G&STC Director Jesse Kahn talks with Healthline about Navigating Cuffing Seasons in the Midst of a Pandemic

Check out G&STC’s Director Jesse Kahn talking with Gabrielle Kassel at Healthline on navigating cuffing season in the midst of a pandemic.

Seasonal depression is real

Many folks tend to feel more lonely or sad in the winter, says Jesse Kahn, LCSW-R, CST, director and sex therapist at the Gender & Sexuality Therapy Center in New York City.

While a partner alone is no treatment or “cure” for seasonal depression, “finding a partner to navigate those months together may reduce your sense of loneliness or sadness,” they say.

Advertisements get… mushy

We’re bombarded with messages from the advertisement industry about romance now more than any other time of the year, Kahn says.

Christmas, Hanukkah, and Valentine’s Day do fall smack-dab in the middle of cuffing season, after all.

These messages, he says, can make people who aren’t boo-ed up feel like they’d be happier if they were

Talk Physical Stuff

Depending on how saucy your digital interactions have been, you may also want to talk about other forms of physical intimacy.

“This is a good time to talk about all safer sexual activity practices,” Kahn says. “You might ask the person when the last time they were STI tested was, and what types of barriers they’ve used since then.”