Introduction
Sexuality consists of an interest in a person being sexual. Excitement is also part of sexuality and refers to the arousal that a person experiences because of a sexual stimulation. The excitement occurs when the brain of either a male or a female gets aroused by the presence of an opposite gender person that he/she perceives as attractive. A sexual disorder occurs whenever either a person’s desire or excitement tends to be towards people of the same gender. Historically, sexuality was shaped by beliefs based on cultural and tribal differences. A research by Foucault indicates that the sexuality of the society established according to the power structure in the given society. Industrialization and capitalism in the 19th century resulted in social classes in the society that were aligned starting with the ruling class at the top, the middle class and the low class at the bottom. The middle class composed of people who worked in the industries who could afford basic social amenities that people in the lower classes could not afford. The lower class consisted of poor people who could not afford basic social amenities such as food and housing. It was believed that sexuality was established along these societal classes.
The practice was that men would approach women that they were attracted to that they would approach and after being acquainted to them would proceed to marry. This was the norm in the society until later in the 19th century the practice of homosexuality started appearing in the scholarly works of researchers. Among these researchers was Karoly Maria Benkert, who clearly brought to light the definition of the term. There were ranging debates amongst the various institutions including political and religious that tried to explain the implications of practicing such a practice in the society. The society reacted differently to this kind practice starting with criticism, discrimination, and even punishment by law. In societies where Christianity was the main religion in the society, homosexuality was usually termed as sodomy as was strictly forbidden.
In this kind of society, the family was considered the basic unit in the society. It was composed of the father, mother, and their children. The father in most homes was considered being the breadwinner of the family and would spend many hours working in the factories to feed and shelter his family. On the other hand, the mother was supposed to spend most of her time at home looking after the children and did not practice any formal employment unless on a number of occasions. Such were cases where the father could not afford to feed the whole family or had passed away, and it was upon the mother to support the family. Around 1860 and 1870, there were reported cases of men not conducting their lives along the normal family life. These people especially men were noted to be involved in other forms of sexual pleasures. Initially, this was thought to have been brought about by the fact that people had moved away from their villages into towns to look for employment and improved social amenities such as shelter. This was brought about by capitalism that allowed people to work in the newly established industries to earn some form of income. Being away from their families in the cities and towns could have been the reason why they were unusual sexual practices among the men. The trend continued which prompted the authorities to focus their attention on in an effort to try to understand their weird behaviors.
People conducting this kind of practice were labeled homosexuals. There was an explosion among the researchers, psychiatrists, legal, and medical practitioners who were keen to get a share of the newly established class for their own respective benefits. In Germany, homosexuality was an established and popular movement until world war two when the records were destroyed. In the United States, the history of homosexuality is very short as compared to that of Europe. It was strategically established in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco as these cities had established industries that provided employment to people from the villages. The other regions had conflicts on farms that delayed the establishment of industries hence a slower pace of development. For those in certain working conditions such as military and in the barracks, homosexuality easily found its way among them as they found themselves in same sex environment away from family and religious doctrines. There was a dramatic change in the economy after the world war two that led to many homosexual men being discharged from the army. The tough economic situation forced them to look for some form of employment. They found employment in the coastal regions where they could practice homosexuality in nightclubs for a fee. The first homosexual movement in the US was known as Mattachine Society that was established in 1950. At the time, being a homosexual in the country often attracted several beating from police and dismissal from the workplace by employers. The movement fought several battles in court over unnatural behavior of some of its members that often ended in a stalemate as the jury could not come to a verdict. The movement became unpopular in 1969 and among the various reasons that made them unpopular was discrimination at work places, police crackdowns and religious opposition.
Sexuality among women is influenced by feelings, desire, and excitement. Women value their feelings more in a relationship rather than physical pleasures. Historically, the earliest form of female sexuality is in Greece where a female poet Sapho wrote love poems for women. Different cultures over the world handled same sex relationship differently. Same sex relationships among men were criticized more severe as compared to those of women. There are some factors that have contributed to a shift in the female sexuality. Among these, was the establishment of industries that allowed individuals to move to towns and work there, leaving behind their wives. The traditional form of family environment no longer existed which was a key contributing factor in the establishment of homosexuality and lesbianism. In the workplace, people often lived alone in to save on food, shelter, and clothing. Young people working in the industries could afford a penny or two to spend on weekends with friends. This resulted in development of nightclubs, parks and other amusement areas that allowed people to meet and interact. Increased interaction among people of the same sex could have contributed to the establishment of homosexual and lesbian communities. During the late 19th century, there was increased study in the study of sexology that allowed to researchers to categorize people according to the sexual habits. For instance, a lesbian was a woman who was attracted to other women as opposed to men in a sexual manner. Using these classifications, researchers were able to write medical journals about the conditions in an elaborate effort to understand the condition.
Although there was a lot of writing about sexuality, there was no much criticism about the issue and in a way encouraged more and more people into the act. Earlier studies on female sexuality did not clearly stipulate on what was involved in lesbianism. During the 20th century, Martha Vicinus attempted to classify female-to-female relationships depending on the level of intimacy in the relationship. Critics point to the nature of research done on the topic especially on the scope of the research. The research mainly covered white people and black people did not receive much focus. Scanty information was available on the level of lesbianism in black women by evidence point to the fact that they may have existed as early as 1920s. Some of the categories of female sexuality include intimate friendships and occasional lovers. During the Victorian era, women exercised prolonged closed relationships but were not classified as lesbianism. There were a lot of passionate friendships, intimacy, and love that took place in these friendships. The other occurrence of close female relationship was among school children. They exchanged gifts and other forms of friendly gestures that indicated a deep passion for the each other. The last category of same-sex relationship among women was the occasional lovers who got involved in these relationships occasionally. They were in other forms of relationships but occasionally got involved in a same-sex relationship. They showed mixed signals to either gender depending on the social gathering. They posed the greatest challenge to social reformers as they shaped the political scenery of the society, making it hard to establish social reforms in the society. These are some of the female sexuality that have been recorded and analyzed over the years from the 19th century that help researchers understand human sexual development. There are more areas that further research can be directed such as the same-sex relationship between the various races and cultural activities in other parts of the world.
Sexuality among the human beings has always been a big debate and source of debate for people in the society and scholars. The traditional model on sexuality required that people should always be attracted to people of the opposite sex. This changed from the 19th century as same-sex relations were discovered in various part of the world including Europe and United States. There was uproar among the various society watchdogs on the consequences of the behavior. This was specifically prevalent of male relationships but was later followed by female relationships. In recent years, a number of countries have legalized the act. This continues to face stiff confrontation especially from religious institutions and other bodies. In general, sexuality is a historical contingent that can be changed. Other than the biological anatomy of human beings, their practices and behaviors in a sexual context can be altered to one’s choice as has been illustrated. This will remain a thorny issue that will be debated for many years to come.
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