Deviant Sexualities Flashcards by Oscar Ryu

Sociological Study of Sexuality

dominated by the social constructionist perspective
Emphasis on interpretive and critical theories

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Sex

male or female (usually) - that you’re assigned by a doctor at birth based on the genitals you’re born with and the chromosomes you have. It goes on your birth certificate.

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Gender Roles

Expectations society and people have about behaviours thoughts, and characteristics that go along with a person’s assigned sex.

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Gender Identity

How you feel inside and how you express those feelings
- Cisgender
- Transgender

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Transgender

Face some of the greatest risks and stigmatization in our society
“Exploring” gender identity (internal, social, legal, physical/medical)
- Important to be supported
- Needs to be nuanced and careful
Physical (medical) transitioning can significantly improve quality of life and mental health
- If part of “exploring” and premature, can be dangerous

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Sexuality

Umbrella term
- Activities (sex)
- Attractions (straight/gay)
- Identities (queer)
Generally assume sex, gender, and sexuality correspond to each other, and some categories are better understood as ‘spectrums’.

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Deviant/Normal Sexuality

Sexual cultures vary historically and cross-culturally
Ex: Sambian society - ritualized homosexuality reinforced patriarchal structure of society
Ex: Athens (5th century BC) - sexuality intertwined with structure of power

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Sexual cultures in North America

Traditional Indigenous Cultures
North America (17-20th centuries)
Contemporary Canada

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Traditional Indigenous Cultures

Considerable variability in Indigenous sexual cultures
- Premarital/Extramarital sexual relationships
- Homosexuality
- Recognition of multiple sex/gender variants
Come commonalities:
- 4 components: Physical, spiritual, intellectual, emotional
- Sexuality = gift from the Creator
Aboriginal sexuality stigmatized by European colonizers
- Colonizers: sex for procreation
- Changing acceptability of Euro/Indigenous relationships

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Two Spirited Persons

European colonizers, and political and religious authorities worked hard to suppress many facets of Indigenous cultures
Stark contrast in understandings of sex, gender, and sexuality between Indigenous and colonial cultures
Two Spirited: Indigenous individuals whose sex, gender, or sexuality lies outside the colonial dualisms (male/female, masculine/feminine)
Term remains somewhat contested; does not convey the nuance in experience/identity
- Ex: Indigenous persons who identify as ‘truly’ male and ‘truly’ female (both Spirits)

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North America’s Dominant Meanings of Sexuality By Year

1600: Reproduction within marriage
1700: Intimacy within marriage
1900: Personal fulfillment
200+: >???>??

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Reproduction With Marriage (1600’s)

Regulation by church, court, family, community
Social control measures varied on the basis of socioeconomic status, race, and gender

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Intimacy Within Marriage (1700’s)

Sexual culture intertwined with social changes -> industrialization, religious shifts, pursuit of happiness
Social control by women, physicians, social reformers, culture industry

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Personal Fulfillment (1900’s)

Continued criminalization of some acts
Growth of the culture industry
- Sexuality within mainstream media
- Expansion of the sex industry

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Sexuality in all eras

Integrated with other social changes
Intertwined with structures of inequality
- Hierarchies of race, class, and gender

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All Sexual Cultures

Dominant moral codes define sexual “deviance” and “normality”
Deviant sexuality is socially controlled
The “deviance dance” exists

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Sexuality in Contemporary Canada

Greater, but not unlimited, sexual freedom
Criteria for determining “deviant” sexuality
- Consent
- Nature of the sexual partner
- Nature of the sexual act

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Defining Consent

Sexual assault
Date rape drugs
Age of consent laws

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Canada’s Age of Consent Laws

Age of consent: 16
Close in age exceptions
- 14, 15 year old can consent to partners less than 5 years older
- 12 or 13 year old can consent to partners less than 2 years older

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Canada’s Age of Consent Laws (Sexual Exploitation)

A 16, 17 year old cannot consent to sexual activity if:
- their sexual partner s in position of trust or authority towards them
- the young person is dependent on their sexual partner
- the relationship between the young person and their sexual partner is exploitative

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Pedophilia

A sexual attraction to prepubescent children, as indicated by persistent and recurrent sexual thoughts, fantasies, urges, arousal, or behavior.

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Age of Onset (Pedophilia)

Early onset of sexual interest in children that precedes sexual behavior involving children or self-identification as a pedophile

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Sexual or Romantic Behaviour (Pedophilia)

Some pedophilic sexual offenders score high on measures of emotional congruence with children;
Some seek a romantic relationship

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Stability Over Time (Pedophilia)

Life-Long;
Potential changes: associated with “self-regulation” instead of actual change in sexual desire

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Child cannot consent -> substantial asymmetries

1. Cognitive ability 2. Psychosexual development 3. Autonomy

Nature of the Sexual Partner

1. Criminal justice system - Incest, bestiality 2. Formal regulations - workplace 3. Informal regulations - professor and grad student relationship 4. Evolving views of same sex relationships

Bill C-150

1. New era of human rights in Canada 2. Pierre Trudeau: "There's no place for the state in the bedroom of the nation" 3. Decriminalized same-sex sexual activities between consenting adults 4. Contraception & Birth Control 5. Homosexuality removed from the DSM

Canada's Same-Sex Laws

1. 2000 - Same-sex common law couples entitled to same benefits as opposite-sex common law couples 2. 2005 - Same-sex couples can legally marry - Stigmatization, deviantization still occurs in Canada and around the world - Criminalization + lack of legal protections = many other countries

LGBTQ2+ Realities

1. Greater risk of victimization - Hate Crimes 2. Youth stigmatization - Negative/discriminatory comments - Kicked out of the family home - Greater risk of homelessness - Particularly true for Transgender youth

Polyamory

The state of practice of maintaining multiple sexual and/or romantic relationships simultaneously, with the full knowledge and consent of all the people involved

Polygamy

The state or practice of having multiple wedded spouses at the same time, regardless of the sex of those spouses

BDSM

1. Bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadomasochism 2. The "Dom", "Sub", "Switches" 3. Common assumption: psychopathology 4. According to Newmahr, BDSM should be regarded as a recreational leisure activity rather than a deviant/pathological activity

Fifty Shades of BDSM

1. Alienation and fear of those who participate in the lifestyle 2. Richters (2005) - Not more likely to have been coerced into sexual activity in the past - Not associated with elevated levels of psycological distress or sexual difficulties 3. Wismeijer & van Assan (2014) - Less neurotic, more extraverted, more open to new experiences, more conscientious, yet less agreeable, less rejection sensitive

Pornography

1. Functional: anything used by an individual for the purpose of sexual arousal 2. Genre: products created for the purposes of arousing consumers 3. Labelling: community standards - anything that community members consider obscene

Pornography Debates

1. Support for - Correlation between violent pornography and sexually-aggressive behaviours - Pornography affects self-concept of viewers 2. Internal debates -> interpretive research on young adults - Feelings of both normalization and ambivalence

The Performance of Sexuality in Exotic Dance Clubs (Trautner, 2005) (Background)

1. Organizations and Occupations are gendered - workers "do gender" based on assumptions about what customers want 2. Gender in organizations interacts with other factors (class, race) to construct unique organizational cultures that project distinctive images of gender and sexuality 3. Activities + practices of strip clubs: - Construct forms of sexuality that are gendered and classed 4. Exotic clubs offer different presentations and performances of gender and sexuality 5. Exotic dance clubs construct distinctive working and upper class performances and performers of sexuality 6. Consistent with popular ideas about how class and sexuality intersects 7. Class difference: represented as sexual differences

The Performance of Sexuality in Exotic Dance Clubs (Trautner, 2005) (Article)

1. Business Atmosphere 2. Dancer attractiveness & appearance 3. Stage Performances 4. Interactions with customers 5. Staff attire (Managers/Bouncers/Bartenders)

Middle & Business Class in The Performance of Sexuality in Exotic Dance Clubs (Trautner, 2005)

1. Space tailored to "upper class" 2. Experience: not just about sex 3. "Voyeuristic sexuality" - Performances of desire & gazing at women - Constructed to appear as admiration and respect 4. Dancers conform to hegemonic cultural ideals of attractiveness 5. Pop music 6. Passive, non-interactive dances 7. Slow sensuality "good girl" Staff: more professional

Working & Military Class in The Performance of Sexuality in Exotic Dance Clubs (Trautner, 2005)

1. Atmosphere: pure physical pleasure/lust 2. Experience: predominantly for sexual pleasure 3. "Cheap thrills sexuality" - Women as sex objects - Imagining dancers as sexual partners & the enactment of male power 4. Broader spectrum of female body types 5. Rap 6. More interactive dances 7. Explicitly sexual performances "bad girl" Staff: casual and approachable

Presentation Management in The Performance of Sexuality in Exotic Dance Clubs (Trautner, 2005)

1. Presentation of self 2. Presentation of business 3. Attracts particular kinds of clientele

Dramaturgical approach to The Performance of Sexuality in Exotic Dance Clubs (Trautner, 2005)

1. Front stage of organizational culture: performance of sexuality and class 2. Backstage constraints that produce them: informal social control

1. dominated by the social constructionist perspective 2. Emphasis on interpretive and critical theories

Sociological Study of Sexuality

male or female (usually) - that you're assigned by a doctor at birth based on the genitals you're born with and the chromosomes you have. It goes on your birth certificate.

Sex

Expectations society and people have about behaviours thoughts, and characteristics that go along with a person's assigned sex.

Gender Roles

How you feel inside and how you express those feelings - Cisgender - Transgender

Gender Identity

1. Face some of the greatest risks and stigmatization in our society 2. "Exploring" gender identity (internal, social, legal, physical/medical) - Important to be supported - Needs to be nuanced and careful 3. Physical (medical) transitioning can significantly improve quality of life and mental health - If part of "exploring" and premature, can be dangerous

Transgender

1. Umbrella term - Activities (sex) - Attractions (straight/gay) - Identities (queer) 2. Generally assume sex, gender, and sexuality correspond to each other, and some categories are better understood as 'spectrums'.

Sexuality

Sexual cultures vary historically and cross-culturally Ex: Sambian society - ritualized homosexuality reinforced patriarchal structure of society Ex: Athens (5th century BC) - sexuality intertwined with structure of power

Deviant/Normal Sexuality

1. Traditional Indigenous Cultures 2. North America (17-20th centuries) 3. Contemporary Canada

Sexual cultures in North America

1. Considerable variability in Indigenous sexual cultures - Premarital/Extramarital sexual relationships - Homosexuality - Recognition of multiple sex/gender variants 2. Come commonalities: - 4 components: Physical, spiritual, intellectual, emotional - Sexuality = gift from the Creator 3. Aboriginal sexuality stigmatized by European colonizers - Colonizers: sex for procreation - Changing acceptability of Euro/Indigenous relationships

Traditional Indigenous Cultures

1. European colonizers, and political and religious authorities worked hard to suppress many facets of Indigenous cultures 2. Stark contrast in understandings of sex, gender, and sexuality between Indigenous and colonial cultures 3. Two Spirited: Indigenous individuals whose sex, gender, or sexuality lies outside the colonial dualisms (male/female, masculine/feminine) 4. Term remains somewhat contested; does not convey the nuance in experience/identity - Ex: Indigenous persons who identify as 'truly' male and 'truly' female (both Spirits)

Two Spirited Persons

1600: Reproduction within marriage 1700: Intimacy within marriage 1900: Personal fulfillment 200+: >???>??

North America's Dominant Meanings of Sexuality By Year

1. Regulation by church, court, family, community 2. Social control measures varied on the basis of socioeconomic status, race, and gender

Reproduction With Marriage (1600's)

1. Sexual culture intertwined with social changes -> industrialization, religious shifts, pursuit of happiness 2. Social control by women, physicians, social reformers, culture industry

Intimacy Within Marriage (1700's)

1. Continued criminalization of some acts 2. Growth of the culture industry - Sexuality within mainstream media - Expansion of the sex industry

Personal Fulfillment (1900's)

1. Integrated with other social changes 2. Intertwined with structures of inequality - Hierarchies of race, class, and gender

Sexuality in all eras

1. Dominant moral codes define sexual "deviance" and "normality" 2. Deviant sexuality is socially controlled 3. The "deviance dance" exists

All Sexual Cultures

1. Greater, but not unlimited, sexual freedom 2. Criteria for determining "deviant" sexuality - Consent - Nature of the sexual partner - Nature of the sexual act

Sexuality in Contemporary Canada

1. Sexual assault 2. Date rape drugs 3. Age of consent laws

Defining Consent

1. Age of consent: 16 2. Close in age exceptions - 14, 15 year old can consent to partners less than 5 years older - 12 or 13 year old can consent to partners less than 2 years older

Canada's Age of Consent Laws

A 16, 17 year old cannot consent to sexual activity if: - their sexual partner s in position of trust or authority towards them - the young person is dependent on their sexual partner - the relationship between the young person and their sexual partner is exploitative

Canada's Age of Consent Laws (Sexual Exploitation)

A sexual attraction to prepubescent children, as indicated by persistent and recurrent sexual thoughts, fantasies, urges, arousal, or behavior.

Pedophilia

Early onset of sexual interest in children that precedes sexual behavior involving children or self-identification as a pedophile

Age of Onset (Pedophilia)

Some pedophilic sexual offenders score high on measures of emotional congruence with children; Some seek a romantic relationship

Sexual or Romantic Behaviour (Pedophilia)

Life-Long; Potential changes: associated with "self-regulation" instead of actual change in sexual desire