We have arrived at the final section of the course! After discussing deviant bodies and minds, we are ready to talk about behaviors that are considered deviant, to some degree, by mainstream society. The readings over the next few week are going to make you laugh, cringe, and perhaps shake your head a time or two. The more open you are, and the more willing you are to at least try to see everyone as “normal” for a moment (or at least more human than they are often treated) the more you may find yourself engaged with the stories and perspectives you are going to read, watch and hear. Have fun with this section, keeping your sociological imagination in high gear, and your critical thinking skills at full capacity.
March 27: We begin this exploration by discussing how two central social constructions impact how deviant we perceive sex to be—age, and gender. The “double standard” of slut vs. stud when it comes to gender is well known, but we are going to push even further into our understanding of how gender impacts our perceptions of deviance when it comes to sexual behaviors and practices. We are also going to discuss age, and how our perceptions of what it means to be certain ages also impacts our perceptions of what is deviant when it comes to sex. As you are reading about gender and age, you will also be exploring some of the most controversial questions about sexuality. How do groups (like women, or boy-loving men) work around the stigmas associated with their sexuality? Can pornography be feminist, or pro-female? Does one sexual encounter with a man make a man "gay" (and have you noticed we don’t ask that same question of women?)? What are the limits of the language and labels we use for sexuality? For today you will read the following:
- Read "Everyone Knows Who the Sluts Are”: How Young Women Get around the Stigma by Jennifer L. Dunn, available in your textbook.
- Read The World According to NAMBLA: Accounting for Deviance by Mary DeYoung (available on Angel)
- Read What is Feminist Porn? by sex educator and feminist pornographer Tristan Taormino
- Read Mostly Straight, Most of the Time by developmental psychologist Ritch C. Savin-Williams and Kenneth M. Cohen, published at The Good Men Project
On March 29 our two themes will be public sex, and the difficulties with legislating behaviors. We start with a groundbreaking article from author and activist Patrick Califia, on how laws draw a line in the sand, and impact our perceptions of sex. To keep you thinking about the complexities in deciding what is "public" and "private" using the example of bathrooms, I am also having you read a recent piece by author Ivan Coyote. It is a short piece; it is her an open letter to women that question her presence in bathrooms. Sex in Public Places offers more information about, and tips for, the practice.
You will also be reading an article by a peace and social justice activist Rubby Diesu who says the LGBTQ community is misguided in their feverish campaigning for “equality” in the form of same-sex marriage and the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Diesu asks: is that what we should be fighting for? For the LGBTQ community to give themselves up to heteronormativity? Can we ever be "equal" if we are supposed to assimilate? Think about what Califia says about the limits of laws when you read that article. In any social movement asking the public to change their perceptions of them, there will be some parts of the community that insist we have to focus on policies, and let social change trickle down. There is also usually a faction that says we need to change the social climate and culture, which will change policy, but also have more systemic changes in the broader culture. These articles will speak to that debate.
- Read Public Sex: The Culture of Radical Sex by Pat Califia, available on Angel.
- Read Dear Lady in the Women’s Washroom by Ivan Coyote
- Read Sex in Public Places from the SexInfo site hosted and maintained by sexuality students at the University of California, Santa Barbara. I think I have found my calling!
- Read Why I Don’t Want Equality by Robby Diesu
On April 3 we will ask the question: is sex work deviant? Is all sex work deviant? Does it depend on the type of work you are doing? Where do you draw the line? Based on behavior? Location? What happens when sex workers meet and organize?
- Read Exotic Dancers: ‘Where am I Going to Stop?’ by Jennifer K. Wesely, available in your textbook
- Check out the series "Stripped" by Mexico City photographer Alicia Vera
- Read Humanizing Sex Workers? by blogger Margo DeMello on Sociological Images
- Read The H Word: What the H by Melissa Petro at Bitch Media
- Read U.S. Sex Worker Advocates Expose Human Rights Violations Before UN by Cara at the feminist blog The Curvature
- In class that day we will be watching the film Live Nude Girls Unite! (remember your Film Review is due by 9:00pm April 8)
April 5: Who says monogamy is the only valid option for a relationship? Why are we so stuck on monogamy as the ultimate type of relationship? Are there other options, that could be just—if not more—valid? Is the difficulty in other formats of relationship due to them being less valid, or due to the pressure of monogamy being the norm? Be prepared to debate the topic in class--I really want to hear what arguments stand out to you in these pieces.
- Check out the image The Varieties of Intimate Relationships on the web site Information is Beautiful
- Read Bigger Love by Jim Catano in Salt Lake City's alternative newspaper City Weekly
- Read the NY Times Editorial Married, With Infidelities by Mark Oppenheimer
- Listen to Dan Savage--columnist, activist and editor of Seattle’s The Stranger--discuss “It’s Not Easy Being Non-Monogamous” (12:15) on Kinsey Confidential from The Kinsey Institute, named after the (in)famous sex researcher Alfred Kinsey
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