Meg-John (MJ) Barker (they/them) is a writer, zine-maker, collaborator, contemplative practitioner, creative mentor, and friend. They are the author of a number of popular books on sex, gender, and relationships, including graphic guides to Queer, Gender, and Sexuality; How To Understand Your Gender, Sexuality and Relationships; Life Isn’t Binary, Enjoy Sex (How, When, and IF You Want To), Rewriting the Rules, and Hell Yeah Self Care. They also publish zines, comics, and free books on themes such as plurality, trauma, consent, and creativity via their website rewriting-the-rules.com.
If you’d like to support their work, please sign up to their Patreon, or make a one-off donation to their paypal.
MJ was an activist-academic and existential sex and relationship therapist for many years before focusing on writing full time. They’ve engaged internationally on issues of gender, sexual, and relationship diversity (GSRD) and therapy, with many academic books and papers published on topics including bisexuality, consensual non-monogamy, sadomasochism, non-binary gender, and Buddhist mindfulness. They co-founded the journal Psychology & Sexuality and the activist-research organisation BiUK, through which they published The Bisexuality Report. They wrote the BACP resource on GSRD, co-organised Critical Sexology for a decade, and co-presented the Meg-John & Justin podcast with Justin Hancock. They support other creatives around queer and therapeutic writing of all kinds. Their work weaves together spiritual, sociopolitical, relational, and embodied understandings and practices.
You can find details of name and pronouns here.
MJ also experiences themselves as a plural system, rather than a single individual. You can find out more about their plural work, and read their plural biographies here.
MJ is no longer a therapist and can’t respond to crisis emails, messages or calls. If you’re looking for a therapist check out Pink Therapy for private therapists, and London Friend, the LGBT foundation, and Metro for low cost therapy. If you’re in crisis, the following are links to people who can help you:
