Sociology of sexuality emerged in postwar America. At the time, sex was imagined as a property of the individual, whose personal expression was shaped by social norms and attitudes. What is sexuality? How are sexualities socially constructed? How can we visualize the sociology of sexualities? How does the family, as an institution, shape sexuality? Why does religion have such a large role in shaping sexual mores? In what ways have class and race shaped our understanding of sexuality? Sexuality is an individual, biological and psychological phenomena.
Stonewall Riots at the Stonewall Inn marked the beginning of resistance against intolerance towards people oriented differently. Homophobia is an uncontrollable fear of homosexuals and Xenophobia is fear of strangers. Gay and lesbian studies or rather Queer Culture studies, is becoming legitimate in the academic community.
"Why, given the variety of sexual behavior and relationships, do we speak of only two opposite sexes?" "Why don't transvestites, transsexuals, hermaphrodites, and the institutionalized third genders affect the conceptualization of two genders and two sexes?" "The prime paradox of gender is that in order to dismantle the institution, you must first make it very visible." - Judith Lorber.
Most societies have binary gender systems in which everyone is either categorized as male or female. Sociology of Sexualities should gain status as an ASA Section which would be very beneficial to all academics and practitioners who conduct and value research in the area of sexuality
Sociology of Sexualities
by Kathleen J. Fitzgerald,
Kandice L. Grossman. E-book.
Sociology of Sexualities by Kathleen J.
Fitzgerald and Kandice L. Grossman is the first comprehensive text to approach
the study of sexuality from a sociological perspective. Drawing on the most
up-to-date social scientific research on sexuality, it discusses fundamental
concepts in the field and helps students integrate knowledge about sexuality
into their larger understanding of society.
Sexuality Information Council of the United
States (SIECUS) siecus.org
The Society for the Study of Sexuality (SSSS) ssc.wisc.edu:80/ssss
Gender and Sexuality - This page publishes texts which address gender studies and queer studies, with a particular focus upon discussions of sex, gender, sexual identity and sexuality in cultural practices.
Sexualities: Identity, Behavior, and Society.
Edited by Michael S. Kimmel and Rebecca F. Plante. OUP, New York. 2004.
Sexualities: Identity, Behavior, and Society opens with classical and contemporary
theories about sexualities, including selections by Freud, Kinsey, and Fausto-Sterling.
Subsequent chapters explore the ways in which we learn about sexual activities and develop
sexual identities, both heterosexual and same sex. This book's focus is on the
psychological, social, ethical, and political discussions of sexualities.