Development of sex/sexuality over the 19th and 20th centuries

Final Take-Home Essay

Sexuality has been through a number of significant changes/progressions within the 19th and 20th centuries. Developments within the medical field as well as in the legal field have helped plant the seeds of change within the social realm of our society. We can see these changes when we focus in on the amount of information we now have at our disposal and what has be drawn from it all.

These changes include, yet are not limited to, the move from the one sex model over to the two sex model, the discovery of hormones in the mid-nineteenth century, the introduction of the birth control movement in the twentieth century, the naming of “gender” in the twentieth century, the plastic surgery craze in the early to mid twentieth century, decriminalization of private adult homosexual acts in the twentieth century and learning about sexually transmitted diseases i.e HIV/AIDS.

The transition from the one sex model over to the two sex model was an important step towards finding the truths about the human anatomy. Before this it was thought that a woman’s genitalia was just that of a males yet inverted, as we can see in figures 30-31 on page 88 of Laqueur . False truths were thereby used to justify stereotypes and oppressive behaviors on the behalf of the predominantly male medical practitioners. Too many of these stereotypes and misguided beliefs have stayed linked with our culture as time went on. The finding of the two sex model however lessened the justifications of this significantly.

The discovery of hormones within the mid-ninetieth century came to be with the realization from such researchers as Thomas Addison and Claude Bernard, that internal organs secrete substances that are thought to play a role in metabolism and general health (Nye. 1999.P.240). This was incredibly influential information as it led to the mapping of the function and extent of the endocrine system later in the twentieth century. This also greatly helped in the exploration of the other chemicals in which the body produces, such as the notorious neurotransmitters.

The “hormonal body” discovery empowered us with the understanding of how these
“secretions” affect the body. What role they play when it comes to the bodies health, and they’re contribution to the internal economy (Nye. 1999. P.240). The “sex hormone” discovery was also a revolutionary triumph of science which lead to the, “efforts to extract and later synthesize them for “therapeutic use”(Nye. 1999. P.240). One of the greatest noted accomplishments to do with the discovery of hormones and which came out of this change/progression within the past two centuries, was the invention of synthetic hormones. Oestrogen, is one such synthetic hormone and is currently the most commonly used in prescription drugs around the world.Working with these newly discovered hormones, scientists began work on a contraceptive drug that would work with women’s sex hormones in order to control ovulation and thereby allow women control over their reproduction. This idea was fought by people still holding as though true, the stereotypes about women from our histories falsified truths. Also fighting this idea was various religions who came up with their own reasoning which went against women’s ability to choose for themselves when and with who they would like to procreate.

Women in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries were coming more into their own. Women’s movements were pushing women further into the equality which meant that more and more women were joining the workforce. It is stated that, “between 1870 and 1930 the number of employed American woman increased by tenfold, bringing the total to over 10 million, or one forth of the eligible female population” (Nye. 1999. P. 312). Along with this work force liberation came the debate about weather or not it was possible for a woman to be in the job force and at the same time, raise children which was and is still to this day a powerful question. America’s women’s fertility became a hot issue.

The birth control movement thrived in the 1920s as it dealt with the controversial
interests of the public. The author of The Pivot of Civilization, Margaret Sanger wrote, “Women can attain freedom only by concrete, definite knowledge of themselves, a knowledge based on biology , physiology and psychology... Birth control is no negative philosophy concerned solely with the number of children brought into the world. It is not merely a question of population . Primarily it is the instrument of liberation and human development” (Nye. 1999. 314) With the debates between the sexes being fought steadily now, it was also a time in which to look at the, “other”. People who did not fit into the role of men or women by societal standards and who had in the past been more or less ignored and written off as having either a mutation of the genitalia or a psychological disease. When finally acknowledging and studying these people in the 1950s, the word “gender” was finally constructed. “Gender” was then to be the term used to describe “psychological sex” (Nye. 1999. P.283). Having this term which incorporated what “sex” could not, finally made it possible for the conversation of the “other” to be integrated with “us” more freely.

Along with the construction of “gender” came the cosmetic plastic surgery craze. It was discovered that what was thought to be a psychological disorder, could in fact be treated by cosmetic plastic surgery alongside psychiatric counseling. Scientific studies and psychological analysis of these sexed bodies came together to come up with the idea of treating the physical as well as the psychological in these situations. Sex reassignment was fought for by doctors now as part of a psychological treatment (Nye. 1999. P. 284). Plastic surgery did not just focus on genital reconfiguration. It also highlighted other areas for people to want to conform to “norms” in their appearances. Not only do people need the “correct” genitalia, they also need to be thin, with a smaller nose, higher cheeks etc.

With a slowly but surely growing open mindedness, “coming out” became a topic to be dealt with. In the nineteenth century, much of homosexual behavior was illegal under Sexual Offences Acts. A famous and tragic story concerning this has to deal with the writer Oscar Wild in 1895 and his two year jail sentence that broke him, ruined his career and caused him to pass away earlier than he most likely would have if he had not been put through the hard labor. He was in other words, legally tortured for being found to love the wrong person (Nye. 1999 P. 364).

The twentieth century was a time of great triumph for the homosexual community. Laws were challenged and changed while others were passed making it possible for homosexual people to not be charged criminally for their sexual orientation. They were now able to gather and gather they did. The 1970's were a time of great marches and protests which brought attention to their fight. Many strides were taken in the direction of diminishing oppression. Oppression is however still a problem for the homosexual community today, yet we are still fighting toward full equality no matter who one loves.

One of the stigma’s that society held about the homosexual community was that sexually transmitted diseases/infections came from them. “Activists became convinced that gay sexual practices in the “liberated” 1970s and 1980s had contributed directly to the spread of disease” (Nye. 1999. P. 395) This was due to the fact that the majority of people were not adequately educated about homosexuals, as well as the fact that their behavior had once been criminalized and deemed promiscuous and unnatural by those who opposed it.

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) became a major cause for concern withing the twentieth century. Once thought of as a disease only the “others” had, HIV and AIDS spread throughout society quickly and did not seem to care what anyone’s sexual orientation was.

Science somewhat took over many of the questions which religion used to attempt to answer. People now wanted answers that could also offer with tangible proof to back them up. Scientific studies therefore were performed in abundance at this time. One such scientific studies which also tied in psychological analysis of the sexed body, was that of the Kinsey’s sex surveys.
These were not completely reliable but they were the first that came close in this area of study. As societies attitudes change/progress on the topic of sex and sexuality, the reliability of scientific studies on these topics will increase. The twentieth century did show improvement in this area yet there are still some taboo topics where reporting may not be completely accurate (Nye. 1999. P. 409).

People’s lived experience with sex within these two centuries changed fairly dramatically with all of the progressions mentioned above. Before the introduction to birth control, for example, women were terrified of unwanted pregnancies so they had to either abstain or deal with the consequences. Before the legalization of homosexuality, people found to be homosexual were being killed and then they were being imprisoned. For a time, called the 1960s-1980s, there was an arguably utopian time in history where there was a wave of “free love”. With the HIV and AIDS epidemic coming into the picture however, this “free love” had to come to an end.

The progress made over the past two centuries should not be taken lightly. However, complete liberation has not yet been accomplished. Women, transgendered individuals and the homosexual community have not yet obtained full equality with that of heterosexual men. Sometime in the future it is however hoped that yes, the end will be liberation. For now, the fight continues.

References

Laqueur, Thomas. 1990. Making Sex: Body and gender from the Greeks to Freud. Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London, England. Harvard University Press.

Nye A. Robert (Ed). 1999. Sexuality. New York. Oxford University Press.