Jump to content

Antisexualism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused withAsexualityorAnti-sexism.
Sex and the law
Social issues
Specific offences
(varies by jurisdiction)
Sex offender registration
Portals

Antisexualismis opposition or hostility towardssexual behaviorandsexuality.[1]

Terminology[edit]

Other terms whose meanings overlap or are synonymous or interchangeable with antisexualism includesex-negativism,[2]sex-negative movement,[3]sex-negativity,[4]antisexuality,[5]demonization of sex[6]or as an adjective,anti-sexorsex-negative.[7][8]In a broader scope, it may refer to a general opposition to sexuality,[9]especially tending to reduce or eliminate thesex driveor sexual activity[10]or aprudishandcoitophobicforce in society that suppresses sexual freedom and disseminates antisexual opinions.[11][12]When such an aversion involves hatred, it is sometimes calledmiserotiaormiserotism.[13]

Religious[edit]

Some forms of early asceticGnosticismheld all matter to be evil, and that unnecessary gratifications of the physical senses were to be avoided. Married couples were encouraged to be chaste.[14][15]In the first century,Marcion of Sinopeheld an antisexual andasceticoutlook.[16]TheSkoptsyswere a radical sect of theRussian Orthodox Churchthat practicedcastrationand amputation of sexual organs. The Skoptsy believed that Christ had been castrated during his crucifixion, and it was this castration that brought about salvation.[17]Boston Corbett,who was involved in killing John Wilkes Booth, castrated himself after being mocked and tempted by prostitutes.[18]Ann Leewas the founder of theShakers,a radicalProtestantsect that opposed procreation and all sexual activity. The Shakers were more opposed to pregnancy than anything else.[19][better source needed]Father Divine,founder of theInternational Peace Mission Movement,advocated religiousabstinence from sexand marriage and taught that sexual objectification is a root cause of undesirable social and political conditions.[20]

James BaldwininThe Fire Next Timerefers to the United States as an antisexual country dominated by awhiteculture that regards sensual or soulful behavior byBlack Americansas suspect. This contributes to a crisis of Baldwin's Christian faith because it shows that the world does not accept him, and that Christianity has not made white people accepting.[21]

Non-religious[edit]

PhilosopherImmanuel Kantviewed humans as being subject to the animalistic desires of self-preservation, species-preservation, and the preservation of enjoyment. He argued that humans have a duty to avoid maxims that harm or degrade themselves, including suicide, sexual degradation, and drunkenness.[22]: 225 This led Kant to regard sexual intercourse as degrading because it "makes of the loved person an Object of appetite",[23]rather than focusing on their inherent worth as rational beings, which violates Kant's second formulation of thecategorical imperative,a philosophical concept he created to judge the morality of actions. He admitted sex only within marriage, which he regarded as "a merely animal union".[24]

Feminist[edit]

Variousfeminist views on sexualityhave been described as anti-sex or sex-negative. In particular,second-waveandradical feministviewpoints and thinkers have been subject to this, including from other feminists.[25][26][27]

Prior to the second wave of feminism, which introduced such slogans as "The personal is political"in the 1960s, the subject ofwomen's sexualityhad rarely been addressed as apoliticizedsubject, although the subjugation of women by aspects ofmale sexualityhad been discussed. Major feminist organizations, such as theNational Organization for Women(NOW) in the United States, primarily focused onmale supremacyin the public sphere. It was not until the earliest radical feminist groups began to form in the late 1960s that feminist analysis of women's sexuality started to become widespread.[28]

According to radical feminist theory, sexuality is the primary sphere ofpatriarchy,withsexual activity,especiallyheterosexual sex,as the basis of women's oppression by men. Sexuality, according to radical feminists, only serves to revoke theagencyof women. Radical feminists oppose thesexual objectificationof women, for their sexual andreproductive labor,and hold the view that in a male-dominated society, heterosexual practices involve an imbalance of power and serves tosexualizethe oppression of women.[29]Ti-Grace Atkinsonwrote of heterosexual sex as a socialinstitutionserving the needs of men, but not necessarily of women. This analysis lead some radical feminists to call for women to stop having sex with men altogether, with some advocating forcelibacyand others advocatingpolitical lesbianism.[28]This led to the second wave polarizing around two camps in what would become known as thefeminist sex wars.[30]

Radical feminist writerJulie Bindeldescribing femalebisexualityas a "fashionable trend" pushing for sexual hedonism. She writes, "if bisexual women had an ounce of sexual politics, they would stop sleeping with men."[31]

Multiple authors have objected to radical feminists on this front. Margaret Hunt criticizedSheila Jeffreysfor praising women involved in the 19th-centurysocial purity movement,whose "concern with women's victimization" Jeffreys admired.[32]

Naomi Wolfidentified a form of feminism she calledvictim feminism,which she described as "sexually judgmental, even antisexual".[33]

Criticism[edit]

Friedrich Nietzschehas many criticisms of Jesus and Christianity. InHuman, All Too Human,andTwilight of the Idolsfor example, Nietzsche accuses the Church's and Jesus' teachings as being anti-natural in their treatment of passions, in particularly sexuality: "There [In the Sermon on the Mount] it is said, for example, with particular reference to sexuality: 'If thy eye offend thee, pluck it out.' Fortunately, no Christian acts in accordance with this precept...[34]the Christian who follows that advice and believes he has killed his sensuality is deceiving himself: it lives on in an uncanny vampire form and torments in repulsive disguises. "[35]

Antisexualism drew sharp criticism fromBertrand Russellin hisMarriage and Morals:

Westermarckgives many instances of what he calls 'the curious notion that there is something impure and sinful in... sexual relations.'... It should be said to begin with that it is useless to look to beliefs as the source of this kind of attitude. Beliefs of this sort must be in the first place inspired by a mood; it is true that when once they exist they may perpetuate the mood, or at any rate actions in accordance with the mood, but it is hardly likely that they will be the prime causes of an anti-sexual attitude. The two main causes of such an attitude are, I should say,jealousyand sexualfatigue.

— Bertrand Russell,Marriage and Morals[36]

According to Bertrand Russell, an anti-sexual attitude must be regarded as purely superstitious and those who first inculcated antisexualism must have suffered from a diseased condition of body or mind, or both.[37]

Anaphrodisiacs[edit]

John Harvey Kellogg,the inventor of the "corn flakes" variety of breakfast cereal, was opposed to all forms of sexual activity, especiallymasturbation.[38]The Road to Wellvillesatirized his life and practices.[39]According to some sources, the early Christian theologianOrigencastrated himself to avoid temptation and remain pure.[40]Female circumcisionmay have been developed to discourage women from having sex or, alternatively, of removing or diminishing temptations which might lead to infidelity.[citation needed]

Fictional[edit]

  • The Junior Anti-Sex League, inGeorge Orwell'sdystopiannovelNineteen Eighty-Four,was a group of young adult Party members devoted to banning all sexual intercourse.[41]
  • The filmDemolition Mantakes place in a future in which sexual intercourse is banned – reproduction is achieved clinically and the experience itself is simulated throughvirtual reality.These attitudes resulted from STD outbreaks that caused widespread fear.
  • The song "Samurai Abstinence Patrol" by comedy music duoNinja Sex Party,is about a group known as the Samurai Abstinence Patrol who ban all sex in the future.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^John Ince (2005),The politics of lust,Prometheus Books, p. 11,ISBN978-1-59102-278-7,consists of any negative response directed at sex organs or harmless sex expression
  2. ^Schmit, Timaree (16 May 2017)."Philly collective talks sex-positive resistance in American politics".Archivedfrom the original on 2017-06-06.
  3. ^Mhaoileoin, Niamh Ní (2 August 2016)."The HIV drug dispute highlights the danger of the conservative case for gay rights".New Statesman.Archivedfrom the original on 20 October 2021.Retrieved7 February2024.
  4. ^Rubin, Gayle. "Thinking sex: Notes for a radical theory of the politics of sexuality." Social Perspectives in Lesbian and Gay Studies; A Reader (1984): 100-133.
  5. ^Berer, Marge (2004). "Sexuality, Rights and Social Justice".Reproductive Health Matters.12(23): 6–11.doi:10.1016/S0968-8080(04)23130-5.ISSN0968-8080.
  6. ^Dillon, M. C. "Sex objects and sexual objectification: Erotic versus pornographic depiction." Journal of Phenomenological Psychology 29.1 (1998): 92-115.
  7. ^Michelson, Noah (29 November 2017)."Another GOP Lawmaker Got Caught In A Sex Scandal. Here's Why You Should Defend Him".HuffPost UK.Archivedfrom the original on 29 April 2023.Retrieved7 February2024.
  8. ^Shrage, Laurie. "Exposing the fallacies of anti-porn feminism." Feminist Theory 6.1 (2005): 45-65.
  9. ^"Definition of" antisexuality "".Collins English Dictionary.Archivedfrom the original on 2012-10-29.
  10. ^"Definition of ANTISEX".Merriam-Webster.Archivedfrom the original on 2013-01-31.
  11. ^Gescinska, Alicja A. (2022)."Sex in transition: anti-sexuality and the church in post-communist Poland"(PDF).In Clarke, Gemma; McQueen, Fiona; Pnacekova, Michaela; Sahli, Sabrina (eds.).Examining aspects of sexualities and the self(Conference). Critical Issues. Vol. 121. Oxford, UK:Inter-Disciplinary Press.pp. 87–94.hdl:1854/LU-924760.ISBN978-1-84888-020-7.924760.RetrievedMarch 12,2013.[permanent dead link]6th Global Conference: Sexualities: Bodies, Desires, Practices.
  12. ^Kon, Igor S."Sexual culture and politics in contemporary Russia".Sexual counter-revolution in Russia.Russia: Fatekh Vergasov's electronic library.Archivedfrom the original on 2012-01-13.Retrieved2013-03-12.The current anti-sexual crusade is only the top of the iceberg. Under the guise of a moral renaissance,Russian Orthodoxyand its allies are trying to restorecensorshipand administrative control over private life.
  13. ^Houdini, Merlin X., IV(1974)."Of sex and fear".Word Ways.Vol. 7, no. 2. pp. 121–124.ISSN0043-7980.{{cite magazine}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^Sunshine, Glenn S. (2009).Why You Think the Way You Do: The Story of Western Worldviews from Rome to Home.Zondervan.p. 47.ISBN9780310292302.Archivedfrom the original on 2014-01-05.
  15. ^SeeBook of Thomas the Contender,Acts of Thomas;alsoSpiritual marriage
  16. ^Bullough, V.L.; Bullough, B. (2019).Sin, Sickness and Sanity: A History of Sexual Attitudes.Routledge Library Editions: History of Sexuality. Taylor & Francis. p. 31.ISBN978-0-429-61522-1.Retrieved2023-06-18.
  17. ^Friedman, David M. (2008).A Mind of Its Own: A Cultural History of the Penis.Simon & Schuster.pp. 36–37.ISBN9781439136089.Archivedfrom the original on 2014-01-05.
  18. ^Tanner, Beccy (2013-02-11)."Boston Corbett moved to Kansas after John Wilkes Booth shooting".The Wichita Eagle.Archivedfrom the original on 2013-10-29.
  19. ^Gopnik, Adam (2006-02-13)."Shining Tree of Life".The New Yorker.Archivedfrom the original on 2013-12-05.
  20. ^Watts, Jill (1992).God, Harlem U.S.A.: The Father Divine Story.University of California Press. p.66.ISBN9780520916692.All disciples subscribed to Father Divine's teaching that sex was a sin that drained the body of "spiritual energy", making the individual vulnerable to disease and death. Even followers who lived outside 72 Macon Street practiced celibacy.
  21. ^Baldwin, James (November 9, 1962)."Letter from a Region in My Mind".The New Yorker.
  22. ^Denis, Lara (April 1999). "Kant on the Wrongness of" Unnatural "Sex".History of Philosophy Quarterly.16(2). University of Illinois Press: 225–248.
  23. ^Kant, Immanuel. Lectures on Ethics, p. 163
  24. ^Wood, Allen (1999).Kant's Ethical Thought.Cambridge University Press. p. 2.ISBN978-0521648363.
  25. ^Pyne, Elizabeth (2018-10-02)."Jessica Joy Cameron, Reconsidering Radical Feminism: Affect and the Politics of Heterosexuality".Studies in Gender and Sexuality.19(4): 309–311.doi:10.1080/15240657.2018.1531541.ISSN1524-0657.S2CID149988775.
  26. ^Janus, Kathleen Kelly (2013)."Finding common feminist ground: The role of the next generation in shaping feminist legal theory".Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy.20(2): 255–286.
  27. ^Tyler, Meagan (2018-04-10)."Can we eroticise equality? On the politics of sexual desire".ABC Religion & Ethics.Retrieved2022-01-16.
  28. ^abShulman, Alix Kates (1980)."Sex and Power: Sexual Bases of Radical Feminism".Signs.5(4): 590–604.doi:10.1086/493754.ISSN0097-9740.JSTOR3173832.S2CID143235534.
  29. ^Collins, Barbara G. (1990)."Pornography and Social Policy: Three Feminist Approaches".Affilia.5(4): 8–26.doi:10.1177/088610999000500402.ISSN0886-1099.S2CID144561715.
  30. ^Snyder-Hall, R. Claire (March 2010)."Third-Wave Feminism and the Defense of" Choice "".Perspectives on Politics.8(1): 255–261.doi:10.1017/S1537592709992842.ISSN1537-5927.S2CID145133253.
  31. ^Bindel, Julie (12 June 2012)."Where's The Politics In Sex?".HuffPost.Retrieved7 February2024.
  32. ^Hunt, Margaret (1990)."The De-Eroticization of Women's Liberation: Social Purity Movements and the Revolutionary Feminism of Sheila Jeffreys".Feminist Review.34(1): 23–46.doi:10.1057/fr.1990.7.ISSN0141-7789.S2CID143771593.
  33. ^Wolf, Naomi (1994).Fire with fire: the new female power and how to use it(1st Vintage ed. Sept. 1994 ed.). Toronto: Vintage.ISBN0-394-22386-1.OCLC30666347.
  34. ^Friedrich Nietzsche, 1895, Twilight of the Idols, Morality as Anti-nature, 1.
  35. ^Friedrich Nietzsche, 1878, Human all too Human: A Book for Free Spirits, The Wanderer and His Shado, aphorism 83.
  36. ^Russell, Bertrand (1930)."Phallic worship, asceticism and sin".Marriage And Morals.London: George Allen & Unwin. pp. 31–39.
  37. ^Russell, Bertrand (1930)."Christian ethics".Marriage And Morals.London: George Allen & Unwin. pp. 40–53.
  38. ^Taormino, Tristan (2004-05-11)."Come for a Cause".The Village Voice.Archivedfrom the original on 2010-09-09.
  39. ^Hicks, Chris (1994-11-01)."Film review: Road to Wellville, The".Deseret News.Archivedfrom the original on 2015-06-06.
  40. ^Rothwell, Nicholas (2008-08-23)."The Way of All Flesh".The Australian.Archivedfrom the original on 2014-12-16.
  41. ^O'Neill, Brendan (2009-05-17)."Inalienable Right to 'Excessively Noisy Sex'".Toronto Star.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-03-04.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Antisexualism&oldid=1231302632"