Human Sexuality

Matters of the heart and soul,

body and mind

overview
A look at an essential part of us all
Profoundly important
Undeniably interesting
A challenge and opportunity for every one
of us

controversy
Contraception
Education
Orientation

headlines
Movies/Television
People
Advertising
Crime & Punishment

diversity
The U.S. compared with other nations
Great variety within the U.S.:
Ethnic/Racial
Education/Economic
Regional

A psychosocial approach
Its more than just biology
Our views of our sexuality are strongly
influenced by psychological and social
conditioning factors

Two themes
Two essential aspects of sexuality and
what it really means to be a man or a
woman have ebbed and flowed throughout
the centuries
Their evolution and current status tell us a
lot about our conception of sexuality and
ourselves

Sex for procreation

The belief that sexs only permissible use
is reproduction.
So, any other reason to engage in sex is
either immoral or illegal, or both.
But today, 60% of us think that oral sex is
acceptable.

Male & female gender roles

Real, physiological differences have been
exaggerated
Stereotypes:
MEN should initiate, persist and be allknowing.
Women should be passive and careful
or face the slut label.

 We will look at these themes through

a variety of perspectives as our
semester unfolds.

Other cultures - Islam

Based on Muhammad's Quran
Premarital sex is frowned on, especially
for women
Marital sex is to be treasured
Women viewed as more sexual
Marriages arranged
Female adulterers and male homosexuals
are severely punished

China
Sex initially promoted through Taoism
A resurgence of Confucianism led to
a much more conservative approach
Wide-spread sexual illiteracy
Slow loosening today

A Brief history
Often parallels the sad story of how
women became marginalized in our
culture
Western civilization has seen the
conception of women (and their sexuality)
change drastically over the millennia

From Gaea

Aphrodite

Maeve

To Eve

The Bible
Sexuality was celebrated by man and wife
despite strict gender roles
Sex was a frequent motivation
On the other hand, diversity
(homosexuality) meant death

Christianity
Jesus compassionate but more
typically silent about sex
Equality in the early church?
The mystery of Mary Magdalene

The early Church

St. Paul advocated celibacy in response
to temptation
Viewed women as inferior to men

The great synthesizer

Saint Augustine (354-430)
reformed party guy
reconciled the Catholic faith with
classical traditions
once devoted to God, sneered at sex
invented Original Sin thus forever
vilifying Eve
Missionary position

The intersection of faith and

sexuality
As the centuries rolled on, the church
became increasingly institutionalized and
male dominated
Solidified in the context of the sexual
excesses of the late Roman Empire
Mary idealized, Mary Magdalene
defamed
Womens sexual nature feared

St. Thomas Aquinas

Meshed Catholic theology with Aristotle
In his hugely influential Summa
Theologica, briefly but effectively
perpetrated the view of sex as sinful
Any activity not aiming for procreation was
a crime against nature

Consequences
After Aquinas, homosexuals could find
neither refuge nor tolerance anywhere in
the Western world.
As for women, witch hunts provided
horrifying outlets for the fear of feminine
sexuality

The Protestant Reformation

Some softening of the prevailing, bleak
view of sex
John Calvin (1509-1564), said marital sex
could, lighten and ease the cares and
sadness or endear each other.

The Victorian era 1837-1901

Queen Victoria ruled over England, the
worlds greatest power
World-wide tone setter
Sexes were cast in rigid roles:
MEN stern breadwinners; full of lust
WOMEN pure, asexual, delicate; sex
was a wifely duty

More Victorian Views

Sex viewed as a medical risk
Due to strict gender-roles, great gulf
between the sexes
Surprise! - Prostitution flourished

But behind closed doors

Celia Mosher, M.D. took a survey of her
female clients
Contrary to prevailing notions, they:
1) had sexual desire,
2) enjoyed sex, and
3) experienced orgasms

The Anti-Victorian

Sir Richard Francis Burton

Secret agent extraordinaire
Explored 5 continents
Worlds greatest sex expert
Wrote of sexual practices and oddities
Translated the Kama Sutra
Prudish wife burned his detailed diaries

The 20 Century
th

People, events and technology brought

huge changes in attitudes and behaviors
Freud (1900)
women are innately as sexual as men
the even more startling conception of
infantile sexuality

 Havelock Ellis (1921)

women have inherent sexual rights
anything goes as long as no one is hurt
Suffrage (1920)
women could vote but lacked real
equality

World war i
Soldiers encounter less conservative
European women
American women enter the depleted work
force
Society in transition more flexibility

The Roaring 20s

Cars = mobility and freedom
Movies = role models
Fashion = flappers
Behavior = petting

 The Great Depression

with economic hardship, progress slows
World War II
repeat of WWI freedoms and exposure
The 50s
conservatism and strict gender roles
return

The kinsey bombshell

Surveys on men (1948) and women
(1953)
Claimed that our sexual behaviors were
much more varied than previously
assumed
True? It didnt matter.

The Swinging 60s & Beyond

The quest for gender-role equity kicks in
The Pill removes fear of unwanted
pregnancies
Laws against contraceptives fall, largely
due to the controversial Right to
Privacy
Sexs link to procreation is shattered
Over population concerns surface

 Maters & Johnsons Human Sexual

Response is published
Self-help books appear
Sex therapy emerges
Gays come out to both positive and
negative responses
AIDS erupts and further polarizes
positions

The Explosion of
Media/Sexuality
Just 50 years ago, married couples had to
be depicted in separate beds
Now, televisions amazing access has
had,
good gays &
bad depersonalization of women,
effects on our attitudes towards sex.
Anita Hill brought sexual harassment into
everyones awareness on national TV.

TVs mixed impact

Does it help by presenting valuable info?
or
Does it hurt through trash TVs daily, and
exploitive, freak shows?
The Media Projects noble purpose
But TV is filled with sexual content which
stresses infidelity, revenge and
exploitation. Sex in marriage is ignored.

The medias rapid embrace of

gay programming
The American Family first reality show
first gay on TV
Sit-coms like Rosanne and Friends follow
Ellen first gay lead, then first gay kiss
Will and Grace
Queer as Folk, Queer Eye for .
Now lesbian chic in advertising

Beyond television
VCRs, Cable, and DVDs bring sex
home
Music videos often portray sexual
coercion and females as mere objects
Impulsivity rules; tenderness and
commitment rarely appear

But SEX Doesnt Always Sell

Advertising relies on sex to sell but
shows with strong sexual content
leave viewers unable to focus on ads!

The Internet
Whatever you want, whenever you want it.
Forums unite people with all manner of
tastes.
Exhaustive source of helpful info?
or
Grave threat?
Remember, you have no privacy.

In summary
With all these resources good and
bad we have the ability to define our
personal sexuality, an opportunity
unmatched in history

questions
How much access should minors have to
contraceptives?
Should gay marriages be recognized?
Should prostitution be legalized?
Should women bear children after
menopause?
Abortion?