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Assignment 5

I think the assumption that Gayle Rubin argues in “Thinking Sex” is that sex is a taboo topic in society depending on the time and place you are in. Sex can also be a sin depending on other peoples ethnics and religion.

Sex is usually a taboo topic in society because of how awkward it can be when talking about it. The reason to this is probably because the government passed so much laws trying to protect kids from it that it became a norm to not say anything in public to harm anyone else. Also according to Rubin, sex laws was derived from the bible, which to some people is very important because to them god created everyone and that he is always right. So when there is a gay couple or lesbian couple, people who believe in god or religious get kind of angry (depending on the person) at those couples for breaking the sayings of the god. Later on Rubin mentions how sodomy is illegal even in your own home (secret private life) because the government doesn’t allow this. This was a breach of privacy because gay/lesbian couple would be arrested just for having sex with one another, which is taboo.

Sex is a sin because according to Rubin s/he uses a diagram that shows what is good and what is bad. The good is usually when your faithful to someone (your married and have someone you love) and this allows you to be compatibility and build a future together with that person (having sex to produce offspring). On the other hand the bad is when you aren’t faithful to someone and instead you use sex as a way to work for money or for pleasurable purposes or etc…

Sex limits the political discourse on sexuality in the United States because of how the government has to try to define the norm that is right/wrong to follow. Since there is also a lot of people in the government with different views, religion, opinion, and etc… It gets a bit harder for the government to come to an agreement on something. However the world is moving forward and changing because Obama passed the rights for lesbians and gays to get married, which allows them to get the rights that regular couples get.