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Moltenberg Sex

Decent Essays

These readings challenged many of the beliefs I had regarding sex and sexuality. It is only now that, after reading the pieces by Seidman, Stoltenberg, and Fausto-Sterling, I can see my previous assumptions were based on my experiences living in a society that reinforces binaries and conditions individuals to feel obligated to choose between two opposite and mutually exclusive categories that don’t actually exist. Seidman’s decoupling of sex and reproduction, Stoltenberg’s acknowledgement of sexuality as a continuum, and Fausto-Sterling’s exploration of the experiences of intersex individuals shed light on the intricacies of sex and sexuality that norms usually try to subvert. Heterosexuality is often given a privileged position in society …show more content…

Humans must recognize that sex is a continuum, and that “We are… a multisexed species” (Stoltenberg 25). To limit sex to man and woman is to oversimplify the vast combinations that genuine, consenting individuals are making. The identification as male is a conscious step into an inner circle, a circle that separates itself through interests and values identified as male and through a rejection or “non-identification with that which is perceived to be non-male, or female” (Stoltenberg 29). By accepting a spectrum sexuality opens one up to un-gender their sexuality so as to not be suppressed by the limitations imposed by a sexual identity. Anne Fausto-Sterling further separates sex from sexual identity by discussing the experiences of intersex individuals. Despite what society expects of those who don’t neatly fit into the binary, intersex individuals generally manage to live happy lives. After this reading, it seems ridiculous that society has been allowed to determine what a person’s genitalia should be. As America begins to become more accepting of homosexuality, hopefully those who genitalia is a mixture of both male and female sex organs will also find themselves being more

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