Chapter 10: Sexuality Flashcards
Sexual identity
used to describe someone’s sense of self in terms of who they are attracted to, how they think of themselves sexually and in terms of attraction, and their sexual preferences.)
Sexuality is a broad term that refers to ….(4)
sexual identity, sexual practices, sexual attractiveness, and sexual desires
Sexual orientation
refers to the direction of a person’s erotic and romantic attraction
bisexual
sexually attracted to either sex
heterosexual identity
attracted to someone of a different sex (often referred to as “opposite sex”
homosexual
refers to someone who is attracted to the same sex
Pansexual
sexual and romantic attraction outside of a binary of sex or gender; someone who is pansexual is attracted to people regardless of the person’s gender identity or biological sex
Asexual
little or no sexual and romantic attraction, including limited interest in sexual activity
Allies
heterosexual individuals who support legal and social rights for LGBTQ+ individuals
Queer theory
generally concerned with moving away from the idea of identity as in a single, unified homosexual identity
queer
used as a shorthand for identities that are not heterosexual or cisgender or gender-binary (man/woman)
Conflict theory and sexuality (2)
- Regard sexuality as another domain where stratification and inequalities exist.
- Consider the role of people with authority and power to regulate the sexuality of others and create deviance out of that regulation
Structural Functionalist and sexuality (2)
- perspective on sexuality underscores the importance of heterosexuality, heterosexual marriage and the family for social stability
- Sex Role theory from Parson
Symbolic interactionist and sexuality (2)
- sexual scripts is a major theorectical contribution from symbolic interactinism to the study of sexuality. In addition.
- Symbolic interactionism notes the ways that we learn sexuality through interactions with varied settings and those people in them.
Feminist theory and sexuality
- See sexuality as an arena of inequality
- A person adopts a gender identity they also learn what is
Postmodern and sexuality (3)
- Queer theory is most related to postmodernism, namely through the emphasis on moving away from categories around identities and behaviours.
- Foucault’s work emphasizes how power and discourse shape cultural ideas of normal and abnormal sexualities
- Butler’s work points is to the heteronormative underpinnings of cultural ideas about gender and the instability of identites related to sex, gender and sexuality.
Alfred Kinsey
- a leader in suggesting a move away from discreet categories of heterosexual and homosexual, arguing instead that sexuality exists on a continuum. That continuum is captured in “The Kinsey Scale.”
- Measured woman’s clitoris
The Kinsey Scale
- depicts exclusively heterosexual and exclusively homosexual as two ends of the scale, with various categories in between, such as the category “predominantly heterosexual, only incidentally homosexual,” which would suggest someone identifies as heterosexual but has had at least one same-sex sexual experience. The category “equally heterosexual and homosexual” denotes bisexuality
Sexuality is composed of
- identity, behaviour, and desires.
Sexual behaviour refers to
the sexual activities a person partakes in, with or without a partner
Sexual desire refers to
a person’s interest in engaging in sexual activities
Heteronormativity (2)
What it is+ assumes that
- refers to the general attitude that heterosexuality is the most natural and normal kind of sexuality.
- Heteronormativity assumes that all people—unless otherwise stated—are heterosexual.
Norms
- norms are societal and cultural rules that are designed to guide our behaviour.
Heterosexism (2)
- belief in natral superiority of heterosexuality and logic right to domination
homophobia
transphobia
most of the definitions for sexual orientation are related to a particular type of …..
body
sexual double standard
when men and women are evaluated differently for similar levels of sexual interest and identical sexual acts; the evaluation is more positive for men and negative for women.
Madonna-whore dichotomy
women should be chaste and not sexual (“Madonna”) but should be sexy and physically attractive (“whore”)
emphasized heterosexuality
emphasizing sexual encounters with women—whether actual encounters or simply discussions about wanting to engage in such encounters—is a pathway for demonstrating their masculinity.
incel
involuntary celibate (abstaining from marriage and sexual relations)
manosphere
an online world where men allege victimhood (predominantly white victimhood), refute and vilify feminism, and claim entitlement over those things they believe they lack
Incels blame women for ——-and more generally blame feminists and feminism for what’s regarded to be men’s lower status and lower privilege than women.
- ## denying them their right to sexual encounters
emphasized femininity (2)
What it is+ priotitize
emphasized femininity would include prioritizing men’s desires, acting to avoid the ‘slut’ label, and being evasive or ambiguous in discussing sexual behaviours to downplay sexual activity (Currier 2013).
sexual orientation
romantic, emotional, and or sexual attraction to another person we experience
Compulsory heterosexuality
- one dominant/socially acceptable way of engaging in sexual relations (heterosexuality)
- Termed by Adrienne Rich in 1980s
Hetermormativity can lead to
heterosexism
System of oppression relies on
- sex and gender as binaries.
- builds on the assumption theres only men and woman and they are automatically attracted to eachother
Police reported hate crimes by motivation 2021/22 report finding
- homosexuals
- bisexuals
- heterosexual
- Other
sex as a status
ascribed status
sexuality
ways in which individuals express and experience themselves as sexual beings
sex scripts
socially constructed guidelines for sexual expressions and interactions in a particular culture
ex: consent, age, how many partners (sodomy law)
Social regulation of sexuality: the law
- You can have sex legally at age of 12. You need to be 18 for someone older/of authority to have sex with you
- incest: In canada incest is having sex with blood relatives (parent, child, grandparents, half siblings)
Social regulation of sexuality: Families
Educations for norms, values and beliefs
Social regulation of sexuality: the media
Scripts acessible to use (magaines, films) about sexuality
Social regulation of sexuality: the education system
scripts of sexuality by sex education
Social regulation of sexuality: the medical system
- Michel Foucault: French sociologist
- Meidical system very involved in defining homosexuality as a deviance. Provided medical explanations for people that identify as homosexual why they needed to be “cured”
Social regulation of sexuality: religious institutions
- Sexuality is only for procreations and any other form is a problem
Folkways of sexuality
dating large age gaps
More of sexuality
sexual assualt
Taboos of sexuality
peodphilia, incest, bestality
