Spring Break
Have any interesting tidbits on history of sex?
Kathy Greaves Ph.D.
Issue date: 10/28/09 Section: Forum
Dr. Sex,
I have read your column each week for the past four years. A bunch of my friends were sitting around talking about your articles and we were saying that each week we hear the same thing. It is always masturbation is good, find the clitoris and G-spot, and there is a huge range of penis size! I have some suggestions of new topics. How about a history of sex? It would be hard to be comprehensive, but sex seems to go in and out of public acceptance throughout history. Could you comment about interesting tidbits in the history of sex?
Thanks for always giving me something to read and talk about on Wednesdays!
Signed, Curious George
Dear Curious George,
You are absolutely correct that my column repeatedly focuses on masturbation, penis size, and women's clitoral and G-spot orgasms. The reason for this is because the VAST majority of the questions I receive focuses on these topics.
Maybe it is because most of my other readers aren't as loyal of fans as are you and your friends. As a result, other, less frequent readers ask me a question about female orgasm because they didn't see the column two months ago on female orgasm. With that said, your topic idea is a good one. In fact, I used to spend a day lecturing in my class about the history of sexuality.
You are correct that historically, there have been periods of time where sex was much more publicly accepted than it is now, specifically during the period of Ancient Greece and Rome. During that period of time, sex within the confines of marriage was perceived to be a required drudgery for the purpose of procreating and thus having an heir. Pleasurable, socially acceptable sex was between people of the same sex. Yes, it's true. There was a period of time when what we think of today as homosexual sexual activity was not only socially and culturally accepted, it was expected.
Compare that to our culture today where heterosexual sexual activity is socially and culturally accepted, as well as expected. What I mean by expected is that many people in our culture today can't understand why someone is homosexual and how they get pleasure out of homosexual sexual activity. These heterosexuals think that if the homosexuals just tried heterosexual sexual activity (the expectation) they would enjoy it enough to "switch teams."
I have read your column each week for the past four years. A bunch of my friends were sitting around talking about your articles and we were saying that each week we hear the same thing. It is always masturbation is good, find the clitoris and G-spot, and there is a huge range of penis size! I have some suggestions of new topics. How about a history of sex? It would be hard to be comprehensive, but sex seems to go in and out of public acceptance throughout history. Could you comment about interesting tidbits in the history of sex?
Thanks for always giving me something to read and talk about on Wednesdays!
Signed, Curious George
Dear Curious George,
You are absolutely correct that my column repeatedly focuses on masturbation, penis size, and women's clitoral and G-spot orgasms. The reason for this is because the VAST majority of the questions I receive focuses on these topics.
Maybe it is because most of my other readers aren't as loyal of fans as are you and your friends. As a result, other, less frequent readers ask me a question about female orgasm because they didn't see the column two months ago on female orgasm. With that said, your topic idea is a good one. In fact, I used to spend a day lecturing in my class about the history of sexuality.
You are correct that historically, there have been periods of time where sex was much more publicly accepted than it is now, specifically during the period of Ancient Greece and Rome. During that period of time, sex within the confines of marriage was perceived to be a required drudgery for the purpose of procreating and thus having an heir. Pleasurable, socially acceptable sex was between people of the same sex. Yes, it's true. There was a period of time when what we think of today as homosexual sexual activity was not only socially and culturally accepted, it was expected.
Compare that to our culture today where heterosexual sexual activity is socially and culturally accepted, as well as expected. What I mean by expected is that many people in our culture today can't understand why someone is homosexual and how they get pleasure out of homosexual sexual activity. These heterosexuals think that if the homosexuals just tried heterosexual sexual activity (the expectation) they would enjoy it enough to "switch teams."
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Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
DocGSpot
John D Perry PhD
posted 10/28/09 @ 3:33 PM PST
It is amazing how many educated people don't bother to learn the latest scientific developments in the field of sexology. Good Job!
Garrett
posted 10/29/09 @ 7:34 PM PST
I'm almost tempted not to comment on this article, because I wish not to give any credibility to this type of opinion piece. And yes, these tidbits on sexual history is wrought with opinion, just as the lectures given by Greaves are. (Continued…)
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