Thinking Sex: Notes for a Radical Theory of the Politics of Sexuality
Rubin Gayle
In his article, Thinking Sex, Rubin expresses how sex is being used as a political agent to implement suppression and to create dominance in the West. Rubin argues that sex is institutionalised and that it shapes society, not as a result of biological needs but because of social norms that are formed at different periods of time. She further talks about how sexuality has been distinguished into a monogamous activity whose only purpose is of reproduction. Rubin describes sexuality in this form as a human product.
Rubin talks about how Christianity’s influence in the West has resulted in the domination of religious reasoning thereby surprising sexual activity or desires. Any sexual act irrespective of weighing in other factors is considered to be sinful or against moral order. Rubin exposes the hypocrisy that encircles sexuality in Western culture. The Law prohibits children’s participation in sexual activity, even going as far as putting sanctions on what children can view in classrooms and movies. However, there is no repercussion for carrying and showing pictures of mutilated bodies from war or genocide in the classroom. Moreover, sexual statements are excluded from the rights protected under the First Amendment. She highlights the double standard in the sense that one can publicly speak about politics and religion without consequence but when it comes to sexual statements, they are prohibited by anti-obscenity laws. This essay has broadened my viewpoint on how sexuality plays a role in society, how its being exploited as a public agent instead of being something personal and private to the individual.
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