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Welcome to the human sexuality portal
Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied with historical contexts over time, it lacks a precise definition. The biological and physical aspects of sexuality largely concern the human reproductive functions, including the human sexual response cycle.
Someone's sexual orientation is their pattern of sexual interest in the opposite and/or same sex. Physical and emotional aspects of sexuality include bonds between individuals that are expressed through profound feelings or physical manifestations of love, trust, and care. Social aspects deal with the effects of human society on one's sexuality, while spirituality concerns an individual's spiritual connection with others. Sexuality also affects and is affected by cultural, political, legal, philosophical, moral, ethical, and religious aspects of life.
Interest in sexual activity normally increases when an individual reaches puberty. Although no single theory on the cause of sexual orientation has yet gained widespread support, there is considerably more evidence supporting nonsocial causes of sexual orientation than social ones, especially for males. Hypothesized social causes are supported by only weak evidence, distorted by numerous confounding factors. This is further supported by cross-cultural evidence, because cultures that are tolerant of homosexuality do not have significantly higher rates of it.
Evolutionary perspectives on human coupling, reproduction and reproduction strategies, and social learning theory provide further views of sexuality. Sociocultural aspects of sexuality include historical developments and religious beliefs. Some cultures have been described as sexually repressive. The study of sexuality also includes human identity within social groups, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and birth control methods. (Full article...)
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Gender identity is a person's private sense, and subjective experience, of their own gender. This is generally described as one's private sense of being a man or a woman, consisting primarily of the acceptance of membership into a category of people: male or female. All societies have a set of gender categories that can serve as the basis of the formation of a social identity in relation to other members of society. In most societies, there is a basic division between gender attributes assigned to males and females. In all societies, however, some individuals do not identify with some (or all) of the aspects of gender that are assigned to their biological sex.
In most Western societies, there exists a gender binary, a social dichotomy that enforces conformance to the ideals of masculinity and femininity in all aspects of gender and sex - gender identity, gender expression and biological sex. Some societies have third gender categories that can be used as a basis for a gender identity by people who are uncomfortable with the gender that is usually associated with their sex; in other societies, membership of any of the gender categories is open to people regardless of their sex. (Full article...)
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Did you know
- ... that Kanhopatra (temple burial site pictured) is venerated as a saint in the Varkari sect of Hinduism, despite spending most of her life as a courtesan?
- ... that sex workers across the world have organised since the mid-1970s to demand sex workers’ rights, including the decriminalisation of prostitution and equal protection under the law?
- ... that the application of a spray-on condom was based on the logistics of a drive-through car wash?
- ... that homosexuality has been labeled by some communists as a product of bourgeois decadence?
January - July 2009
Human sexuality in the news
- 1 May 2024 – Homosexuality and Methodism
- The United Methodist Church votes 692–51 to repeal a longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy while additionally prohibiting superintendents from forbidding a same-sex wedding. (AP)
- 30 April 2024 –
- French prosecutors announce that actor Gérard Depardieu will be tried for the alleged sexual assault of two women in 2021. (euronews)
- 27 April 2024 – LGBT rights in Iraq
- Iraq's parliament votes to criminalize same-sex relationships, to be punishable by a maximum of 15 years in prison. (Reuters)
- 25 April 2024 – Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse cases
- The New York Court of Appeals overturns former American film producer Harvey Weinstein's 2020 conviction in the state for rape by a vote of 4–3, and orders a new trial. However, Weinstein will still remain in prison on a 2022 conviction in California for rape. (AP) (CNN)
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For editor resources and to collaborate with other editors on improving Wikipedia's Human sexuality-related articles, see WikiProject Sexology and sexuality.
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- Cleanup listing for WikiProject Sexology and sexuality — bot-generated list of articles within the scope of this WikiProject tagged as needing attention
- Cleanup listing for WikiProject LGBT studies — bot-generated list of articles within the scope of this WikiProject tagged as needing attention
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