Do you think people should know more about sexuality?

Question

How many of these terms do you know? Do you think people ought to know and understand them? What do you think would be the consequences of them being very common knowledge (more sex, lower morals, compassion, etc.)?

Transgender, transexual, intersexual (hermaphrodite), pansexual, aesexual, bisexual, homosexual (lesbian and gay), gender queer (not an offensive term), androgyne (intergender, pangender, bigender - not a fashion statement), third gender.

Personally, I believe knowing and understanding the terms would make you more socially/sexually comfortable, I think there'd be less hatred/prejudices towards people who are labeled as such because people would be more understanding of others, compassionate, you know. They're not so scary.

Answer 1

i would rather not know, its a different world to me, there is straight, or there are sausage jockeys...simple

Answer 2

An interesting question.
In part, I agree that 'knowing and understanding the terms' is a step towards better understanding of each other a society.
However, knowing the terms, and even understanding what they mean, ie how they are used to define the sexuality and physicality of another individual, is not a simple fix to phobia and prejudice.
The terms you highlight in your question are semantic expressions which are commonly used to make definitions and as such make categories. A vegetarian will understand what meat is and where it comes from but will not like or want to eat meat.
In the same way, an individual who identifies in one category may know what a term means but that does not preclude them from having a prejudice against individuals who identify themselves in that way, nor does it suggest that they will feel compassion.
The thing which needs to be understood is that just because someone is 'different' from you in terms of their sexual or physical preferences or their physiology it does not mean that they are inferior - just different. Moreover, the fact that an individual appears to be different from you, does not mean that you are 'normal' as you are also different from them. In which case, they would have as much right to hold prejudice against you for your differences.

This a complex issue and goes deeper than simple understanding. In your last line you say 'they're not so scary'. This cuts both ways. There are plenty of man hating feminists, and heterophobic homosexuals, and gay men who despise lesbians.

Thanks for being thought provoking!

Answer 3

I think yes. But it's not necessary to know all of these terms to understand sexuality. Even none of them. (Even as a doctor)
I've learned all of them in the medical school, but I forgot most of them.
It's true "genders have some roles defined by nature" but, human is a very complicated creature especially "socially". And sex doesn't contain only these terms. Not other mammals, even the primates (the nearest one to people), can have a social life as a human being, neither they're unique as a human being.
These terms can be taught to people as verbal, but their real meanings can not... Human being has chance to think, if he/she can understand what their meaning is, then there is no problem... But if they can't no one can do this.

Answer 4

Most of the people I know can't believe it's not butter... They certainly can't tell a transvestite from a transexual.

If you ask that everyone shoud know, I feel you ask too much. Take in mind, not everyones knows... Not everyone is interested, not everyone cares.
There's enough of us out here who have some understanding, and we are the ones who can ( and damn well should ) make a difference by facing and stopping prejudice towards the labeld population as and when we see it.

Answer 5

Yes I do think people should know more about sexuality. I think they should be properly educated about it at school so that future generations grow up knowing that people who are not heterosexual males or females are not abnormal. I wish that when I was taught sex education at school, more attention had been paid to homosexuality. I grew up hearing a lot of untrue myths about homosexuality myself & therefore had a difficult time coming to terms with my own sexuality. If people are properly educated then the ignorance & fear of the unknown disappears. People need to know about different genders, alternative lifestyles & sexuality even if it doesn't apply to them. It should be a necessary & normal part of the education process, just as we learn about other countries in geography, other times in history & other religions in Religious Education.

Answer 6

I think every one needs to be more aware. People are products of socialisation, and largely of social control and therefore, if people are not exposed to other views they only get to see out of one window.
Much of the reasons why people are only socialised one way, is for social control purposes. Education systems in particular are not addressing the many diversities that exist in the world. But also, this is across the board. Not only in being aware of other sexualities, but also being given the tools to make decisions and have automony over choices and have those choices supported.

Answer 7

for me, i am aware of all these terms but i don't know what intersexual, pansexual, adrogyne and third gender is. i like to know more about what each of them is, just to be able to educate myself and understand what they entail.

as an answer to your question, in a way, yes because hopefully it would make them more tolerant and understanding, in regards to people's sexual orientations. i believe that part of the reason why people condemn homosexuality is because they are afraid of something they assume is a threat to them, when in truth being lesbian or gay is not hurting anyone. they are not a threat because to me they have done nothing to offend me- a man loving a man and a woman in love with a woman is not affecting me in a bad way. besides, if they choose to be with people of the same sex as them, then so be it. people ought to know more about sexuality- not just when it comes to relationships but in realising that for the exception of their sexual orientation, they are still the same people. they have jobs, they live their own lives. they are just like us hetrosexual people. sexuality is such a taboo subject, however, i don't see it doing any harm by us learning and educating ourselves with those concepts. therefore, lack of understanding, tolerance and ignorance amounts to fear, bigotry and hatred.
i for one may not know very much about sexuality, though there's one thing i do know- and that is accepting and treating people fairly regardless of their sexuality, as well as ethnicity, gender, age, nationality etc

Answer 8

I think "should" is a dangerous word. If you are interested and keen to understand then go for it. We do not have to spend all our time gathering information and learning about other people. I am happy for people to be who and what they are - I do not feel the need to research deeply into every possible permutation of sexuality. Sex is important its just not that important. I am absolutely socially and sexually comfortable - why is it important to you?

Answer 9

It's got nothing to do with people knowing 'official' terms.People will still label us however they want to.I think it's more important that it's understood that we are just ordinary people living ordinary lives-not some bizarre,sex-obsessed group who are separate from the rest of society,which seems to be the most popular misconception.

Answer 10

i can't agree with you more, i guess you said it all...
for me, growing in a society that has never heard of such terms, or don't think that they ever exist was a constant nagging issue through out my teen life!!!!
it'd be much more easy if everyone had previous knowledge about them, so that our children in the future would just choose what ever they are, with out going throught what we've been through...

Answer 11

Sexuality is one of the core aspects of what it means to be human. If anything, we should explore all the delicious flavors of pleasure available to us as human beings. It's one of the things that makes life so worth living.