Summary
Chapter 7 starts with the definition of sexual identity: the awareness of ourselves as male or female and the ways in which we express our sexual values, attitudes, feelings, and beliefs. Sexual orientation is split into four categories: heterosexuals, homosexuals, bisexuals, and asexuals. The term transgendered encompasses three groups: transsexuals, intersexuals, and transvestites. 13 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws that prohibit discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations for GLBTs. The hypothalamus, an organ in the brain that is believed to regulate the sex drive, is different sizes in heterosexual and gay men. Social constructionist theories argue that sexual behavior is a result of social pressure and that culture, not biology, plays a key role in forming our sexual identity. Despite studies, there has been no research proving that there exists a gay gene. Gender, race, and ethnicity are factors that shape our sexual script (what we define as acceptable and unacceptable for sexual activity). The primary sources of information about anatomy, values, and sexual expression are parents, peers, siblings, religion, the media/popular culture, and sex education programs at school. Sexual intercourse encompasses the following: flirting, kissing, autoeroticism, and oral/anal sex along with vaginal-penile sex. Virgin: somebody who has never experienced sexual intercourse. Sex is not necessary for physical survival. Menopause is the cessation of the menstrual cycle and the loss of reproductive capacity. Sexual infidelity is another word for sexual intercourse with a person while being already committed to another person. An STI is a sexually transmitted infection, and an STD is a sexually transmitted disease.
Interesting Facts
I think it’s incredibly interesting that in 2007 there were over 4000 “purity balls,” where young girls promised to remain virgins until marriage, and their fathers promised to protect their interests. I also thought it was interesting that 3/4 kids ages 13-16 in England and Scotland reported their first time having sexual intercourse as being good. This astounds me because I lived in England AND Scotland from ages 11-14 and I don’t remember many of my friends having sex, or sexual intercourse (of some degree), although I will admit that the kids there were definitely more experimental with drugs and alcohol at a younger age than my friends in the States.
Question
Why is it, or was it, deemed acceptable for men to be sexually promiscuous with other women but not vice versa? As a man I find that to be true to some extent, however I view women as being equally likely as men to have a sexual affair.
Steve Boser
I have actually heard of the purity balls that you are talking about. There was an episode on the Tyra Show about them, so they interviewed the families involved. I remember them also pulling out a statistic that girls who have a father figure are less likely to engage in sexual intercourse before marriage.
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