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The meaning of sexuality
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The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines sexuality as a) the quality and state of being sexual, b) the condition of having sex, c) sexual activity, and d) the expression of sexual receptivity or interest especially when excessive, and it cites the first use of the word at around the year 1800. Human beings experienced their own sexuality prior to 1800; however, it was not until the late nineteenth century when the ideas heterosexuality and homosexuality were initially formulated. As sexuality is the result of social interactions, one’s sex, class, and race all play large roles in defining sexuality, whether it be to others or simply on a personal level.
The human tendency to associate males with power and females with weakness is so inbred within society that, at times, it appears impossible to combat it. Alongside this lies the challenge of combating the disdain many have towards individuals of different lifestyles. Venturing back to the Victorian era, the line between men and women was clear. As Jonathan Ned Katz describes in his piece “The Invention of Heterosexuality,” the True Woman was characterized by her “distance from lust,” whereas the True Man was understood to “live closer to carnality.” Society regulated sex and male-female sexuality so that the “penis and vagina were [to be used as] instruments of reproduction, not pleasure” (Katz 152). Prostitutes or other “monsters,” such as those who self-pleasured themselves through masturbation, were looked down upon as sacrilegious individuals who threatened the purity elicited by the True Man and True Woman. As the world began to industrialize, there was a change in how individuals viewed the use of their bodies. The late nineteenth century saw a shift of societal values so t...
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Jackson, Stevi. "Sexuality, Heterosexuality, and Gender Hierarchy: Getting Our Priorities Straight." Gender, Sex, and Sexuality. New York: Oxford University, 2009. 142-56. Print.
Kimmel, Michael S. "Masculinity as Homophobia: Fear, Shame, Adn Silence in the Construction of Gender Identity." Gender, Sex, and Sexuality. New York: Oxford University, 2009. 58-70. Print.
Krantz, Jonathan N. "The Invention of Heterosexuality." 151-63. Print.
McIntosh, Peggy. "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack." 388-92. Print.
"Sexuality - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary." Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Web. 07 Oct. 2011. .
Skolnik, Avy. "Privileges Held by Non-Trans People." Gender, Sex, and Sexuality. Ed. Anonymous. New York: Oxford, 2009. 300-01. Print.
Sexuality has often been confused with pornography. It has been trivialised as something that is a denigration and denial of true feeling by sensationalising genuine expressivism.
THE ISSUE OF CONSENT In acknowledgement of the particular difficulties involved in the prosecution of rape cases and the consequent poor conviction rates, a central alteration in the law on sexual offences concerned the meaning of consent and the manner in which it should be established in a court of law. Previously, the Se... ... middle of paper ... ... y asking the reasonable person what may by its nature be sexual begs the question. Into what nature of the term sexuality are we asking people to enquire?
For example, “sociological and popular understanding of gay and lesbian relationships has been greatly distorted by the false presumption that only heterosexual relationships are normal ways of expressing sexual intimacy and love” (Andersen 1997, 95). This explains how society helps in influencing and identifying people sexual identities throughout their lifetime. Andersen admits that “heterosexual identity includes the belief that men have an overpowering sex drive and that women are considered more loving, soft and are link to sex [… and] contemporary sexual attitudes are shaped by phallocentric thinking-that which sees men as powerful and women as weak” (Andersen 1997, 94, 96). Although, society is lead to believe that men should be the dominant figure of the family. The reality is that, in gay and lesbian relationships, no one individual displays the behavior of an authoritative
Littrell, Nereida. "Sigmund Freud's concept of bisexuality." www.examiner.com/article/sigmund-freud-s-concept-of-bisexuality . N.p., 17 march 2012. Web. 10 Apr 2014.
Seidman, Steven, Nancy Fischer , and Chet Meeks. "Transsexual, transgender, and queer." New Sexuality Studies. North Carolina: Routledge, 2011. . Print.
Halperin, David. "Is There a History of Sexuality?." The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. Ed. Henry
In the article “An Anthropological Look at Human Sexuality” the authors, Patrick Gray and Linda Wolfe speak about how societies look at human sexuality. The core concept of anthology is the idea of culture, the systems of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors people acquire as a member of society. The authors give an in depth analysis on how human sexuality is looked at in all different situations.
Milstein, Susan A. Taking Sides Clashing Views in Human Sexuality. Ed. William J. Taverner and Ryan W. McKee. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.
This essay will discuss the ways sexuality is gendered and their impacts towards both men and women by exploring the contemporary heterosexual scripts from a sociological perspective on three main aspects; i.e. sex drive, desire and power. It studies how men are deemed to have a higher sexual edge than women, who acts as the relationship gatekeepers. This essay analyses the theory that women predictably pursuits love and relationships while men are more sexually controlled by lusts and cravings. Sexual dominance and passiveness is another traditional script inspected in this essay, focusing on how men are always expected to be the prevailing initiator thus devouring more power in relationships while women stays being the weaker, submissive receivers.
Valocchi, S. ""Where Did Gender Go?" Same-Sex Desire and the Persistence of Gender in Gay Male Historiography." GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies 18.4 (2012): 453-79. Web.
Wilton, Tamsin. "Which One's the Man? The Heterosexualisation of Lesbain Sex." Gender, Sex, and Sexuality. New York: Oxford University, 2009. 157-70. Print.
Throughout Western civilization, culturally hegemonic views on gender and sexuality have upheld a rigid and monolithic societal structure, resulting in the marginalization and dehumanization of millions of individuals who differ from the expected norm. Whether they are ridiculed as freaks, persecuted as blasphemers, or discriminated as sub-human, these individuals have been historically treated as invisible and pushed into vulnerable positions, resulting in cycles of poverty and oppression that remain prevalent even in modern times. Today, while many of these individuals are not publicly displayed as freaks or persecuted under Western law, women, queer, and intersexed persons within our society still nonetheless find themselves under constant
Gender and sexuality can be comprehended through social science. Social science is “the study of human society and of individual relationships in and to society” (free dictionary, 2009). The study of social science deals with different aspects of society such as politics, economics, and the social aspects of society. Gender identity is closely interlinked with social science as it is based on an identity of an individual in the society. Sexuality is “the condition of being characterized and distinguished by sex” (free dictionary, 2009). There are different gender identities such as male, female, gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual that exists all around the world. There is inequality in gender identities and dominance of a male regardless of which sexuality they fall under. The males are superior over the females and gays superior over the lesbians, however it different depending on the place and circumstances. This paper will look at the gender roles and stereotypes, social policy, and homosexuality from a modern and a traditional society perspective. The three different areas will be compared by the two different societies to understand how much changes has occurred and whether or not anything has really changed. In general a traditional society is more conservative where as a modern society is fundamentally liberal. This is to say that a traditional society lists certain roles depending on the gender and there are stereotypes that are connected with the genders. One must obey the one that is dominant and make decisions. On the other hand, a modern society is lenient, It accepts the individual’s identity and sexuality. There is no inequality and everyone in the society is to be seen as individuals not a part of a family unit...
... decades ago. This book is one that will allow the reader to view many aspects of sexuality from a social standpoint, and apply it to certain social attitudes in our society today, these attitudes can range from the acceptance of lesbian and gays, and the common sight of sex before marriage and women equality. The new era of sexuality has taken a definite "transformation" as Giddens puts it, and as a society we are living in the world of change in which we must adapt, by accepting our society as a changing society, and not be naive and think all the rules of sexuality from our parents time our still in existence now.
In today’s society things are being expressed and experienced at younger ages, than ever before in our time. Children and teenagers are discovering their sexuality at very early ages. Sexuality is the discovering of who you are and what makes you different from everybody else.