Sexual Literacy
We confuse "packaged sexuality" with genuine sexuality, writes Gilbert Herdt of the National Sexuality Research Center:
Contrary to what the pundits say, Americans are not in love with sex. They are deeply ambivalent about sexual pleasure and intimacy. Parents worry about whether their teens are "doing it." We have a collective concern about unintended pregnancy, and now fear, bordering on panic, of gays and lesbians gaining the right to marry. And we should not forget that the stigma and suffering associated with sexual pleasure and AIDS still looms large.The list goes on and the fear grows because of sexual illiteracy. Sexual literacy, on the other hand, is the knowledge and skills needed to promote and protect sexual wellness—having healthy intimate relationships, being able to prevent disease, understanding sexuality beyond just the act. Sexual wellness comes from having comprehensive sexual education and then continuing to learn throughout life.
Make no mistake. The national fixation is on sex that is packaged, not on sexuality that is genuine, well rounded and healthy. Packaged sex is produced and shaped by huge market forces, far from nature. Packaged sex is the image of a curvaceous woman in lingerie plastered on a billboard, television innuendos that sell everything from cars to cell phones. Packaged Sex is pornography, reality TV shows, and the messages of conservatives opposed to sexual education. Packaged sex is commercialized—sex for sale, sex for marketing—and politicized—sex for votes—used to promote conservative morality campaigns against sexuality education, abortion rights, and HIV prevention.
...Fearing the promotion of packaged sex, parents hesitate to have frank discussions about sexuality with their children and often avoid talking about ways to avoid pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, or date rape. Meanwhile, teachers have grown fearful of any mention of sex in the classroom because of extremist organizations’ attacks on comprehensive sexual education.
...We should realize that we are in trouble when medical doctors are uncomfortable asking patients during routine physicals the most basic questions about sexual health, such as: Has your sexual relationship with your spouse changed during the past year? Such changes are often indicators of mental and physical problems that doctors need to know about.
...Because we treat "sex" as dirty, we associate it with fear and shame, and silence effective sexual education. Public opinion polls consistently demonstrate that Americans want "comprehensive" sexual education—which integrates abstinence education with information on preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. At the same time, these polls suggest public confusion about how to achieve sexual literacy. Unfortunately, public opinion is constantly manipulated through misinformation, and sexual conservatives have successfully created moral panics around issues dealing with sexuality.
Our goal in 2005 is to raise sexual wellness in the United States by promoting sexual literacy. Sexual literacy is an attitude of openness and the desire to learn about sexuality throughout life. Sexually literate people do not mistake packaged sex for genuine sexuality. We need to get back to the basics of better public knowledge and understanding to increase our happiness and enjoyment in life. Sexual literacy is a key to social progress.
Hear, hear! I've often said that what our culture calls "sexuality" is really just titillation and objectification.
deja pseu at October 4, 2005 6:25 AM
We're no more likely to get our sexuality together than our nutrition and drug habits... Anniston is to genuine feminine dignity as Fritos is to freshly harvested grain. That said, this passage sounds seriously like something from MOther Jones or somewhere circa 1968. "More education, man....."
Crid at October 5, 2005 2:39 AM
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