Sociology: the Sexuality Theme - Essay Example

?Sexuality Sexuality is an important topic in sociology and concerns everyone. For this reason, there are a huge number of sources such as legal, peer-reviewed and mainstream media that cover very important topics of sexuality. The term sexuality refers to a number of different elements of an individual. It can cover sexual orientation (homosexuality, bisexuality or heterosexuality) which are often debated due to religious and legal reasons. Additionally, there are many discussions about other elements of sexuality such as asexuality, transgender and sexual attraction. Sexuality and views on sexuality should be viewed as part of the culture in which they are found as many attitudes towards sex and gender are dependent on the wider culture. Physical, mental and stereotypical aspects all contribute to construct what humans are seen as a Gender. Gender denotes the sexual identity. Humans are mentally and biologically sexual. Sexuality is the way people perceive gender in the world. Sexuality is the way people control themselves according to the Gender. Gender is the biological and Perceptional side of the human. People born and are assigned to a gender to follow throughout their lives. This usually instinctual, yet variations in different cultures occur. The Views of the Catholic Church regarding sexuality is much like every other society: A person of the gender known as man develops a connection with a person who identifies as the gender or woman. Biologically, they difference sex for reproduction. People of gender (everyone) have the instinctual urge to reproduce. Instinct drives sexuality. In most cases throughout the world, instinct drives sexuality to an attraction to a person of the opposite sex. The meaning of sexuality changes from time to time, from land to land, and from people to people. Social historians hold different points of view about sexuality relating to what the common people are thinking especially on the relationship between sexuality and mythology. The majority think that it is impossible to have a sexual history. However, the social historians state that sexual behavior and its significance had changed time to time from their research, and therefore, they believed that sexuality has history. Sex relationship can be found among the Greek Gods in the Greek Myths. The Greek myths are an excellent example of the predominance of sexuality on human creativity. Since the Greek Gods had sexual relationships, there will be some similarities and differences between the sexuality nowadays according to the status of sexes in sexual desire, and sex behavior. The sexual desires in the past and nowadays are quite similar. The fact that there were men who had more than one woman as a spouse is well representative of a sexual desire in the past. Petersen & Hyde (2010) completed an analysis of evolutionary psychology, cognitive social learning theory, social structural theory and gender similarities hypothesis to test 834 individuals to uncover gender differences in sexuality. Gender equality was shown to reduce differences in sexuality between the genders, with significant differences being found in attitudes towards masturbation, casual sex and pornography use. This study is informative because it illustrates gender differences and uses a large sample size, and covers many of the main topics of sexuality. Tolman & McClelland (2011) covered many of the same topics but focused on adolescent development. This is a review paper that covers three important topics – sexual behavior, sexual selfhood and sexual socialization. The research suggests that there needs to be less of a distinction between positive and risky sexualities and that a combination of these behaviors should be considered normative. It reviews several pieces of research on the topic and is therefore strong evidence for this claim. It also illustrates the importance of sexuality may be different to certain age groups. Brickell (2012) researched how the internet is affecting sexuality as an important enabler of sexual relations. The article found that sexuality on the internet is as multi-faceted in real life, comparing many instances of internet sexuality with older Foucauldian and Althusserian sexuality theories. This is important as it illustrates how sexuality is changing in the modern society and how the internet has not necessarily changed personal sexual relationships. It is also an excellent exploration of how sexuality is changing between older times and today – for example, sexuality on the internet was never an issue before but it now provides a new outlet for people to explore and express their sexuality. Cronin & King (2010) explored how modern society and the newer traditions of diversity and intersectionality can improve understanding of older lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adults. The theory is that increased diversity in society as well as the experience that comes with age helps LGB adults be more comfortable with their sexuality. This fits into the wider research on LGB individuals. Additionally, it shows how attitudes towards those of non-heteronormative sexualities are more comfortable with themselves and expressing their sexuality because of the way attitudes are changing. Sexuality is now something that can be explored in a more public forum than in previous years, although it is not always openly accepted in all states or areas of the world. Richardson (1998) explored how sexuality can be linked to citizenship, which is important for understanding some of the bills, laws and current news items. The argument here is that claims to citizenship status are closely linked to sexual identity and there are still elements of male privilege found in the West. This fits into the category of political sexuality as well as covering aspects of homosexuality and feminism. Additionally, it shows that political sexuality is an emerging discipline and something which may need to be explored further. It contrasts the current situation with the way that things have been previously, when most aspects of sexuality were confined to the private sphere but now are an important public topic. S. 815 (2013) is an important bill entitled Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013. The purpose of this bill is to prohibit employers from discriminating against employees based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. This is an important move because it allows people more freedom to express their sexuality in every element of their life. It fits into the more specific topic of discrimination against those with non-binary or non-heterosexual sexualities. It shows how attitudes towards sexuality in the workplace have evolved from how they were in the past, when people could be fired or not hired if they were homosexual. It also shows how things may need to change in the future, with employers being more open to those of transgender identities for example. The Civil Practice and Procedure Act Chapter 62 (2012) defines the rules around adoption in the State of Florida. It is interesting because all of the laws for adoption are negated if the adopter is a homosexual and they are not eligible to adopt. This shows evidence that sexuality makes it into mainstream laws. It is evident from this that many people’s attitudes towards how homosexuals act in their private homes have not changed since the past. It also suggests that people who are homosexual may somehow be less good as parents – an attitude towards homosexuality that has not changed in the last century but may be more accepted in the future. This act fits into the topic of homosexuality and political attitudes. BBC News (2013) has been covering the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not welcoming towards LGB athletes in the upcoming winter Olympics. However, recently Putin went on record to state that they are definitely welcome despite the anti-homosexual history of the nation. This is important as it shows how discrimination against homosexuals is now seen as negative and is open to criticism. CNN (2013) published an interesting video news article about the current Pope declaring that the church should not interfere spiritually with homosexuals. This is interesting because the Catholic Church has had a long history of banning homosexuality but the current Pope is suggesting that it is not an issue for the church. This fits into the topic of religion and sexuality. Fox News (2013) wrote about the decision of Kuwait to use medical screenings as a way of preventing homosexuals from entering the territory. Although it did not say how this medical screening would work, it does suggest a determination from the country to ban homosexuality. This article also fits into the category of religion and sexuality (Kuwait is a Muslim country following Shariah Law) and the politics of sexuality. Finally, the Huffington Post (2013) published an article by a Muslim man who struggles with the idea of homosexuality but approves gay marriage on an equality basis. This is interesting because it is hard to find news articles that are open about negative feelings towards gay people. It suggests that many people have negative attitudes towards people of non-heteronormative sexualities because of their religion. This is something which has happened throughout the history of sexuality, but it is interesting to see how this many actually accepts the fact that he is biased and is looking to explore his reasons further – something which would not have been acceptable or even possible in the past. This is an important view on the topic because it really shows why religion can lead to discrimination based on sexuality. Conclusion There are many interesting sources for information about sexuality. Overall, the mainstream media seems to be a good place to find current attitudes towards sexuality – the BBC News article shows that it is deemed sensible to allow LGB athletes to compete in the Olympics to prevent backlash, whilst the Huffington Post shows that there are still those who struggle with some aspects of similarity. Academic sources are a good place to go to find current research regarding attitudes towards sexuality – Petersen & Hyde (2010) give a full overview of many different elements of sexuality. References BBC News. (2013, October 28). Putin: “Gays welcome in Sochi.” BBC. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24708739 Brickell, C. (2012). Sexuality, power and the sociology of the internet. Current Sociology, 60(1), 28–44. doi:10.1177/0011392111426646 CNN. (2013). Pope breaks with tradition, shocks world. Retrieved November 4, 2013, from http://connecttheworld.blogs.cnn.com/2013/09/20/pope-breaks-with-tradition-shocks-world/ Cronin, A., & King, A. (2010). Power, Inequality and Identification: Exploring Diversity and Intersectionality amongst Older LGB Adults. Sociology, 44(5), 876–892. doi:10.1177/0038038510375738 Florida General Laws – Civil Practice and Procedure ch. 63 § 042 (2012) Fox News. (2013, October 8). Health screenings may be updated to prevent gays from entering Gulf states, Kuwait official says. FoxNews.com. Text.Article. Retrieved November 4, 2013, from http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/10/08/health-screenings-may-be-updated-to-prevent-gays-from-entering-gulf-states/ Hasan, M. (n.d.). As a Muslim, I Struggle With the Idea Of Homosexuality - But I Oppose Homophobia. The Huffington Post UK. Retrieved November 4, 2013, from http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/mehdi-hasan/as-a-muslim-struggle-with-idea-of-homosexuality_b_3306168.html Merkley, J. Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013. , Pub. L. No. S. 815. Retrieved from https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/s815 Petersen, J. L., & Hyde, J. S. (2010). A meta-analytic review of research on gender differences in sexuality, 1993–2007. Psychological Bulletin, 136(1), 21–38. doi:10.1037/a0017504 Richardson, D. (1998). Sexuality and Citizenship. Sociology, 32(1), 83–100. doi:10.1177/0038038598032001006 Tolman, D. L., & McClelland, S. I. (2011). Normative Sexuality Development in Adolescence: A Decade in Review, 2000–2009. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(1), 242–255. doi:10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00726.x Read More