Class notes sexualities.doc

Class notes: sexuality Why study sexualities? Move frombiology to social and historical How erotic tastes socially institutionalized How produce sex lives What has been and is social function of sexual categorizing? Whose interestes are served by division of world into hetero and homosexual Herteronormativity (normal is straight) Hegemonic sexuality Dominant discourse of sexuality in US Heterosexuality only natural form of sexuality Man/women opposite to each other Interactional (assumed to be straight) Intitutional (marriage) Social construction of sexuality Invention of heterosexuality Tracing hostory of label Heterosexuality as: Unchanging, biological, historical, essential History of sexuality Victoria era: 1820-1860 Distant from lust, procreation not pleasure Heterosexualiy: the first years: 1892-1900 Introduced by medical doctors Heterosexual mystique: 1900-1930 Procreation urge plus carnal lust Stress on gender difference Hetero steps out: 1930-1945 1930-word hetero first in New York Times Heter-homo due Hetero hegemony: 1945-1965 Cult of domesticity Reassertion of old link with procreation and sex Sex liberalism-Kinsey Gay liberation movement Hetero questioned: 1965-1982 Gay liberation movement Hetero history: out of the shadows Gay families and marriage Policing sexuality: Elementary schools Reading: ?sexuality and gender in children?s worlds? Sexual scripts Interconnection of gender and sexuality How children use sexual idioms to mark gender boundaries Institutionalized heterosexuality of adolsesence Gender segregation and implications For boys What is and not acceptable to desire Gor girls Relationship styles Maintain and policy boundaries Direct, opposing, antagonistic groups Cross gender contact- pleasure/danger Girls sexually defined and polluting than boys