Portal:Human sexuality
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Welcome to the human sexuality portal
Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied with historical contexts over time, it lacks a precise definition. The biological and physical aspects of sexuality largely concern the human reproductive functions, including the human sexual response cycle.
Someone's sexual orientation is their pattern of sexual interest in the opposite and/or same sex. Physical and emotional aspects of sexuality include bonds between individuals that are expressed through profound feelings or physical manifestations of love, trust, and care. Social aspects deal with the effects of human society on one's sexuality, while spirituality concerns an individual's spiritual connection with others. Sexuality also affects and is affected by cultural, political, legal, philosophical, moral, ethical, and religious aspects of life.
Interest in sexual activity normally increases when an individual reaches puberty. Although no single theory on the cause of sexual orientation has yet gained widespread support, there is considerably more evidence supporting nonsocial causes of sexual orientation than social ones, especially for males. Hypothesized social causes are supported by only weak evidence, distorted by numerous confounding factors. This is further supported by cross-cultural evidence, because cultures that are tolerant of homosexuality do not have significantly higher rates of it.
Evolutionary perspectives on human coupling, reproduction and reproduction strategies, and social learning theory provide further views of sexuality. Sociocultural aspects of sexuality include historical developments and religious beliefs. Some cultures have been described as sexually repressive. The study of sexuality also includes human identity within social groups, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and birth control methods. (Full article...)
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Monogamy (pron. /məˈnɒɡəmi/, mə-NOG-ə-mee) is a form of relationship in which an individual has only one partner during their lifetime or at any one time (serial monogamy), as compared to polygamy or polyamory. The term is also applied to the social behavior of some animals, referring to the state of having only one mate at any one time.
It is important to have a clear understanding of the nomenclature of monogamy because scientists use the term monogamy for different relationships. Biologists, biological anthropologists, and behavioral ecologists often use the term monogamy in the sense of sexual, if not genetic, monogamy. Modern biological researchers using the theory of evolution approach human monogamy as the same in human and non-human animal species. They postulate the following four aspects of monogamy:
- Marital monogamy refers to marriages of only two people.
- Social monogamy refers to two partners living together, having sex with each other, and cooperating in acquiring basic resources such as shelter, food, and money.
- Sexual monogamy refers to two partners remaining sexually exclusive with each other and having no outside sex partners.
- Genetic monogamy refers to sexually monogamous relationships with genetic evidence of paternity.
When cultural or social anthropologists and other social scientists use the term monogamy, the meaning is social or marital monogamy. Marital monogamy may be further distinguished between:
- marriage once in a lifetime;
- marriage with only one person at a time, in contrast to bigamy or polygamy;
- and serial monogamy, remarriage after death or divorce.
Human monogamy's legal aspects are taught at faculties of law. There are also philosophical aspects in the field of interest of e.g. philosophical anthropology and philosophy of religion, as well as theological ones. (Full article...)
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Did you know
- ... that Roxxxy, described as the world's first sex robot, has an artificial intelligence engine programmed to learn the owner's likes and dislikes?
- ... that the Sex Machines Museum, opened in 2002 in Prague, has a collection of approximately 200 sex devices? (exhibit pictured)
- ... that the Philippine-edition of Playboy magazine does not display frontal nudity or human genitalia in order not to go against Filipino values?
- ... that ancient Roman brides sat in the lap of Mutunus Tutunus before marriage?
- ... that Filipino men and women engage in a form of courtship (example pictured) that is far more subdued and indirect compared to Western cultures?
- ... that pre-colonial sexual customs in the Philippines involved equating the size of a woman's breasts and the wideness of her hips with the price of the dowry?
January - February 2010
Human sexuality in the news
- 1 May 2024 – Homosexuality and Methodism
- The United Methodist Church votes 692–51 to repeal a longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy while additionally prohibiting superintendents from forbidding a same-sex wedding. (AP)
- 30 April 2024 –
- French prosecutors announce that actor Gérard Depardieu will be tried for the alleged sexual assault of two women in 2021. (euronews)
- 27 April 2024 – LGBT rights in Iraq
- Iraq's parliament votes to criminalize same-sex relationships, to be punishable by a maximum of 15 years in prison. (Reuters)
- 25 April 2024 – Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse cases
- The New York Court of Appeals overturns former American film producer Harvey Weinstein's 2020 conviction in the state for rape by a vote of 4–3, and orders a new trial. However, Weinstein will still remain in prison on a 2022 conviction in California for rape. (AP) (CNN)
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- Cleanup listing for WikiProject LGBT studies — bot-generated list of articles within the scope of this WikiProject tagged as needing attention
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