Sexual Influences Amongst Teenagers
Today’s world is drastically different from what it was twenty years ago. Teenagers are shifting into a more sexually driven lifestyle yet there are numerous factors that are contributing to these behaviors for both boys and girls. There is a huge range of dynamics that all come into play, many of which children have little to no control over themselves. “Living in a two parent home, and higher socioeconomic status, residing in a rural area” (Dillard, 2002) are all contributing factors to teenagers being pushed away from sexual standpoints.
Any individual child, boy or girl, is going to be presented with a range of factors, and they are going to have to mentally decide what the appropriate course of action in the situation is. Yet there is another factor that is going to dictate the actions that are taken. Not only will these decisions be based on their own personal thoughts and ideals, but it is also going to be based on their sexuality. Trying to understand who they are as individuals, and then understanding what the greater societal expectations of them are, will play heavily into their behaviors. What may surprise most groups though is that while this can be seen as simply two demographics, one for boys and one for girls, there is also those who exist in the LGBT demographics who have even more to address.
The influences now are pushing beyond simply the sexual factors that are being placed upon them, but they are also working to now fit into a world that, while it is every growing and changing, doesn’t handle differences well. Specifically those boys or girls that deem themselves to be transgender.
Addressing The Issue From A Broad Sense
“Every hour of every day, two American young people contract HIV, 96 become pregnant, and nearly 350 more contract a sexually transmitted disease.” (U.S. Public Health Service, 2001). Sexual behavior can be influenced on a number of levels. Parents and families, peers, and even the media have strong impacts on teenagers. In 2013 a study was held that showed that 44% of females and 47% of males, between the ages of 15 and 19, had had vaginal intercourse. These numbers continue to shock when, on average, 46.5% had participated in oral sex, 10.5% in anal sex, and 7% had engaged in same-sex activities (ACT For Youth).
Contributing Factors
One of the most impactful contributors to an individual’s sexual behavior is the preconceived idea that “sex would most likely lead to sexual pleasure” (Factors That Affect Sexual Behavior). With teenagers today, the struggle for information is typically only a mouse click away. But when specifics are needed, it is easier to go to friends and peers with questions then to go and talk to their parents. Which is why it is the parents responsibility to take a step in and to help educate teenagers on the not just the standard “safe sex” mantra, but about sex and everything that it encompasses. Having a disconnect with family members, especially with ones mother can lead to increased sexual behavior. The expected use of alcohol can also be a large factor that increases the chance of increased sexual behavior. It is all connected when you consider the fact that a poor relationship with teenagers’ parents can push them into depression, wherein alcohol becomes a vice for release that further leads to sexual activity.
Peers also play a key role in these influences because teenagers are so controlled by the constant need and want for satisfaction and acceptance amongst their peers. During teenage years, there is a greater amount of pressure place on students because there is a sense of a social status that is affected either negatively or positively directly linked to ones sexual experience. This in turn can be attributed to the media.
The media indeed presents both sides of the spectrum when it comes to sexual behavior and activity. While the negative aspects are shown, only 9% of these broadcasts contain information about what risks of sexual activity. (Clark, 2001). There is more emphasis placed on the visuals of attractive males and females engaging in sexual acts as an act of love and satisfaction. But this pushed beyond the simplicity of the sex scenes themselves and pushes to the actual representation of characters within the show. There are stereotypes that are reinforced for gay men (they are typically flamboyant and feminine), lesbians tend to be more rough and manly in appearance (often dawning plaid shirts) and transgender individuals are rarely touched on. If they are, there is a strong emphasis placed on the fear and the struggle that they experience from their peers.
What It Means To Be Transgender
Perception is always going to be what separates ones individual’s views from another. Ironically the statistics can be viewed in the same light. There are 8 million people who identify as being part of the LGBT demographic (Gates, 2011). This constitutes all individuals are either lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. This makes up about 5% of the United States adult population, with 700,000 of those individuals identifying with the transgender community.
Dating back to the 1950’s, the predominantly used word was transsexual. This literally applied to any man, who was assigned as being a male at birth, who lived their entire life though as a woman. This was the same for females who were living as men. This is also the most direct connection to the mental state of being in which the individuals in question want to surgically have their bodies changed to be physical representations of who they truly believe themselves to be.
Interestingly enough, the term transgender is applied to those who simply are born one way, they believe that internally they are the opposite sex, and yet they do not necessarily have that will and desire to have operations performed in order to transition. That being said, they may live their lives with a strong influence of the true sex that they aligned themselves with (Labuski, 2016). The term transgender is deemed to be far less restrictive in terms of norms that exist within the community, but the struggle pushes now onto the central focus of sexual behavior.
Who Are Transgendered Individuals Intimate With
The question that plagues many transgendered people is both an obvious and ignorant question for those who have not taken the time to understand and learn about the culture of being transgender. Yet the definition once again comes into question as the argument begins to unfold. Given the scenario: a man, who is attracted to women, believes that inside he is truly a woman. So what exactly does this mean when it comes to sex? If this man were attracted to women, he would identify as straight. However, if he were a woman, he would be lesbian. So does the fact that he is a man, who believes himself to be a woman, make him a lesbian? If that is the case, then no longer is he being defined as transgendered. So now the question comes to, is being transgendered simply a state of being for a time?
Current attitudes show that there is sexual preference “does not correlate with dominant definitions of masculine or feminine (Labuski, 2016). At the end of the day, the natural attraction of those individuals is what ultimately defines nothing more than whom they are attracted to. There is a sense of the struggle though that takes place, which affects their sexual behaviors. Not only are they trying to understand who they are meant to be in a society that likes to have everything clearly defined and labeled (whether good or bad), but there is the struggle of the physical sexual urges and desires that they are experiencing. This presents the issue, that prior to their wanted transitions, they will engage more adamantly with the perceived “appropriate” sexual partners. Research has shown though that for transgendered individuals, sexual attraction ranges across an entire spectrum of possibilities (Labuski, 2016).
An interview conducted with Dakota Peterson (2016), a male to female transgendered individual, she had this bit of info to offer. “One of the first things I learned noticed when I came out as being transgender, was the number of straight guys that were suddenly into me sexually.”
Dakota continued on to say that the biggest questions that she receives are whether or not she is transitioning because she is gay or for some other reason. He seemed quite amused as she answered this question for me. “If I were gay, I would simply be with a boy. What people don’t understand is that my sexuality has nothing to do with my need and want to transition” (Peterson, 2016).
Ironically, transgender porn is one of the top searches for all porn sites across the board. What it comes down to is the fact that they offer up a unique look at world. It’s a sexual experience with someone who is both a man and a woman, and yet neither. At the most basic level though, this basic need of attraction and the longing for acceptance, is what pushed many individuals into sexual activities at younger and younger ages.
Gender Identity Disorder (GID)
Both a strong contributing factor, and a sad state of being, Gender Identity Disorder is how transgender individuals are labeled from a medical standpoint. Not only is the lack of acceptance from their own community an issue, doctors deem them to have an actual mental disorder. It is defined as “strong, persistent feelings of identification with the opposite gender and discomfort with one’s own assigned sex that results in significant distress or impairment”(Psychology Today).
Not only do these individuals suffer greatly, they struggle from sexual standpoints as much of their lives, especially in males, are dedicated to finding a release for the high amounts of anxiety in their lives. This often extends to their intense focus on their physical and outward appearance, and many will resort to taking hormones in order to reach a closer state of neutrality within themselves. Because of the mental diagnosis that is applied to those who are wanting to transition, they are required to meet with a psychiatrist and undergo extreme evaluations to ensure mental stability has been reached before the individual can be given permission to undergo the surgery.
Ways We Can Be Better
The future for Trans people remains unclear at the moment. It is a difficult aspect of our culture to understand because there simply isn’t a black and white answer to this dynamic of the world. We are not dealing with a law that can be looked at and governed. We are addressing human beings, people who are simply trying to live from one day to the next and be happy. I believe that the importance really falls on the understanding of the world as a whole. It is true, that when we don’t understand things, we tend to fear them and push them away. I personally have no idea of what it would be like to struggle with this sort of identity crisis. I briefly spoke with Christopher Kessinger, a homosexual male, about his thoughts on transgendered individuals. He said that his own experience with trying to understand his sexuality was hard enough and that he doesn’t even understand what sort of mental anguish and fight someone has to go through when it comes to believing that they are a completely different gender (Kessinger, 2016).
It is good to see though that the world seems to be becoming much more progressive about the trans community. Sports moguls are coming out as being Transgender, with Caitlyn Jenner being the most prominent figure in the limelight currently. There are now bathrooms that are deemed to be unisex so that no matter what gender you identify with, you know where you are safe to go to use the restroom.
Moving forward though we must strive to remove the ignorance that is in place because of stereotype. We need to have a better understanding of the psychosocial aspects that are involved when it comes to sexual behavior. We also need to be more aware of conversion therapy; so that individuals who are transitioning have somewhere they can go to feel safe and comfortable.
In the end, simply having the appropriate materials, resources and information available to transgendered individuals, and all persons, is going to help control the sexual behavior of teenagers across the board. It is hard to say specifically what direction things will travel with the Trans community. I have hope, that living in a world where every day more and more individuals are being granted the right to be who they are meant to be. Gay couples are able to adopt children, they can legally be married and share in all the great things straight couples can. People are granted the rights to vote and to work in this country and so I believe that it’s only a matter of time that the world truly begins to embrace the trans community and to lend all the help and support that it can provide.
References
ACT for Youth. (2016). Demographics: Sexual Health. Retrieved March 31, 2016, from http://www.actforyouth.net/adolescence/demographics/sexual_health.cfm
Clark, S. (2001). Parents, Peers, and Pressures: Identifying the Influences on Responsible Sexual Decision-Making. Retrieved March 31, 2016, from http://www.naswdc.org/practice/adolescent_health/ah0202.asp
Dillard, K. (2002). Adolescent Sexual Behavior. Retrieved March 31, 2016, from http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/storage/advfy/documents/fsbehsoc.pdf
Factors That Affect Sexual Behavior. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2016, from http://www.sexedlibrary.org/index.cfm?pageId=874
Gates, G. (2011). How Many People are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender? Retrieved March 31, 2016, from http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/census-lgbt-demographics- studies/how-many-people-are-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender/
C. Kessinger, Personal Communication. April 1, 2016.
Labuski, C. (2016). The Demographics of the Transgender Population. Trans as Gender
Identity. 292-295.
D. Peterson, Personal Communication. March 31, 2016.
Psychology Today. (n.d.). Psychology Today. Retrieved April 03, 2016, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/gender-dysphoria
U.S. Public Health Service, The Surgeon General's Call To Action To Promote Sexual
Health and Responsible Sexual Behavior. Washington, DC: 2001.
