A: According to Urbandictionary.com, a brodown is “a boy’s night out.” Unless you have some reason to think more than basic male bonding is taking place, then you have nothing to worry about. Why not call up your girlfriends and plan an evening out with them?

A: I was out of town for a month over the holidays, and since returning, I’ve had a sharp increase in appointments for my sex therapy practice. New Year’s Resolutions usually target the areas of life one wants to change for the better, and many people feel their sex lives have room for improvement. But I’m back and available to answer questions, too. So please send any questions to Marcia@MarciaJames.net, and she will make sure I receive them.

A: I think you have the right to date whomever you wish, and finding a man who shares your vegan values makes sense.  In 2007, a New Zealand researcher coined the term “vegansexuality” after testing over 150 vegans on “cruelty-free living”, which included the idea of “rejecting meat-eaters as intimate partners”.  Many of the test subjects felt the way you do about omnivores.  Interestingly, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) commented at the time that not sleeping with meat-eaters meant vegans were missing the opportunity to “convert” them to veganism.  Personally, I think converting a non-vegan is a poor reason to pick a sex partner.

A: It depends what part of the sex industry you are talking about.  Internet porn seems to do well no matter what, but recently the strippers in NY clubs complained about a lack of business due to the stock market fluctuations.  The New York Post reported that strip clubs were seeing fewer customers and a major drop in lap dances.  Exotic dancers are feeling the squeeze these days, and it isn’t from a frisky patron!

[Dr. Skye credits Urbandictionary.com for its wealth of interesting words and definitions you won't find in Webster's Dictionary.]

Today’s Urbandictionary.com term: Friend Girl

Definition: A woman with whom one is friendly but not romantically linked in any way.

Usage example: “My girlfriend is always jealous of Sandy, but Sandy is just my friend girl.”

Q. My divorced uncle is always saying rude remarks about empowered women, groups like the National Association of Women, and women in what he calls “male professions”.  He thinks Rush Limbaugh’s “feminazis” comments are hilarious and refers to strong females as “sexless butches”.  How can I stop him from being such a jerk? — Evie J., Dexter, MO

A. You can’t. Someone with such an aggressively negative view can rarely be persuaded to see reason.  However, you can tell him you’re offended by his comments and make yourself scarce, if possible, when he starts spouting his vitriol.  By the way, a Rutgers University psychology study found that men with feminist partners have “healthier, more romantic heterosexual relationships than men who are with women who hold more traditional attitudes.”  So you might take some satisfaction in the idea that if your uncle ever finds his ideal woman — that paragon of 1950s’ housewifery (read “Stepford Wife”), there’s a good chance he’s in for a let-down.