sexual identification Flashcards
How were sexual attractions and behaviors understood historically compared to modern times?
- Sexual attractions and behaviors have always existed, but identities based on them did not.
- Sexual acts had different meanings depending on the social, cultural, and historical context.
- Only recently have people been understood in terms of sexual identity.
- Sexual attraction, behavior, and identity are related but distinct.
What was the state of same-sex unions in medieval Byzantine society?
- Same-sex unions were well-known and practically legal in medieval Byzantine society, although disputed in some contexts.
- no sustained and effective oppression of those engaged in same-sex unions until the 13th century.
- Few surviving texts mention same-sex unions, often specifying two men living together with a personal or emotional relationship.
How was same-sex eroticism viewed in historical China?
- Same-sex eroticism was not a huge concern, and sex was seen as an integral part of life.
- Before the 30th century, there were no specific Chinese words for sex and sexuality.
- Women in same-sex relationships (zi-shu nü) could perform marriage rites, vow to be lifelong partners, and live as husband and wife, supported by their natal families.
How do modern Western sexual identities differ from those in other societies and time periods?
- Modern sexual identities in the West are based mostly on the gender(s) of sexual partner(s).
- Other societies understood sexuality based on:
Sexual partners, gender expression, gendered social roles, penetration practices, social status, age, occupation, etc
What was the view of sex between women prior to sexual identification?
- not considered “real sex” due to cultural imperatives surrounding marriage and reproduction.
- seen as unimportant given the cultural imperative to marry a man and bear children
Why isn’t there a singular history of homosexuality?
- Less of an association between effeminacy and same-sex relations as today: assumed that they had a lot of sex with both women and perhaps men
- People thought about homosexual practices as individual practices rather than reflections of identity; being giving partner seen as less surprising than receiving partner
What was the concept of “inversion”?
- referred to people thought to be born with the wrong gender or soul, deviating from gender norms.
- concept applied not only to people engaging in same-sex relations but also to anyone deviating from gender expectations.
What were attitudes towards procreative and non-procreative sex in North American colonies?
- perceived need to increase small populations in settlements as well as religious emphasis on reproduction
- Prohibitions on sodomy, masturbation, adultery
- Men’s same sex encounters penalised more harshly than women’s –> Men ‘wasted’ seed, women did not
How was sex structured by age?
- One in which sex between older and younger men was seen as a way to make the younger man more masculine
- Ones in which younger men were typically sexually penetrated yet were not permanently perceived as feminine since most went on to marry and/or penetrate men themselves when they were older
- Younger men topping older men typically for compensation
How was sex structured by gender?
- Gender stratified male same-sex sexuality involves men who are typically penetrated and adopt feminine practices
→ Mannerisms, appearance, social roles, and/or work - Gender stratified homosexuality may be mostly permanent for individuals or it may change over time
How was sex structured in an egalitarian way?
Involves approx. equal status between partners in age, prestige, gender presentation, access to resource
What is the classic debate in the history of sexuality?
How to Do the History of Male Homosexuality
The classic constructionist-essentialist debate”
Essentialism views sexuality as innate and fixed
constructionism sees sexuality as socially constructed and fluid.
What are some pre-homosexual categories of male sex and gender deviance?
How to Do the History of Male Homosexuality
- Effeminacy
- Pederasty or “active” sodomy
- Friendship or male love
- Passivity or inversion
How is effeminacy historically understood?
How to Do the History of Male Homosexuality
distinct from homosexuality, historically defined as a symptom of excessive heterosexual/ homosexual desire in men.
What is “active” sodomy in historical context?
How to Do the History of Male Homosexuality
- Refers to male sexual penetration of a subordinate male with a hierarchical power dynamic.
- characterized by the desire to penetrate versus the desire to be penetrated.
- younger partner is considered sexually attractive, while the older one experiences erotic desire for the younger.
How was friendship or male love viewed in history?
How to Do the History of Male Homosexuality
- Hierarchical friendships in male relationships often carried erotic implications due to power dynamics.
- egalitarian friendships between men of equal social rank, age, masculinity, and empowerment, highlighting mutuality and reciprocity while minimizing hierarchy and eroticism
- friendship tradition offered a socially acceptable outlet for expressing passionate, mutual love between men
What is the concept of passivity or inversion?
How to Do the History of Male Homosexuality
- not synonymous with homosexuality and involves a deviant gender identity, not necessarily same-sex attraction
- Deviant gender identity, sensibility, and personal style, including a “womanly” liking for a passive role in sexual intercourse with other men.
- Centers on a lack of normative masculinity
How were effeminate men sometimes viewed in different cultures and time periods?
How to Do the History of Male Homosexuality
- In some cultures, effeminate men were seen as “womanizers” or men who were highly sexually active with women.
–> contrasts with the idea that effeminacy indicated homosexuality.
How could sex between women be viewed as useful in certain historical contexts?
Sexual Fluidity ‘Before Sex.’
- initiation into marriage
promoting harmony in polygynous marriages
How was sex between women used to titillate or serve men’s desires in history?
Sexual Fluidity ‘Before Sex.’
In 18th-century Europe, political pornography depicted same-sex encounters between women for the dual purposes of arousing men and slandering political opponents.
How does Rupp argue women and men’s sexual fluidity should be understood historically?
Sexual Fluidity ‘Before Sex.’
- Women’s sexual fluidity is not a new phenomenon but should be understood in the context of social structures that allowed or facilitated same-sex sexuality within a heteronormative society.
- male same-sex sexuality can be understood in the context of elite privilege, where men could have male lovers while still marrying women and fathering children.
