Asexuality Awareness Week!

It is asexuality awareness week, and I think I should talk about the topic a little bit. Asexuality is not often discussed in the media or our personal lives, but it is the same as heterosexuality, homosexuality, or bisexuality.  Let me define this for people who haven’t heard of the subject: asexuality is the lack of sexual feelings toward another person, regardless of gender. Some people believe that asexuality is a simple case of individuals who have gone undiagnosed with hypoactive sexual desire disorder or sexual aversion disorder. Unlike some, I believe that it is possible to have no attraction to either sex. There is not a large amount of literature dedicated to this subject in humans; however, asexual behaviour in animals can be observed in some creatures through asexual reproduction, such as with some fungi, amphibians and even sharks as I have seen in the media throughout my life. While humans cannot reproduce asexually, I believe that if animals can exhibit certain behaviours, it is possible for humans to exhibit them as well.  

                According to Prause and Graham (2007), who carried out an experiment on people who self labeled as asexual, these people showed low scores for solitary and dyadic sexual desire, the ability to become sexually aroused, and fear of sexual contact. These people showed no previous sexual behaviour and had no desire to see a physician about any problems they were having. According to the DSM-IV, the key factor to establishing a sexual dysfunction such as hypoactive sexual desire disorder and sexual aversion disorder is the recognizing of a problem and the motivation to seek help. If these individuals are comfortable with the sexual orientation of asexual than there is no problem and it cannot be classified as a sexual dysfunction. 

                People who have the sexual orientation of asexual encounter problems unique to them, such as problems with establishing an intimate yet nonsexual relationship, and a negative perception of asexuality brought on by the media. Adults who experience no sexual desire may still lead a normal and fulfilling romantic relationship, including sexual intercourse. You may think that asexual people having intercourse defeats the purpose of the label, but I must bring the point to light that many spouses will have sex with their partner to please them or to give in to nagging. Many asexual individuals do not see their orientation as a problem, but still wish to find the answer to why they developed into asexual adults. One of the factors predicting asexuality according to Prause and Graham (2007) could be a high threshold for being sexually excited, or maybe it could be some biological factor. This is where more research becomes necessary, not for diagnosing asexual individuals with a dysfunction, but to provide them with information into understanding their own sexuality.

                There are many misconceptions about asexuality, falsely labeling populations as asexual. Information that we receive about asexuality by the media paints a picture of persons with disabilities, not virile young men and women with no mental or physical disabilities. For persons with disabilities, this gives way to the problem of stereotyping and the resulting difficulty to obtain a life partner. While daily functioning may be impaired physically or mentally, this does not mean that sexual drive or desires are also impaired, they do not become incomplete people. Sometimes, a self-fulfilling prophecy may cause these individuals to internalize societal values and ideas and retreat from a sexual lifestyle. Most ideas of persons with disabilities being asexual comes from the notion that these people are incapable of making rational  and intelligent decisions, and the fact that presumed sexual dysfunction gives little opportunity for sexual expression and their needs are seen as being absent.  Literature remains scarce in the area of sexuality and persons with disability, without addressing the incorrect attitudes of society these individuals will continue to be falsely viewed as asexual.

                The elderly are also another group that is commonly mislabeled as asexual. Many people internalize the stereotype of the older adult, past their prime and unable to produce more offspring, as no longer being sexually active and even as asexual. Society even goes so far as to regard sexuality in older adults to be disturbing or disgusting. Not many people take into consideration the fact that they will wish to be sexually active their whole lives, these people may think that at a certain age a switch simply went off and sexual desire disappeared. This is another circumstance that the views of society may become a self-fulfilling prophecy and older adults will view their own sexuality as aversive.

                One reason for the perception of older adults having an asexual orientation may be the fact that many are widows or widowers. The sad fact of life is that many men will pass away before their wives, leaving many women without partners, leaving society to believe that they resign themselves to asexuality. I have heard from several places within university classes that elderly women commonly turn toward homosexual relationships, with intimacy and sexual contact. This fact shows that aging adults still experience sexual desire. Another fact that may contribute to the perception of asexuality in older adults is the dropping levels of sex hormones, such as after menopause. While it is true that older adults can no longer reproduce together, we all know that people don’t just have sex for reproductive purposes. Why should older adults be deprived of experiencing sexual pleasure?

                Adults who experience no sexual desire may still lead a normal and fulfilling romantic relationship, including sexual intercourse.

                As I have stated several times before, the area of sexuality in older adults needs to be studied further. Not only is more research required of asexual adults, adults with disabilities, and older adults, but this research needs to be made more public than academic studies are usually made. If more academic research on this topic is not made widely public, stereotypes about these populations will persist and they will continue to be suppressed, stigmatized, and stereotyped. As far as I am concerned, being asexual is the same as being heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual; we do not choose to be the way we are, but in order to understand why we have certain preferences, more research is needed.

               

Just a Few Fun Facts

Just a few fun facts about sex, some you may know and some you may not. Reciting one of these facts can break an awkward silence.

‘Shrimping’ is a slang term for sucking on a partners’ toes, related to foot fetish.

In a 1970s Survey (conducted by who I’m not sure) it is stated that 5% of American men admitted to having a sexual encounter with an animal. Another national survey conducted by Morton Hunt found that 2% of women admitted the same. These numbers are lower than previous decades due to the drop of people living on farms. Bestiality has always been a part of our history, appearing in cave drawings, Greek pottery and Mongol paintings. Zoophiles are people who prefer animal partners to humans.

John Holmes was famous for his 14” erect penis, having starred in almost 2,000 porn films. He was beat by a man with the stage name of Long Dong Silver, whose penis was a reported 19” inches!!! Can I say on behalf of women everywhere: “OUCH”!

It is very possible for a man to have an orgasm without ejaculating. Taoists believed it builds up a man’s male essence and allowed him to absorb more female essence and Tantrics recommend it as a way to experience sex as a path to spiritual ecstasy. Medically it is called coitus reservatus, or retrograde ejaculation which means that the semen is expelled into the bladder and it can be learned through A LOT of practice, although medical experts would not recommend this. Another reason for no ejaculation may be that he’s all spermed out from a previous ejaculation. And yes, that is a technical word…because I say it is.

Renowned sex researchers Masters and Johnson observed more than 10,000 orgasms in their lab while researching human sexuality. Without this research we would not know nearly as much about the human sexual response that we know now. My hat is off to you brave pioneers.

One of the earliest manufacturers of condoms in the U.S. was a…(drumroll please)…sausage maker! (I’ll pause here and let you giggle for a bit). In the 1880s, New York sausage maker Julius Schmid believed in using every part of the animal, just like Native Americans. He used animal intestines to make the earliest condoms, not a very attractive product but it did the job until plastics and other materials came along.

Two species of Kangaroos have a forked penis, called a Bifurcated penis, meaning that there are two glans at the end of the shaft. This comes in handy, seeing as these species of female kangaroos have two separate lateral vaginal canals and two uteri (never thought you would have to pluralize that word, huh?) leading to just one vaginal opening.

I hope you learned a little something today, stay tuned for more entries in the near future.

~Janice

In Soviet Russia, you castrate chemicals....i'm sorry that was lame.

                Recently, I read a new article about Russia having a bill pass 1^st reading that would mean enacting harsher sentences for pedophiles including sentences up to 20 years in prison or chemical castration. Of course, this would all be decided my psychologist evaluation and be based on the likelihood of recidivism. After reading this, it prompted me to look into chemical castration a bit more because as far as I know, Canada only does this on a voluntary basis. Chemical castration sounds simple enough: the convicted offender would be given the drug Depo Provera, which is a progestogen only birth control method for women. When given to men, the drug essentially suppresses the testosterone in the system and is said to reduce sex drive, compulsive sexual fantasies, and capacity for sexual arousal in the subject. I have also read that it may reduce violent behaviour, which some studies have linked to high testosterone, although the person who suggested this did not cite her research so I can only say that it is a possibility based on research I have read on the subject in the past.

                Now I know how society thinks of sexual offenders, group mob mentality screams “burn them at the stake”, but I have worked with these men in a program that (for the most part) has a low recidivism rate. In the two groups that I participated in, roughly 20 men in total, only 1 that the Psychologists knew about had reoffended since getting out of jail. The treatment program and the group had taught these men that they made a mistake, and only they can prevent that from happening again. The program teaches methods of spotting triggers to inappropriate thoughts and actions, how to deal with these inappropriate thoughts, and how to lead a healthier life. I also found that the men in the group are very supportive of one another and hold each other accountable for any slip-ups. This is very similar to a group named Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA). The idea of this organization is to surround the offender with supportive individuals from the community, who can help the offender with their rehabilitation: point out coping methods and triggers, being there to listen and to get them to socialize and not to shut themselves up in their house, which is detrimental to their recovery. As far as I can tell, the recidivism for chemical castration is about the same as I had experienced with these groups.

                I do not think that reducing someone’s sex drive is the answer in most cases, but it does seem that this option will be reserved for the most dangerous of offenders and those resistant to other therapies. Unlike surgical castration, chemical castration does not remove the reproductive organs and it does not involve sterilization. Chemical castration is administered in the form of an injection every three months, and if stopped the effects can be reversed. The side effects are minimal but with extended use it can contribute to bone density loss, which can lead to long-term increased risk to certain conditions. Other side effects are feminization of the body, such as increased mammary glands, reduced hair on the body, and loss of muscle mass. And let us not forget the reduced ability to have a healthy sexual relationship with a consenting adult, which is what we have wanted all along for these individuals. These points are why I think this should be an extreme case solution only and should be a temporary solution only until the offender has completed the Psychologist/group treatment. It makes me wonder what programs Russia has in place for sex offenders….

Sorry for the heavy topics, I just love 'em. I promise I will think of something to write about that will make you horny/giggle. If you have suggestions or questions, just let me know in the comments. God knows I have no imagination when it comes to thinking up stuff to write about.

Until next time,
~Janice