Sexual culture

SEXUALITY is the important aspect of every human being throughout life, and it encompasses sex, gender identities and roles, sexual orientation, eroticism, pleasure, intimacy, and reproduction.
Sexuality is experienced and expressed in thoughts, fantasies, desires, beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviour, practices, roles and relationships. While sexuality can include all of these elements, they are not necessarily always experienced or expressed.
Sexuality is influenced by the interaction of biological, psychological, social, economic, political, cultural, ethical, legal, historical, religious, and spiritual factors.

Expression of sexuality as one of the basic human drives is always socially constructed and normalized by moral and social laws, with varying degrees of restrictiveness and permissiveness, depending on the general - positive or negative - attitude toward sexuality. However, there is hardly a society in the world that does not especially suppress female sexuality. Some do so brutally, by genital mutilation.

Some societies have nurtured sexual culture as art of eroticism (ars erotica) by way of sexual manuals such as Kama Sutra, which are not present in the West. In the Western culture religion and philosophy underestimate corporeality, so all the aspects of sexuality except sexual intercourse are expressed in the arts, while explicit depictions of sexual intercourse are present only in morally stigmatized pornography, used for sexual stimulation.

For long time only marital sex for reproduction is acknowledged, though prostitution has always been present. In patriarchal societies, prostitution and pornography have used women for men's pleasure. Except in marriage, women normally didn’t have access to sexual pleasure, with the exception of the women who belong to the privileged classes, and the price they may pay for breaking the social and moral norms could be the highest possible price. The private and intimate sphere of family, on the other hand, has long concealed violence against women, including sexual violence.

With modern times, secularization of life and development of science also is developing concept of human rights and freedoms, part of whom will became reproductive rights and freedom of sexual expression. Women’s movements have secured numerous women’s rights but norms of sexual behaviours are liberalized only after sexual revolution in 1960s, when sexual relations outside marriage are acknowledged, and for sexual and social rights started to fight same sex oriented persons and others sexual minorities. But crucial role in sexual liberation of women probably had discovery of contraceptive pill.

Instead of punishing homosexuality, some countries have introduced the institution of punishment of discrimination based on sexual and gender identity and sexual orientation. Anything is permissible in the privacy of consenting adults, and the only thing that is forbidden is the sexual abuse of children, paedophilia.

With social changes and the development of popular culture, mass media and new technologies, there has been an explosion of representation and discussion of sexuality, which is influenced also by pornography and the developed sex industry, to such an extent that we can talk about sexualisation of culture. But even by more visibilities of varieties and changes, relation toward sexuality largely remains associated with realization of ideal of romantic love for a lifetime.

Educational discussion of sexuality has been developing within the framework of medicine and health care, but only in the course of the 20th century, sexology as a science and sexual therapy started to develop. At present, numerous sex manuals and advice on sex are available, which, in addition to education, offer women and men the opportunity to both discover and achieve their full sexual potential for their personal as well as general well-being. There are attempts to educate youth about sexual and reproductive rights and responsibilities.

Promoting the concept of sexual health, the World Association for Sexual Health urges, in its Millennium Declaration, all governments, international agencies, academic institutions, the private sector, and the society at large to do the following:

1. Recognize, promote, ensure and protect sexual rights for all;
2. Advance toward gender equality and equity;
3. Condemn, combat, and reduce all forms of sexuality related violence;
4. Provide universal access to comprehensive sexuality education and information;
5. Ensure that reproductive health programs recognize the centrality of sexual health;
6. Halt and reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections;
7. Identify, address and treat sexual concerns, dysfunctions and disorders;
8. Achieve recognition of sexual pleasure as a component of holistic health and well-being.

The promotion of sexual health is central to the attainment of wellness and well-being and the achievement of sustainable development and more specifically to the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals. Individuals and communities who experience well-being are better positioned to contribute to the eradication of individual and societal poverty. By nurturing individual and social responsibility and equitable social interactions, promotion of sexual health fosters quality of life and the realization of peace.

Approved on April 17th, 2007, Sydney Australia