex beyond the binary. The shop deliberately avoids labels like ‘for him’ and ‘for her’. Instead, products are curated to work for many different bodies, including people who experience gender dysphoria. Alongside sex toys, the shop offers gender-affirming items such as binders, tucking underwear and prosthetics.

There is no single definition of what sex should be, especially when bodies do not fit binary expectations

In the episode, Mikaella and Mo discuss how bodies can change, particularly for trans people who use hormone therapy. Those changes often affect sensation, desire and how someone wants to experience sex. According to Mo, this is where traditional ideas about sex fall short. There is no single definition of what sex should be, especially when bodies do not fit binary expectations.

Rather than fixed rules, the conversation emphasises communication. Talking about boundaries, preferred language and touch before sex happens. Not as an awkward interruption, but as a way to create trust. For Mo, this openness is essential to practising sex beyond the binary in a way that feels safe and affirming for everyone involved.

The episode also highlights broader safety issues. Mo points to high rates of sexual violence against trans people in the Netherlands and links them to gaps in sex education. When education focuses mainly on reproduction, there is little room for conversations about consent, bodily diversity and sexual autonomy. That lack of knowledge affects intimate relationships as well as healthcare settings.