Jenny Bee Sociology 369 Due: May 15, 2009 Human Sexuality Final Part One Question #2:

AIDS stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. But from the Frontline video called Age of Aids, we learned that this wasnt what it was always known as. AIDS is a virus that attacks a persons immune system, leaving one susceptible to opportunistic infections and other illnesses. Currently, there is still no cure. According to one AIDS expert from the Frontline video, its as if the virus has nine heads. You cut off one, it still operates with the others. AIDS was first reported in the United States in June of 1981, when the Center for Disease Control received information on five homosexual men who all had signs of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, a form of pneumonia that is relatively rare in healthy people. Soon, other homosexual men started turning up in hospitals with the same illness. Because the CDC did not have much information regarding this seemingly new disease, a proper name for the disease was not yet given. The media therefore generated other names to describe it. AIDS was at first known as GRID, gay-related immune deficiency, or just the gay mans disease. In an effort to come up with a proper name, the CDC coined the name 4H disease, as it seemed to be affecting the Haitians, homosexuals, hemophiliacs and heroin users. However in 1982 the name AIDS was introduced after realizing that the disease was not isolated to the 4H community. The origins and spread of this disease was, and still is a key issue of todays world. The origin of AIDS is still unknown. It is widely accepted theory however, that the virus originated from primates and was transmitted from a chimpanzee to a human when a hunter was either 1

bitten or cut while hunting or butchering the chimp. As a result, the exposure of the chimps blood could have resulted in an infection. It is then believed that the virus then spread to the U.S. from Haiti. However, because symptoms for this virus has a long incubation period and does not show up right away, by the time it was even discovered in the U.S., the virus was already being passed on to thousands of people across the country. Since AIDS is a blood borne disease, the most common way that it got spread was through the use of needles by drug users. In shooting galleries, people rented used needles to inject their heroin. This was a very efficient social system that helped drive the epidemic. Another way the disease got spread was through blood donations. People who did not know they were infected donated their blood or plasma and ultimately, by the time this was discovered, more than 35,000 people had been infected with bad blood. Although it was realized that AIDS was not a disease that only infected homosexuals, the homosexual community was still stigmatized and blamed for the spread. Bathhouses in San Francisco were shut down which enraged the gay community and caused protests until a judge had the bathhouses reopened. Today, AIDS stigma exists even in the non homosexual community. Having AIDS is often associated with homosexuality, bisexuality, prostitution, promiscuity, and drug use. In the beginning, Americas response to the AIDS epidemic received much criticism as it was slow to response to the spread of AIDS. Today, the United States spends billions of dollars on AIDS related issues, such as research and healthcare. The U.S. has also created education programs in hopes that it would reduce the spread of AIDS. The AIDS cocktail, unveiled in 1996, is a treatment that involves several highly toxic drugs that are administered to AIDS patients in order to improve the condition of those infected. Along with

education programs and treatments for AIDS, AIDS related deaths in the U.S. have declined. Other countries, such as Uganda, have also been praised for their leadership and ability to fight back the spread of AIDS. Uganda was one of the first countries in sub-Saharan Africa to experience the AIDS epidemic, however, they are now widely viewed as the country with the most effective national response to the AIDS epidemic. A variety of approaches to AID education have been employed, ranging from the promotion of condom use to abstinence only programs. In addition, the President of Uganda started the AIDS Control Program to create policy guidelines to help fight AIDS. This program implemented safe birthing procedures as well as baby feeding practices as to prevent mothers infected with AIDS from passing it to their children. Since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in Uganda, the number of those infected with AIDS has decreased, thanks to the successful response from the Uganda government.

Question #3: Prostitution has been around for a very long time. It has been found in nearly every civilization, stretching back to the beginning of recorded human history. Where ever and whenever there has been money, goods or services to be bartered, it is certain that sex was also used. In the United States however, the history of American prostitution does not only a sexual issue, but it also reflects the development of capitalism as well as racism. According to Intimate Matters by John DEmilio and Estelle B. Freedman, the growing world of commerce opened doors for a public sexual presence. Beginning in port cities of the late eighteenth century, certain urban districts catered to sexual commerce. With the continuing growth of industrialization, supply and demand for prostitution increased. Lower and middleclass women became prostitutes because the job earned more than other traditional, domestic jobs such as spinning. The Civil War also facilitated the expansion of prostitution. Where ever men congregated for training or battle, women also flocked to the area to provide services for these men (DEmilio, pg. 134). As prostitution became more and more visible over the years, so did the push for sexual reform. There were many problems associated with prostitution. Middle class Americans, especially women, were concerned that prostitution separated from not only the purpose of reproduction, but from love and intimacy as well. It also exposed the double standard that existed between men and women, and furthermore, prostitution evoked fears of disease (DEmilio, pg. 141). In an attempt to remedy these social concerns, laws were created to minimize prostitution, and social movements were started to keep women from falling into the prostitution profession, however these laws were not strictly enforced and the social movements were hardly

successful. As long as there is money to be made and men demanding for prostitution, sex as commerce will always exist. Today, laws regarding prostitution vary from country to country and state to state, from being completely legal and regarded as a regular profession, to being illegal and in some places, punishable by death. In the United States, prostitution is illegal in all but two states, Nevada and Rhode Island. There are several different forms of prostitution that exists today, including street walkers, escorts and call girl. These different types of prostitution all carry different levels of social stigmas. Street walkers are girls considered to be on the bottom rung of the social order. Although their services are similar to those of higher end escorts, street walkers receive less money for their services and have a higher risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases as they are highly unregulated. Escorts are often middle-class women who are a little more educated than street walkers. Their services earn more money than street walkers and they work through an agency that earns a percentage of what the women make. Finally, call girls are considered the highest rung in the prostitution hierarchy. They have the lowest risk of contracting diseases and they earn the greatest amount of money for their services. The biggest difference between escorts, call girls, and street walkers, are, unlike street walkers, escorts and call girls are not visible to the public and typically are not employed if they have any drug problems. Regardless of what type of prostitution women become, in the United States, the profession is generally deemed as immoral and distasteful and the women who choose this career path are stigmatized by the rest of society. The debate continues to be argued over on whether or not to criminalize or decriminalize prostitution. Abolitionists believe that prostitution should remain illegal because it undermines

the social institution of marriage and exploits women. Abolitionists also feel that prostitution causes the countries moral climate to decrease and aids the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. On the other hand, reformers want prostitution to be decriminalized so that the women have the freedom to choose what to do with their bodies and at the same time, be protected and regulated by the government. In addition, if prostitution is legalized then it can be taxed as other professions are and can help generate profits for the country. The debate on whether or not to keep prostitution illegal is ongoing and there are pros and cons for both sides of the argument. Ultimately however, I feel that like all other criminal behaviors, even if prostitution remains illegal, the profession itself will still be around as long as there is a demand for them.

Part Two Question #4: The History of Sex videos discussed human sexuality from a variety of ancient civilizations. The issues surrounding human sexuality that exists in the modern world, such as adultery, homosexuality, prostitution, birth control and sexually transmitted diseases, could be traced all the way back to other ancient civilizations. Sex has come a long way since the ancient civilization years. In modern society, sex, in some aspects, is more closed in comparison to sex in ancient civilization. In other aspects however, sex is more open. We no longer use sex solely for reproduction purposes as before and advance technology has allowed us to engage in sexual behaviors without facing the consequences of unplanned pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases. In modern society, it is not unusual for us to see sex in public. It is in advertisements, it is on t.v., its in music, etc., but in ancient times, sex was regarded in a very different manner, varying from different civilizations. The ancient Mesopotamian society practiced sexual openness. The primary goddess worshiped in this society was Ishtar, the goddess of life, love and fertility. She was also considered the goddess of war. To celebrate victories within the society, people would visit her temple and feast and engage in sexual acts with holy prostitutes. Mesopotamian women were also required to visit Ishtars temple, once in their lifetime, to have sex with a stranger and then return home. Ancient Egyptians shared similar ideas in regards to sex with the Mesopotamian civilization in that ancient Egypt also practiced sexual openness. In fact, Egypt had many different sexual behaviors and diversities including homosexuality, transgenderism, prostitution,

adultery, etc. Although adultery was frowned upon in ancient Egypt, the rest of these sexual behaviors were still common among the ancient Egyptians. Human sexuality in ancient Greece is quite different than in todays society. Sex in ancient Greece was quite explicit. The males penis was highly regarded in Greece civilization and men were often depicted as nude. Rape was also common as well as relationships between an adult male and young boy. This type of relationship, called pederasty, was considered a rite of passage for the young boy and was highly romanticized in this civilization, thus, homosexuality was common and accepted in ancient Greece civilization. Until having contact with the Western world, sex in ancient China was heavily religious based. Women and men were regarded as yin and yang. Women were believed to have an inexhaustible supply of yin while men had a limited supply of yang and thus, men were not allowed to ejaculate until he made the woman orgasm several times in order to acquire her yin. If a man ejaculated without taking any of the womans yin, than it was believed that the man can acquire health problems and even death. In regards to adultery, men were allowed to have extramarital relations with their concubines but adultery for women was a crime punishable by death, usually stoning. In ancient Japan however, men could engage in extramarital sex without coming across any problems, and even Japanese women could also have multiple lovers, unlike their Chinese counterparts. The History of Sex videos show how human sexuality has been constructed over the years and how it has gotten to the point that it is at now. The video series shows several similarities between how we view sexuality today and how it was viewed in ancient civilizations. But it also showed dramatic contrasts, such as the different way we view adultery and prostitution. It seemed that prostitution wasnt much stigmatized back then as it is now and

adultery is illegal whether it was committed by a man or a woman. Today we are also more technologically advanced and better educated when it comes to unplanned pregnancies and STDs thus, although we use sex for recreational purposes now instead of just reproduction purposes, we generally view sex as a more private issue.

Question #5: Tying the Knot and Daddy and Papa were videos that illustrated the complex issues behind homosexuality. Tying the Knot looks at the debate over same-sex marriages in the United States while Daddy and Papa looks at the issues regarding adoption rights for gay couples. Tying the Knot follows the story of real life homosexual couples and their struggle to win their basic civil rights. Many people who are opposed to same-sex marriages believe that marriage is between a man and woman and thus, same-sex couples should not be granted the same marriage benefits as heterosexual married couples. In this film, we see a police officer killed on the job and whose life partner is denied her partners pension because they were not legally married. The film also follows a farmer who is kicked off his own property by his deceased partners extended and estranged family members. The accounts depicted in the film show the everyday life struggles that people have to endure without the benefits of marriage. With over 1,000 federal rights and protections given to married couples, the film cogently shows the discrimination that homosexual couples have to face in their everyday lives. Religion plays a huge part in society and when it comes down to it, people like to use religion as a scapegoat for why we cant grant homosexual couples the same rights as heterosexual couples. Daddy and Papa was especially effective in presenting the conflicts that homosexual couples face. Not only are they not allowed to legally adopt their own children, but they also have to face the discrimination they get when they adopt children outside their own races. In a society that seems to care about the future of our children, allowing them to be adopted into great homes, whether it is a heterosexual or homosexual couple, it ultimately should not matter. This film showed that homosexual couples can be just as caring and as great of parents as heterosexual couples. Furthermore, it also addressed the fear that people have when it comes to

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allowing homosexuals to adopt children: the fear that the child will also grow up to be gay. In addition, this film addressed many other obstacles that homosexuals face, such as religion, ethnicity, paternal rights, and even divorce. It was noted in the film that for the little girl, Fanny, the impact of her fathers divorce was bigger than the fact that he was gay. It seems that the general public has a difficult time understanding the real life issues that homosexual people have to go through. Both these films illustrate the legal battles that are ongoing today and for me, by putting a face to these real life people and telling their stories, it helps me understand the complexities behind these issues but also helps me sympathize and want to help gay people win the same rights that heterosexual people have. I feel that heterosexuals often take for granted these same rights that homosexuals are fighting for everyday.

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