Sexual Behavior (What We Do Sexually) • Identity (Gender Identity and Expression) Sexual Orientation
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Counseling 20: Sex & Gender SARA MALMQUIST-WEST SPRING 2021 Sexuality COUNSELING 20: SEX & GENDER WEEK 5 Agenda Week 5 ➢Video Lecture: Sexuality (this PowerPoint/video) ➢ What is Sexuality? ➢ Historical Attitudes about Sexuality in U.S. ➢ Intersectionality & Sexuality ➢Topics this week: ➢ Sexual Orientation ➢ Coming Out ➢ LGBTQ+ History ➢ Important Terms ➢ Discussion ➢ Participation ➢ Reflection Paper #1 Due ➢ Quiz Let’s Talk About Sex(uality)! WHAT IS IT ANYWAY? Sexuality As I mentioned in the overview video this week, sexuality is such a complex topic to cram into one week! We will barely scratch the surface of the phenomena that is human sexuality. However, if you are interested in learning more, SRJC has an entire course dedicated to human sexuality: PSYCH 3: Human Sexuality This course examines the biological, psychological, and social science of human sexuality. Major areas of examination will include the history and science of sexology; male and female anatomy and physiology; sexual arousal and response; relationships, intimacy and communication; conception and contraception; sexually transmitted infections; and coercive sexuality and exploitation (SRJC Catalog Description). What is Sexuality? • How do we define sexuality? • How do we define sex? • How do we know if we are attracted to someone? • What is attraction anyway? • Romantic? • Physical? • Emotional? • Intellectual? • Spiritual? • Other? • I want you to start thinking about how you would answer these questions. Where did your ideas around sexuality, sex, and attraction come from? • The answer to these questions can differ greatly and there is not “right” or “wrong” answer What is Sexuality? Simply put: • Sexuality is how people experience and express themselves as sexual beings • Variation throughout history • Variation across cultures • Variation between individuals •Sexuality includes: • Sexual Orientation (who we are attracted to): refers to the desire one has for emotional, romantic, and/or sexual relationships with others based on their gender expression, gender identity, and/or sex. Many people choose to label their sexual orientation, while others do no. • Sexual Behavior (what we do sexually) • Identity (gender identity and expression) Sexual Orientation Gender Identity!!! Sexual Orientation • According to the article “Sexuality in the 21st Century: Sexual Fluidity,” one’s sexual orientation does not always match one’s sexual behavior. • Sexual Orientation has four components: 1. Self-identified labels (What people call themselves such as: Lesbian, Gay, Heterosexual, Pansexual, Asexual, etc.) 2. Actual sexual behavior (What activities and behaviors people participate in. Research shows that sexual behavior does not always align with self-identified labels—Men who have sex with men p. 112 of textbook) 3. Self-reported sexual feelings (Fantasies and desires—these can be things private or public and are not always acted upon) 4. Genital or brain responses (Physiological responses to sexual stimuli—this is where biology comes into play!) What constitutes Sexual Behavior? • To make things even more complicated, people do not share the same definition of “sex” or what is considered “sexual behavior” • Sex Behavior can include: • Hugging • Kissing • Masturbating • Manually stimulating your partner • Vaginal penetration • Anal penetration • Vaginal or anal penetration with objects • Oral-genital stimulation • Sexual excitement while looking at or reading pornography • Telephone or “cyber” sex • Other? • Your textbook points out the challenges of gather data on “dating” and “hooking up” today since individual definitions of what it means to “hook up” includes a wide variety of behaviors. Purpose of Sex/Sexual Behavior • Procreation • Pleasure • Love & Commitment • Duty • Power & Control • What else? What About Emotions? • Physiological component of sexual orientation • Hormonal reactions and attraction to another person • Lust, desire, infatuation, excitement, yearning, passion • Romantic component of sexual orientation • Love, attachment & security • Caring, intimacy, and tenderness • Companionship, friendship, compatibility • Happiness What role do emotions play in sexuality and sexual orientation? Sexual Scripts • Sexuality is complex. How do we learn to navigate such strong emotional and physical reactions to another person(s)? • Like gender roles and expectations, we learn about appropriate sexual behavior and expression through socialization. • We must first recognize sexual feelings and desires, and then learn how to translate them into socially validated actions. • To whom are we supposed to be attracted? • What sexual ques must we learn and interpret? • Where and when are we supposed to have sex? • Sociologists use the term Sexual Scripts to describe our shared cultural instructions for “normal” sexual behaviors. These sexual scripts teach us: • Sexual acts to deploy • Situations in which sexuality is expected and appropriate • Limits and boundaries of sex and responses. Sexual Scripts • Think back to the clip from SNL about Zillow. It is only funny (if you thought it was funny) because it followed a sexual script. It used our shared, cultural understanding of how people behave in a sexual manner. • What were their body positions like? Facial expressions? Clothing? What did their voices sound like? What words were they using? What was the music like? What else? • Where do these sexual scripts come from? Historical Attitudes Attitudes of the Early 20th Century • Sex, sexuality, and sexual behavior have existed in human history since the beginning of time as both a form of pleasure as well as a means to procreate. We will start by looking at more recent history of sexuality in the U.S. • In the early 1900 American, sexuality was strongly linked with morality • Premarital sex was wrong • Extramarital sex was wrong • Homosexual sex was wrong • Masturbation was wrong • Interracial sex was wrong • Men and women were expected to marry and have children. Anything outside of this “normal” heterosexual sexual behavior was labeled as sinful or perversive. • Sex was not talked about—especially relating to pleasure • Medical science was used to justify the “morality” of sex. • Example: Masturbation can cause blindness, hairy palms, impotence later in life, erectile dysfunction, penis shrinkage, penis curvature, low sperm count, and infertility. Alfred Kinsey (1894-1956) • American Biologist who studied Biology @ Harvard • Thesis on Gall Wasps (methodical approach to research) • Very little was known about “normal” sexual behavior because sexual behavior was intrinsically linked to morality (a “good” woman would never do that!) • Kinsey approached sexuality as a scientist despite social stigma around topic • Conducted detailed sexual histories (Kinsey Reports) • Recorded physiological sexual responses (what happens when a woman has an orgasm?) • Controversial topics: homosexuality, premarital sex, extra-martial sex, oral sex, masturbation, sex for pleasure, etc. • Recognized sexual fluidity (Kinsey Scale) • Began to question the role of social constraints in human sexuality. He found that individuals suppressed desires because they could not express them in a socially sanctioned manner. • Kinsey Institute still exists today • https://kinseyinstitute.org/about/history/alfred-kinsey.php Kinsey Reports REVOLUTIONARY AND CONTROVERSIAL FOR THE TIME PERIOD! Kinsey (2004) If you are interested in getting a better feel for the significance of his work, I recommend you watch the film Kinsey (2004) • Demonstrates the interconnection of politics, education, science, religion, gender identity, sexuality and sexual orientation • Illustrates beliefs and attitudes about sex, sexuality and sexual orientation in the 1940’s-50’s (especially shame, stigma, and secrecy) “Sexual Revolution” of 1960’s-70’s • People started to reject traditional values of post WWII America • Strict gender roles (stay-at-home wife, breadwinner husband) • Heterosexuality • Sexual behavior (no premarital sex, acceptable sexual acts—oral sex) • In response to the Playboy revolution of 1950’s • Depicted lifestyle of carefree sex • “Real” men could be successful and unmarried • “Make Love Not War” culture of political and moral changes in U.S. • Introduction of oral contraceptive pill for women • Increase in sex without marriage • Increase in sex for pleasure • Increased access to legal and safe abortions Women’s Liberation Movement •1960’s-1980’s Women started to challenge ideas about sex and gender • Demanded an increase in women’s rights • Control over bodies • Right to pleasure • Right to say no to sex • Increase in sexual options— lesbian & bisexual Women’s Liberation Movement • Women started to talk about sex • Faked orgasms • Fear of being “frigid” • Pressure to please one’s man • Realized that women’s experiences were very different from the expert’s discourse which was centered around heterosexuality and women’s relationships with men (similar to the Kinsey Reports). • Scientific discourse on “vaginal orgasms” was based on men’s sexual needs, not women’s • At the same time, feminist theories were rejecting patriarchal institutions of heterosexuality and marriage • Adrienne Rich (1996) introduced concept of compulsory heterosexuality arguing that social institutions and popular culture assume heterosexuality, and this maintains subordination of women Birth Control & Gender • Revolutionized sex in America • After the “Birth Control Pill” was released in 1960’s • More women stayed in school • Women