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Politics of Sexuality

The assumptions based on sex and sexuality have only expanded since the publishing of Rubin’s work. From my experience the biggest issue we still face as a society is the idea that sexual liberation is for the benefit of heterosexual men. This theory is a constant battle and many men and women who consider themselves progressive struggle to overcome the stigma. Heterosexual men who identify as liberal continue to place judgements on women who express sexuality freely, whether deeming them “not worth the chase” or expecting the woman to prove her loyalty before beginning a monogamous relationship. Additionally, many of these same men who consider themselves open minded do not often mix with gay men, either as friends or support gay businesses, as if to say that love is love if you keep it to yourself.

I would suggest that this heterosexual male perspective is typical of Western culture and rarely unchallenged since wild women and gay men are often deemed as untrustworthy, not deserving of protection and characterized as aggressors when unsupervised. Many women and gay men are underpaid, often living in unsafe neighborhoods and with little access to health care. Community health centers are consistently at risk for harassment, lost leases or loss of government funding when states find the communities too unsavory for public money. Furthermore, sex laws that demonize violent sex crimes in the same manner as consensual sex acts suggest that the acts of consent are the same as any sex act imposed without consent. This perpetuates a hierarchy that sexual delinquents, rapists and child molesters, are the same as monogamous homosexual couples or promiscuous adults, like vegetables and fruits on a food pyramid. These ideas make discussions about human rights issues impossible because anyone who fits into a sexually deviant category, whether with or without consent, is not viewed as human in the consciousness of society.