Sexual Deviance; An Ever Changing Phenomenon

During theGolden Greek Age (4^th and 5^th BCE) the Warrior class were not only provided with the opportunity, but the social approval that made homosexual relationships between young boys and much older men possible (Hyde & DeLamater, 2003). In other words, the Greeks if only to an extent held a much higher level of sexual tolerance then would be seen for many years to come. Maybe, this is because they believed in a "mythological" past where humans once possessed dual sexual organs, and multiple limbs that were separated by the Gods to create two separate beings. This making it a life long journey and desire to find ones forcibly separated true love.

This of course, contradicts the later teachings that were brought on by Biblical Law, which changed the rules governing sexual relations. You see, the new religion prohibited casual sex, adultery, incest, prostitution, and any other form of non-traditional sexual interaction that did not occur between a married couples. Then again even those individuals faced limitations, because "intimacy" was to be used for procreation purposes only, and never during menstruation, pregnancy, or certain seasons. To disobey was to commit sin, and the consequence was punishable by death (Hyde & DeLamater, 2003). Today, some of these scenarios may seem harsh or abnormal; especially those between married couples. But, what about the false diagnoses placed on normal, non-intimate individuals such as when the 15^th Century Christians began training the followers to believe. For instance, a typical "wet dream" only occurred as the result of the immortal sin called sodomy (Hyde & DeLamater, 2003) also known as oral and anal intercourse (Hyde & DeLamater, 2003).

To say the least, the control of religion is amazing, but then religious hierarchy has not been the only rulers of sexual behavior. With time constrictions, I've been able to find historic information that reaches as far back as 1873 whenCongress had already passed the Comstock Law. This law made any form of contraceptives an obscene material. Therefore, it became illegal for it to be transported through the U.S. mail (PBS, 2005). This seems rather unusual since the whole concept of sexuality before 1890 was thought to in some way "magically appear" during puberty (a myth that modern science now dismisses, as it's been proven that sexuality begins at birth and that lubrication has been found in female infants as young as 24 hours old.) (Hyde & DeLamater, 2003).

Personally, I wonder if this decision might have changed the outcome associated with the 1967 Hippies sexual revolution if they had of foreseen the repercussions. After all, there were so many individuals "making love, and not war," that there must have been an over load of teen pregnancies, unwed mothers, and sexual disease running rampant.

This revelation perhaps is what prompted our Government to finally legalize the first birth control pill, which allowed over 12.5 million women worldwide to take the medication and act "naturally" in a worry free manner. (PBS, 2005) Unfortunately, not every woman was given the same opportunity, because the medication or device was illegal to distribute to single women. That is until 1972, when the U.S. Supreme Court, ruling (Eisenstadt v. Baird) made it illegal for a state to barricade unwed persons from obtaining birth control (PBS, 2005). This landmark was followed by the legalization of abortion in 1973 (Roe v. Wade), when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a woman's right to privacy in reproductive matters (PBS, 2005).

With the female population now armed with preventative and termination measures one might hope to eliminate the chances of an unwanted pregnancy, but what people did not count on what the rise in statistics concerning a young woman's age of first sexual experience. That's right, by creating safety nets, society that opened the door to further carelessness, and between 1975 and 1999 young ladies age 15-18 were 54% likely to be unmarried and sexually active. On the other hand, one must ask, are the "actions of sexual desire and activity" abnormal or is asking our youth to wait longer periods of time until they have finished school, become financially set, and married to procreate. Personally, I believe that the second seems a little more abnormal when compared to our own parents, grand parents, and great grand parents.

As one begins to consider the recent generations, and how they compare to today, it seems quite easy to see a major difference. First, the modern day era places sex into all aspects of everyday life. It is on the television, on movies, hanging on billboards, and sitting on the newsstands. It is openly spoken at family get together, religious events, and believe it or not our 5-year-olds understand the term. In other words, S-E-X is not that secretive 3-letter word that was whispered or occasionally written on the wall in a public bathroom any more. It is here, real, and in your face. Therefore, we as a society must learn to at the very least, respect the diverse manner in which different groups embrace their sexuality.

Eclectic Levels Of Sexual Arousal

Acceptance is not always an easy task. As stated in the beginning, most people have grown accustomed to their own set of morals and values; for this is only natural. However when an action comes along that is so distant from one's society's norm, then it becomes easier to lable the action as deviant, or even criminal. For that reason, I feel it is important to touch bases on different scenarios that have become more public over the years, and explain why a person might possibly find favor in acting upon such desires.

The first is "fetishism". Fetishism is a deep intimate attachment to an inanimate action or object (Sarason, & Sarason, and DeLamater). It could be something as simple as collecting women's shoes and underwear, or it can turn into a dangerous game of suffocation (Sarason, & Sarason, and DeLamater). Either way, the person seeking and/or acting out, is actually reaching toward the goal of sexual gratification , and they may not even be aware of why they crave such actions/items (DeLamter,2003).. Unfortunately, the cause is also debatable when our psychological theories are put to the test. For Instance, The cognitive theories suggest that the "condition" centers around "cognitive/perceptional distortion (DeLamter, 2003).". In other words the individual is drawn to non-conventual stimulus (DeLamter, 2003).. The learning theory on the other hand believes the "damage" is created through classical conditioning, and yet they were willing to admit that one simple event could have caused a chain reaction (DeLamter, 2003). Actually the only thing the two theories agree on is that whatever the cause, the symptoms (the unusual attraction to shoes or underwear) begin to appear early in a fetish addicts life.

It would obviously be easier on every one if we could use some sort of blood, urine, or DNA style test to understand why a small child like the above starts out with in the norm, the awakes and poof... "FETISH". I'm sure those happiest might be the individuals who suffer from transgender (also known as a topic of "gender/gender identity") (DeLamter, 2003). Unfortunately, even science isn't that simple. Instead, Tran-gendered individuals often lead a life full of confusion, as they walk through life feeling like a male or female soul that has somehow been trapped in the opposite body (DeLamter, 2003). These feelings have been known to trigger such emotional turmoil that a female "soul" may make an irrational decision to take matters into "her" own hands, and sever the dreadful "limb" from her body by means of self mutilation (castration) (DeLamter, 2003). Ok so this may seem graphic, but even in modern day, there are few choices for an individual who needs immediate relief. They could seek psychological therapy, but that won't be the cure all, because even if they go, they are still going to have to sit in front of another human being and profess that they are "abnormal" , and then pray that who ever that person is, that he or she will assist them to gain the alterations needed to feel whole. This can be a timely process; between therapy, hormones, and surgery the process can take years (DeLamter,2003). This doesn't even count the legalities involved. Oh yes, transgendered individuals enter an avoidant-avoidant situation when they decide to carry through with a sex reassignment surgery, because on one hand they "must" live life as a person of the "opposite" physical gender for an entire year, and on the other hand they have to pray they aren't caught in an opposite sex bathroom, changing room, or and other gender specific area because they will be arrested for breaking the law as well.

(Special Note: As a woman/survivor of childhood sexual abuse, this author understands why penises are not allowed in a women's facility; especially without single stall (room) capacity. I mean, other wise we would have cross dressing stalkers hibernating in every public bathroom in town playing peek a boo with the guests. But, at the same time, I do not believe that things should be so extraordinarily hard for an individual who is in the above position to wade through loads of red tape either.)

Conclusion

Over all, the lesson here is clear. The group who holds the highest number of members dictates the norms within a society. This means that at any given time the norm today may change and those individuals will become the social outcasts tomorrow. Then again, Have LockEllis Said it even better with his scholastic findings. You see, he said that "Sexually Deviant Behavior is often harmless and that society should accept it!" (DeLamter,2003).

Personally, I've learned that this is a dream because over the past few years I've witnessed a rising number of sexual conservatisms that have been manifesting into our political/social areana and silencing the educational voice. I mean, aren't we seeing our government limit sexual research, studies of human sexual behavior, and our children's sexual education, in favor of the next closed mouth gimic that cheats us by feeding us abstance instead of the importance of protection? And, without the whole truth, how do we expect to psychologically inoculate our youth and prepare them for future casualties? The fact is: With Our Current System...WE CAN'T and build a healthy standard at the same time.

So with that said, I challenge my reader to highly concider doing what ever you can do to set forth a new type of "deviant" Sexual behavior. No, don't take off your clothes, or crawl into a neighbors bed. But DO speak out when you hear an injustice. Do not affiliate with those who want to speek ill of another's sexuality. But above all, remember to watch for the next big gust, because you never know what new plain full of menuer will fly out, nor who might be hurt in the process; it might be YOU!Reference

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