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Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse

Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse was Xtra’s popular advice column by Kai Cheng Thom tackling everything from sex and relationships to mental health. It ran for over four years and was accompanied by the video series Ask Kai: Quickies (formerly known as Quick Tips for the Apocalypse). Kai’s new column is called Dangerous Space, in which she helps you unpack hot-button issues in the news, online and in popular culture—bringing nuance and compassion to conversations that often feel fraught.

My girlfriend won’t take COVID-19 seriously. What should I do?
Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse

My girlfriend won’t take COVID-19 seriously. What should I do?

Kai weighs in on what to do when your partner is willing to take far more risks than you are

By Kai Cheng Thom
I’m genuinely falling for my new girlfriend—so why can’t I enjoy having sex with her?
Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse

I’m genuinely falling for my new girlfriend—so why can’t I enjoy having sex with her?

A newly-out lesbian questions why she freezes whenever things heat up between her and her partner

By Kai Cheng Thom
I’m a woman in a relationship with a man. How can I explore my newfound bisexuality?
Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse

I’m a woman in a relationship with a man. How can I explore my newfound bisexuality?

Kai advises a reader who recently came out that there are many ways to build queer community

By Kai Cheng Thom
How can I support my friend through addiction without breaking my boundaries?
Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse

How can I support my friend through addiction without breaking my boundaries?

When navigating a loved one’s addiction, giving help that harms us is not really helping anyone.

By Kai Cheng Thom
Should I start dating someone who is asexual even though I want to lose my virginity?
Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse

Should I start dating someone who is asexual even though I want to lose my virginity?

When it comes to setting expectations between two people with conflicting desires, it’s best not to try to figure out everything at once

By Kai Cheng Thom
My partner has depression and requires a lot of care. How can I make sure I’m also getting my needs met?
Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse

My partner has depression and requires a lot of care. How can I make sure I’m also getting my needs met?

“Care so often needs to flow in a circle. Sometimes the best way to care for others is to care for ourselves”

By Kai Cheng Thom
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Should I tell my friend I have feelings for them, even though they’re in a relationship?
Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse

Should I tell my friend I have feelings for them, even though they’re in a relationship?

“What if clear and honest expressions of desire, messy as they are, were seen as opportunities for growth, change and deepened intimacy?”

By Kai Cheng Thom
How do I tell someone who has feelings for me that I just want casual sex?
Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse

How do I tell someone who has feelings for me that I just want casual sex?

Kai gives dating advice to a lesbian looking for no-strings-attached sex

By Kai Cheng Thom
I came out as gay to my wife. Now she and my son hate me. What can I do?
Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse

I came out as gay to my wife. Now she and my son hate me. What can I do?

Kai affirms a reader’s right to live in his truth as a gay person, and advises him on how he might build bridges with his family 

By Kai Cheng Thom
I’m unhappy in my relationship and my partner is struggling. How can I possibly leave them?
Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse

I’m unhappy in my relationship and my partner is struggling. How can I possibly leave them?

Kai explains how to create an ethical and caring exit plan for a partnership that is no longer working

By Kai Cheng Thom
I’m a trans man attracted to men—but how do I get over my fear of them?
Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse

I’m a trans man attracted to men—but how do I get over my fear of them?

Kai advises a trans man on how to embrace his masculinity and make space for himself in cis, gay culture

By Kai Cheng Thom
How do I hire a sex worker?
Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse

How do I hire a sex worker?

The business of buying and selling skilled, ethical sexual labour is more complex than it ought to be 

By Kai Cheng Thom
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I survived an abusive relationship. How can I feel comfortable to start dating again?
Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse

I survived an abusive relationship. How can I feel comfortable to start dating again?

Kai offers advice on how to re-engage with dating and sex after a traumatic partnership

By Kai Cheng Thom
I want more sex than my partner does. How do I get my needs met without pushing her boundaries?
Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse

I want more sex than my partner does. How do I get my needs met without pushing her boundaries?

Meeting differing sexual needs and desires might be hard, Kai says, but there are practically infinite ways of giving and receiving pleasure

By Kai Cheng Thom
Why is it so hard to make close friends as an adult?
Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse

Why is it so hard to make close friends as an adult?

Kai advises a reader on how to deepen bonds with acquaintances and build their own “Scooby gang” 

By Kai Cheng Thom
What can I do to mend the damage I caused to my former partner?
Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse

What can I do to mend the damage I caused to my former partner?

Transformative justice and making amends doesn’t always mean staying close

By Kai Cheng Thom
Am I bi, pan, asexual, just plain straight or maybe even gay?
Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse

Am I bi, pan, asexual, just plain straight or maybe even gay?

Kai counsels a questioning Gen Z reader riding a “sexual rollercoaster” 

By Kai Cheng Thom
Am I gaslighting my partner?
Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse

Am I gaslighting my partner?

A confused reader asks Kai about the distinction between having a different memory and deliberately distorting someone’s reality

By Kai Cheng Thom
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