Nelson's final
The author of "Does this flogger make my ass look fat?" discusses 5 myths that people have about the kink community. Be able to explain each (see pp. 25-27 from the essay, "Does this flogger make my ass look fat?")
everyone has sex with everyone else -- sex positivity, some are polyamorous but thats it kinky parties are one big orgy and erotic free for all -- organized around free sex and free love, some forbid sexual intercourse, rules vary if you are into kinky sex, ou are into all forms of kinky sex -- you can have very specific fantasies and no interest in anything else dungeons are gross and scary -- some can be scary, but most dungeons are well kept walking into a kink event makes you an available target for any type of perversion -- all about consent, permission must be requested and granted
In the essay, "Men's Sexual Flexibility," the phenomenon of flexibility is explored, that is of heterosexual men who are flexible in their approach to heterosexuality. In general, flexibility (as opposed to fluidity) within the context of the essay means what? (see pp. 252 & 255)
flexibility -- not acting out of sexual desire or even consider a same sex kiss a sexual act; instead they embrace these behaviors as symbols of affection for one another, as a sign of their platonic love for their heterosexual friends
What is "phallic sexuality"? (p. 106 from "Anal Sex: Phallic and Other Meanings" )
form of sexuality that centers around the penis and its pnetrative role in coital intercourse
In her essay "Adolescent girls' sexuality," Tolman uses the term "Sexual subjectivity." Be able to explain this concept as Tolman is utilizing it in relation to adolescent girls' sexuality (pp. 138-141)
having a sense of oneself as a sexual person who is entitled to have sexual feelings and to make active decisions about sexual behavior opposite of passive or "it just happened" "good girl" is assumed to be stressed
In the essay, "Introducing asexuality, unthinking sex," Przybylo discusses asexuality as an umbrella term. Explain what the author means by this. (p. 182)
umbrella term for individuals who have a disinterest or aversion to sex, sexual practices, and the role of sex in relationships. It cuts across other sexual orientations such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, and straight as well as monogamous and polyamorous
What is morality about?
"Activist Michael Warner argues that 'most people cannot quite rid themselves of the sense that controlling the sex of others...is where morality begins'; thus, in Warner's viewpoint, sexual morality is about controlling someone else's sex life" (p. 516)"Social psychologists refer to the notion of 'downward social comparison,' where an individual tries to raise their own self-image and feel better about themselves by putting down someone else. Expressions of morality on an interpersonal level often involve this social psychological dynamic. And in this sense, sexual morality is not just about trying to control someone else's sex life. It is about claiming a morally superior position for oneself through stigmatizing others" (p. 517)
S/M and rise and prominence of gay politics
"It is hard to imagine the mainstreaming of S/M without the growing prominence of gay politics. The movement made a nonconventional sexuality into a positive basis of identity, community, and politics. Gays and lesbians challenged laws, stereotypes, and social policies; they demanded respect, rights, and justice. The gay movement served as a kind of model for other sexual outsiders, such as bisexuals, transsexuals, fetishists, and sadomasochists. Indeed, a well-organized, politically assertive S/M movement took shape initially within lesbian and gay communities" (pp. 246-247)
The arbitrariness of sexual immorality
"One thing to keep in mind when thinking about how we talk about sexual immorality is that sexual acts have no meaning in and of themselves—it is only the surrounding culture which gives sexual practices or the people who engage in them particular meanings. Thus, in one sense, we could say that what gets defined as moral or immoral in a culture is arbitrary. Throughout the world, there is no universal agreement as to what constitutes sexually immoral behavior" (pp. 515-516). . . There are no sexual practices that are universally condemned across cultures or throughout history (p. 519).
S/M and changes in the status of women
"S/M might not have gained social visibility without changes in the status of women. As long as women were viewed as interested in sex only as a means to establish intimacy or to create families, S/M could not be considered a legitimate sex act. It would be difficult for women to approach their bodies as vehicles of sensual pleasure if they still imagined themselves as 'pure' or if the norm of the 'good girl' still required an exclusively romantic approach to sex. Women had to be seen as pleasure-oriented before S/M could be considered a legitimate sexual expression" (p. 246)
S/M definitions
"Sadomasochism (S/M) involves the use of power or roles of dominance and submission for the purpose of sexual arousal. Sexual pleasure is based on exercising (sadism) or submitting to (masochism) power. S/M may involve physical acts (for example, bondage, slapping, whipping) and verbal acts (for example, orders, commands, submissive statements)" (p. 243)
"bars, bikers, and bathrooms: a century of not-gay sex" Be able to describe/explain how in each example, straight white men constructed themselves as heterosexual (as "not gay") while engaging in homosexual sex/behavior. (pp. 61-81)
(1) Trade: Heteroflexibility in the Prewar American City -- conventionally straight men would engage in sex with other men without threat to their normalcy and straightness especially in working class (2) Bikers and Bathrooms: Straight Men's Homosexual Activity in the 1950s and 1960s -- homosexual activity still might not be gay when undertaken by real men; homosexual life for the male outlaw (hell's angels -- men who had sexual encounters with men); working class example (3) The Tearoom -- straight identified, middle class whtie men sexual encounters in the public men's restroom. Study conducted by Land Humphreys -- straight identified married men giving and receiving blowjobs in semi-isolated public restrooms (4) Scandal! Spiritual Crises and Hetero Redemption in the late 20th Century -- changed perception of encounters including a more visible and mobilized population of "out" gay men and lesbian; emergence of a modern gay rights movement made these encounters stir moral panic (gay sex scandals)
The idea of a natural order of sexuality has been compelling to many of us precisely because it both explains our sexuality and furnishes a basis for distinguishing good and bad sexual behavior. But there are three problems with this idea. Explain each. (see p. xii from "Introduction to the Social Construction of Sexuality")
1. The notion of nature is an unreliable moral guide. Our idea of what is natural and unnatural changes and is often the focus of conflict 2. appealing to nature to judge what is moral seems too cut and dried. Either a sexual desire or act is natural and therefore good, or it is not, but what about the gray area. 3. clasifying sexualities as good or bad depending on whether they are natural or not is scoially divisive and harmful: it creates a world of sexual pariahs and outsiders.
Przybylo discusses how asexual people experience asexual discrimination. The author details 3 ways how this can happen. Be able to explain each. (pp. 187-189)
1. asexual people face obstacles to participating fully in both heteronormative and queer publics; sex and sexual interest become markers of normality, peer group belonging, health and vitality, and knowledge of self 2. asexual people are susceptible to unwanted or coercive sex, particularly when in relationships with nonasexual individuals 3. asexual people are rendered unintelligible in a context where sex is so crucial to public and relational belonging
Four key ideas of sexology: (pp. 3-4 from "The Science of Sex"). Be able to explain each.
1. claims that humans are born with a sexual nature, and that sexuality is part of the biological and genetic makeup of all individuals 2. views sexuality as being at the core of what it means to be human our sexual drive is no less basic than our need to eat or sleep 3. views sexuality as being a driving force in human behavior. it influences all aspects of our lives from the physical to the psychological 4. states that the sexual instinct is by nature heterosexual (natural attraction between men and women)
Name and explain the five challenges that the disabled face to developing self-satisfactory sexualities (pp. 90-94 from "The Body, Disability, and Sexuality")
1. the medicalization model of people with disabilites -- people with disabilities are defined as passive, dependent, and intant-like, one who needs others to care for them 2. attitudes of people with disabilities as sexual partners -- invalidated condition makes them constrained in opportunities to nurture and to be nurtured, to be lovers and to love, and to become parents is they so desire 3. internalized oppression --frequently people with disabilities internalize societal negative stereotypes and act on them as if they were true 4. fetishists -- temporarily abled bodied people are attracted to them because of their disabilities 5. physical and sexual abuse -- disability exacerbates one of the worst elements of oppression and does untold amounts of damage to disabled people's sense of and experience of their own sexuality
In the essay, "Men's Sexual Flexibility," the rise of the phenomenon of flexibility among straight men is attributed primarily to what?
Decreasing homophobia
The author of "Welcome to the Jungle" notes that people are into kink for 7 different reasons. Be able to explain each (see pp. 6-11 from the essay, "Welcome to the jungle.")
Because its sexy --opportunity to sample everything on the buffet of erotic life, to manifest joy with our bodies Because it is an adventure -- chance to feel more alive Because we are wired this way -- those who have longed for alternative sexual practices for most of their lives; for some, kinks come naturally and sometimes the desires come later in life because we need decompression and touch -- physical touch can clear the mind, be empowering or fulfilling because it is a challenge -- help people face fears and sorrows, embrace them, and reclaim bodies or personal power because we want to connect with others -- way to express love, passion, desire, devotion, and connection because it is personal and profound exploration -- tool for spiritual, energetic, or personal challenging
Butler
Butler holds that the idea that nature has created two distinct, opposing human types should not be uncritically accepted. We have come to believe this view, she says, because we live in a society organized around heterosexuality, marriage, and the nuclear family. Viewing men and women as naturally different and complementary makes heterosexuality—and therefore also marriage and the heterosexual family—seem like the natural, normal, and right way of living...a system of compulsory heterosexuality, for Butler, explains why societies divide individuals into two gender types... (p. 36 from "Social Constructionism: Sociology, History, and Philosophy") A system of compulsory heterosexuality may help to explain why societies divide individuals into two gender types, but it does not explain how gender identities are created and sustained daily. In order to explain the latter process, Butler asks us to consider gender as "performance." What this means is that gender is not a noun (something that you are); instead, for Butler, gender is a verb (something that we do). There is no core gender identity that drives our behavior; instead these behaviors are modeled after images of what it means to be a woman or a man that we learn from our families and other institutions and are maintained under duress. Sexuality studies scholars have utilized Butler's notion of gender as performance to consider the various ways that sexuality is a performance too (pp. 36-38 from "Social Constructionism: Sociology, History, and Philosophy"
S/M and gender roles "Does S/M reproduce unequal gender roles? Defenders say it does involve roles of dominance and submission, but why must these be viewed as gendered—as masculine and feminine?
Dominance and submission are not necessarily gendered experiences....Critics, esp. some feminist critics, disagree. [They argue] that any social exchange that is organized around dominance and submission or aggressivity and passivity carries gendered meanings. S/M roles, these critics say, inevitably reinforce gender roles and inequality" (pp. 248-249)
Many sexologists have been outspoken critics of the sexual policies and laws of their nations. Give an example
For example, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, sexologists such as Magnus Hirschfeld and Havelock Ellis advocated the decriminalization of homosexuality by arguing that it is natural (pp. 5-6 from "The Science of Sex")
Foucault
Foucault proposed that is was the very idea of sexuality...that created what we today know as sex. In other words, we are not born sexual; rather, we learn to be sexual beings; this occurs only in societies that have created the idea of "sexuality" (p. 30 from "Social Constructionism: Sociology, History, and Philosophy") According to Foucault, if Christian confessional practices provided the initial impulse to think of our erotic feelings as a separate sphere invested with moral significance, the birth of the science of sexuality (sexology) in the 19th century was the crucial modern event...In other words, the science of sexuality organized and unified our diverse somatic experiences into a coherent entity called sexuality (p. 31 from "Social Constructionism: Sociology, History, and Philosophy") If sexuality is today tightly linked to a system of social control, then, ironically, sexual liberation might involve freeing ourselves from the idea of sexuality...Foucault advocates a politics against sexuality—against, that is, sexualizing selves, identities, and acts (p. 34 from "Social Constructionism: Sociology, History, and Philosophy")
Freud's perceptions of sexologists.
Freud accepted many of the ideas of the sexologists. However, although Freud viewed sex as a kind of biological energy that seeks expression, he believed that the sex instinct does not have a single purpose. Whereas sexologists defined the sexual instinct as reproductive and naturally heterosexual, Freud argued that the sexual instinct is oriented to pleasure. Moreover, humans get pleasure not only from sexual intercourse, but also from kissing, touching, caressing, looking, etc...Freud argued that the body has many erotic areas and that there are many ways of experiencing sexual satisfaction (pp. 6-7 from "The Science of Sex")
S/M and historical change in American sexual culture
Historically, S/M can be seen as part of a broader set of changes in American sexual culture that began to tolerate "separating sexual pleasure from love, marriage, and procreation.... [For example] the so-called sexual revolution of the 1960s and 1970s loosened the connection between eroticism and romantic love. Sexual pleasure no longer had to be linked to intimacy, love or marriage to be tolerated. Sex was now valued as a source of pleasure and self-expression apart from any connection to love and marriage....As the link between eroticism and romanticism was weakened, individuals could be more openly imaginative and inventive in their sexual preferences [and behaviors and acts]....This [shift] to a culture of eroticism made it possible to approach S/M as just another sex act" (pp. 244-246)
Bowers v. Hardwick
In 1986 The US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Bowers v. Hardwick that consenting adults do not have a constitutional right to engage in homosexual acts in private, upholding a Georgia law. The majority said the "right of privacy" under the Due Process Clause does not give homosexuals the right to engage in sodomy. The "right to privacy" protects intimate marital and familial relations, but the Court said it does not cover gay sodomy because "no connection between family, marriage, or procreation on the one hand and homosexual activity on the other has been demonstrated." This decision, considered a serious blow to the gay-rights movement, was overturned in the 2003 Lawrence v. Texas decision.
Baehr v. Lewin
In 1993 The Hawaii Supreme Court ruled in Baehr v. Lewin that a ban on same-sex marriage was probably a violation of that state's prohibition against sex discrimination, and that the freedom to marry is one of the basic civil rights. Marriage equality, however, was outlawed in Hawaii in 1998 when the voters ratified an amendment banning it. (See Chapter 31 from The Gay Revolution for more details.)
The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
In 1996 The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is signed into law by President Bill Clinton. DOMA, prior to being ruled unconstitutional, defined marriage for federal purposes as the union of one man and one woman, and allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages granted under the laws of other states.
"heterosexuality: from behavior to identity"
In 19th century America, scientific and popular writers understood the male and female sexual instinct as heterosexual and oriented to procreation. In other words, the sexual instinct was a reproductive instinct. To be sexually normal meant to be oriented to reproduce in the same way that hunger means to be driven to eat. I want to underscore this point: heterosexuality indicated a reproductive drive, not simply a sexual attraction, and it was a drive or behavior, not an identity. (p. 46) However, a shift toward understanding heterosexuality as an identity occurred in the late 19th/early 20th centuries. The term heterosexual first appeared in scientific and medical literature in the 1890s. It was defined as an identity based on sexual attraction for the opposite sex. The key point is that heterosexual desire was uncoupled [during this time] from procreation. Normal sex was defined as heterosexual erotic attraction; abnormal sex was homosexual erotic attraction. In other words, the concept of 'heterosexual' took shape and meaning in relation to the concept of homosexual. Both terms indicated a sexual desire unrelated to reproduction that was the basis of personal identity. By the early 20th century, many writers and ordinary citizens defined an individual's sexual identity according to whether he or she was attracted to the same or the opposite sex. (pp. 46-47)
Lawrence v. Texas
In 2003 The US Supreme Court in Lawrence v. Texas, overruled, 6-3, a Texas sodomy law and voted 5-4 to overturn the 1986 Bowers v. Hardwick decision. "The state cannot demean their [gays'] existence or control their destiny by making their private sexual conduct a crime," wrote Justice Kennedy in the majority opinion. In his dissent to Lawrence v. Texas, Justice Scalia posed a sarcastic question: If sodomy laws are overturned, "what justification could there possibly be for denying homosexuals the benefit of marriage?" (See Chapter 31, p. 593, from The Gay Revolution for more details.) (More info. on: Lawrence v. Texas (2003) is a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court. The Court struck down the sodomy law in Texas in a 6-3 decision and, by extension, invalidated sodomy laws in 13 other states, making same-sex sexual activity legal in every U.S. state and territory. The Court, with a five-justice majority, overturned its previous ruling on the same issue in the 1986 case Bowers v. Hardwick, where it upheld a challenged Georgia statute and did not find a constitutional protection of sexual privacy.)
US v Windsor.
In 2013 The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was unconstitutional in the landmark case US v Windsor.
Hollingsworth v. Perry
In 2013: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Hollingsworth v. Perry that proponents of CA's Prop 8 did not have "standing" and therefore no claim in the Supreme Court, and that they should not have been granted a hearing in the federal appeals court either. The decision the U.S. Supreme Court upheld was that of Judge Vaughn Walker of the district court, who'd said that Prop 8 was unconstitutional. This ruling, in essence, restored marriage equality on a "technicality" to California. (More info. on Hollingsworth v. Perry: The ruling removed legal battles for same-sex couples wishing to marry in California. However, the ruling did not directly affect other states, since the US Supreme Court did not decide the case "on the merits" (i.e. on the constitutional question).)
Obergefell v. Hodges
In 2015 The U.S. Supreme Court ruled (5-4) in Obergefell v. Hodges that marriage is a fundamental right to which same-sex couples should have the same access as opposite-sex couples, bringing marriage equality nationwide.(More info. on Obergefell v. Hodges: Obergefell v. Hodges, (2015), is a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held in a 5-4 decision that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.)
What movements developed a consistent social perspective on sexuality?
It was not psychoanalysts who developed a consistent social perspective on sexuality. Rather, such perspectives initially emerged out of the three great social and intellectual movements of the 20th century—socialism, the women's movement, and the gay and lesbian movement. These gave birth to three great social theories of sexuality---respectively, Marxism, feminism, and social constructionism (p. 12 from "The Science of Sex")
Feminism
Many feminists have been sympathetic to both the ideas and the political goals of Marxism. They have, though, created their own powerful social point of view. At the core of feminism is the idea that individuals are defined not only by their class position but also by their gender status. (p. 18 from "Social Theories of Sexuality: Marxism and Feminism") While many feminists have argued for an analytical understanding of the relationship between the categories of gender and sexuality, some feminists have cogently asserted that we need to understand sexuality separate from an analysis of gender. Gayle Rubin, a feminist anthropologist, is important in this regard.
Why did the idea of sexuality appear and what was its social importance, according to Foucault?
One major reason was sexuality was connected to a broader system of social control; sexuality had become part of what Foucault called a "disciplinary society." Controlling people's sexual feelings, behaviors, and identities makes possible a great deal of social control over their bodies and actions. Foucault thought that sexuality had become a crucial part of the way modern societies control their citizens (pp. 31-32 from "Social Constructionism: Sociology, History, and Philosophy")
Why did the meaning of heterosexuality change from a reproductive instinct to a sexual desire and identity?
One perspective holds that there was a crisis of gender identity in the early 20thcentury. Heterosexuality as an identity and "natural" desire between the sexes—that idea of heterosexuality—aimed to shore up a fragile gender order. Asserting a clear heterosexual identity became a way to flag a normal gender identity during a time when gender and gender roles started to become more blurred. (pp. 47-49)
Gayle Rubin and feminism
Rubin objected to the view that sexuality is a direct expression of gender. That is, Rubin tries to understand sexuality as connected to gender, yet as also having its own dynamics. In her essay, "Thinking Sex," Rubin makes the case that sex is fundamentally about erotic desires, fantasies, acts, identities, and politics—none of which are reducible to gender dynamics. (p. 23 from "Social Theories of Sexuality: Marxism and Feminism") In Rubin's view, all societies create sexual hierarchies that establish boundaries between good and bad or legitimate and illicit sexualities. Societies classify certain desires, acts, and identities as normal, respectable, good, healthy, moral; other forms of sexuality are classified as unhealthy, abnormal, sinful and immoral. Societies support and privilege "normal and good" forms of sexuality and punish those defined as "abnormal and bad" through law, violence, ridicule, or stigma. This system of sexual regulation applies to both men and women. (p. 23 from "Social Theories of Sexuality: Marxism and Feminism")
what do sexologists aspire to?
Sexologists aspire to discover the laws of sexuality, primarily through the case study method. That is, they use intensive interviews and observations to uncover the true nature of sexuality. On the basis of scientific case study, sexologists attempt to elaborate classifications of sexual types and detail the range of normal and abnormal forms of sexuality (pp. 4-5 from "The Science of Sex")
Marxists argue that the economy is the most important social force shaping human society. Every society is organized around a specific economic system. From this perspective, a particular type of economy shapes a specific sexual culture. So what is the relationship between capitalism and sexuality? (p. 13 from "Social Theories of Sexuality: Marxism and Feminism")
a capitalist economy is oriented toward profit an economic growth. Marx believed that profit is based on exploiting labor; growth occurs by reinvesting profits back into an enterprise
In her essay, " 'Guys are just homophobic': rethinking adolescent homophobia and heterosexuality," Pascoe introduces the concept of "the fag discourse." What does this concept mean? How does it work in terms of interactions among straight boys? (pp. 144-148)
a fag is the worst thing a boy can be; the fag discourse shows thast their behavior reflects not just a fear of same sex desire, but a specific fear of men's same sex desire boys are afraid to be called fags, but lesbians are okay
Explain the concept, "temporarily able-bodied" (p. 88 from "The Body, Disability, and Sexuality")
aging is disabling and many of us will live long enough to develop a disability during our lifetime
Marxists distinguish two phases of capitalist development in Europe and the US. Throughout the 19th century, a market-based capitalism was dominant; since the early 20th century, capitalism has been shaped by large corporations. Be able to explain in detail how each phase shapes the construction of a sexual culture (pp. 13-18 from "Social Theories of Sexuality: Marxism and Feminism")
market capitalist phase -- the chief economic challenge is to produce goods to meet the needs of the whole populations; answer to this problem is discipline -- individuals are trained to adapt to rhythms of a system of mass production that progressively strips work of individual imagination and skill (making workers machine like). sex is associated with marriage and child production consumer-oriented economy/corporate economy has decisively shaped contemporary patterns of sexuality -- promotes a view of sex as natural, brings sex into the public arena, creates new sex industries, and champions sexual choice and pleasure; producing good products
Freud's most influential idea is the stage theory of psychosexual development. Be able to explain the "genital stage" and why this stage can be viewed in social terms (pp. 8-9 from "The Science of Sex")
marks the beginning of adult development as the individual is no longer self-stimulating but is oriented to other individuals this symbolizes the child's entry into the social world, as he or she now must negotiate social interaction to obtain sexual satisfaction
Be able to name and explain/describe the 9 present-day constructions of anal sex (pp. 106-111 from "Anal Sex: Phallic and Other Meanings")
method of contraception -- used by heterosexual couples ot substitute vaginal intercourse health risk -- potential for sexually transmitted disease; element of risk associated with unprotected anal sex may sometimes heighten its erotic appeal heterosexual substitute -- absence of women (ex. prison); affirm masculine identity -- affirm by the role, not the gender perversion -- sodomy is the most serious of range of sexual sins; act of anal intercourse was characterized by perverted sexual nature routine variation -- as relationships became more established anal intercourse was one of a number of variations that could be gradually integrated fashionable theme -- theme of cultural representation and sex talk (collective imagination in that it is talked about more than it is actually done) porno number -- heterosexual market (for men) act of phallic domination -- one individual asserts himself through the subordination of another special, ultimate intimacy -- between couples (theme in gay men); top-bottom or zero-one
Also, in her essay, " 'Guys are just homophobic': rethinking adolescent homophobia and heterosexuality," Pascoe details 3 ways of how boys assure others of their heterosexuality. Be able to explain/describe each (pp. 148-150).
rituals of getting girls -- having a girlfriend protects against homophobic harrassment rituals of touch -- reinforce boy's dominance over girls sex talk -- acquiring identity; boys enact and naturalize their heterosexuality
Przybylo talks about how Western culture tends to emphasize the "sexual imperative" or "compulsory sexuality" in 4 ways. Be able to explain each. (p. 185)
sexual imperative -- a technique that functions to prioritize both sex and sexuality through 1. privileging sex over other forms of relating, touch, and other activities 2. centralizing sexuality in the project of self-making and self-knowledge 3. affixing sex to health 4. hinging sex to the souple relationship, to love, and to intimacy
The author of "Does this flogger make my ass look fat?" discusses 7 myths (myths 6-12) within the kink community. Be able to explain each (see pp. 27-31 from the essay, "Does this flogger make my ass look fat?")
the kink community is a perfect utopia -- no there is "one true way" to do kink right -- there are many schools of thought on how to do kink, and each of them are right for people who do it that way collars mean the same thing for everyone -- symbols of erotic expression vary -- could be used for fashion, serious commitment, or dominance everyone is okay with everyone else's kink -- some people may not get what you are into and there are clashes between subcommunities based on ethical framework, personal values, discomfort, life history, etc the past was the golden age of BDSM -- forever indebted to those who came before, who fought imprisonment, experience police abuse, had children taken from them, and were murdered for non-conformist sexual identities real kinksters follow formal dominant/submissive protocols -- some follow specific behavior patterns, manners and types of etiquette, but some have casual approaches to protocol all kinksters play SSC (safe, sane, consensual) -- universal kinky catchphrase
What is sexology
the pseudo-scientific study of sexuality that emerged in the late 19th and early 20thcenturies (p. 3 from "The Science of Sex")
"American culture is often described as a "dualistic culture." Dualistic cultures conceptualize the world through mutually exclusive, opposing values: right and wrong, black and white, male and female, good and bad, etc. People that are strongly socialized to think in a dualistic manner tend to make judgments in either/or terms: either someone is right or wrong, good or bad, etc" (p. 517) "Dualistic thinking affects how we think about sexual morality: e.g. sexual morality can be framed in either/or terms through the use of the dualistic metaphor, purity and pollution" (pp. 517-519) "Drawing lines between who is considered sexually pure and who is impure is not a simple matter of a culture going through some 'natural' process of determining its own particular norms and sorting out who follows the rules and who breaks them, but is one more way that dominant groups demonstrate their power against minorities" (p. 520)According to our culture's dualistic logic, in order to become polluted one must first be pure; corruptibility only makes sense in relation to innocence. Which groups of people can be portrayed as symbols of sexual purity? Who can be socially constructed as innocent in a society? Be able to explain the historical shift the author describes from Victorian upper-class white women being constructed as sexually pure/innocent to children being constructed as sexually pure/innocent. (see pp. 520-522)
victorian upper class white women were once symbols of moral purity. sex in marriage was the necessary evil (not enjoyed) to maintained purity women could not maintain symbol because it ensured their dependence on men and played strong roles in womens movements for birth control children took the place of women's moral purity. they were once viewed as inherently eveil because they are conceived in sin and the devil has to beat them; instead they became viewed as blank slates, unaware of adult desires and lust
What does it mean to view sex as social? It is useful to distinguish a weak and a strong version of the claim that sex is social. Be able to explain the difference between these two versions (see pp. ix-x from "Introduction to the Social Construction of Sexuality")
weak claim --individuals are born with a sexual nature (ex. most of us are born heterosexual and are biologically driven to engage in procreative behavior. Social factors shape when, with whom, and how we engage in heterosexual behavior) strong claim -- we are not born with a sexual nature, and we are born with bodies that have enormous potential to experience sexual stimulation. Society teaches us which bodily sensations and experiences are sexual and their meaning
What is the coital imperative? And be able to explain why it is not natural nor immutable (pp. 74-79 from "Viagra and the Coital Imperative")
widely shared presumption that heterosexual sex is penis-vagina intercourse; and anything else is either a preliminary to - or an optional extra beyond - real sex not natural: noncoital sex was rare in publications of the era, and when it was mentioned it was always assoicated with prohibitions (orgasm became less important). Assumed that sex drive wold decrease throughout marriage. not immutable: there is no single cultural or biological determinants of human sexual behavior that are rigidly prescriptive over time and place. Sexual dysfunctions could have enhanced a relationship.
