Article by Gayle S. Rubin Presentation by Lisa Blandford THINKING SEX: Notes for a Radical Theory of the Politics of Sexuality Article by Gayle S. Rubin Presentation by Lisa Blandford 10/1/2001 1

WHAT EXACTLY ARE WE DISCUSSING? Concepts that control how sex is viewed (17 mins.) Clips (5 mins.) Questions (3 mins.) 10/1/2001 2

SEXUAL ESSENTIALISM Sex is “…eternally unchanging, asocial, and transhistorical.” In other words, sex is fixed in the person at birth and is determined biologically, not socially or historically. 10/1/2001 3

HOWEVER… Michele Foucault and other constructivists believe that there is a history to sex. They argue that homosexuality is fairly recent and therefore “…new sexualities are constantly produced.” This constructivist view does not completely rule out biology in determining sex, but instead specifies that it does NOT control it. 10/1/2001 4

SEX NEGATIVITY In many cultures, sex is mostly looked at as sinful, unless done in marriages for procreation. “Sex is presumed guilty until proven innocent.” 10/1/2001 5

The Fallacy of Misplaced Scale The idea “…that heretical sex is an especially heinous sin that deserves the harshest punishment.” In the past, Europe used to execute people that performed anal sex. Erotic sex is still looked down upon by many. 10/1/2001 6

SEX HIERARCHY “The Line” Monogamous heterosexual marriage with sex for procreative purposes “The Line” Unmarried heterosexuals, masturbation, stable homosexual couples Transvestites, fetishists, sadomasochists, prostitution, cross-generational 10/1/2001 7

DOMINO THEORY OF SEXUAL PERIL A line is drawn between the top slot and the bottom two slots to distinguish between “good sex” and “bad sex”. Rubin thought that the line should be drawn to determine whether the couple treated each other with respect, not by the description of the couple. 10/1/2001 8

CONCEPT OF BENIGN SEXUAL VARIATION (or lack there of . . .) A large part of the population conforms to society’s idea of what type of sex is ideal. Just like with race and gender, Rubin believes that people need to be more open-minded with sexuality. 10/1/2001 9

UH OH…THE QUESTIONS Sexual essentialism is thought of in terms of _____________. (historically, biologically, socially) What is the opposite view of sexual essentialism?  What group is at the top of the sexual hierarchy? 10/1/2001 10