Sexuality as a Private Matter

Sexuality in the Classroom
"Sexuality is something that should be taught at home because it is a private, bedroom matter." Many individuals endorse this viewpoint and many would go to great lengths to see that sexuality stays out of the public arena. Unfortunately, this viewpoint can be very destructive when it is applied to the real world. Sexuality is very important to almost everyone, even though contexts may vary. Attempting to silence the public on this matter can never fully work. It is also important that individuals learn about the variety of sexual preferences so that those who fit into the “norm” can be more tolerant, and so that those who do not can understand themselves more fully. Sexuality is a dangerous issue to sweep under the rug. If it is considered an entirely private matter, then it is much easier for people to abuse it.
Sexuality will never be an entirely private matter. It is arguably the most relevant aspect of the human condition. As such, people will always talk about it. The innate danger of this is that people tend to communicate misinformation to one another. If sexuality is not taught to young people in an accurate way, then their only source of information is whatever their parents are know and are willing to divulge, which may not be much. The other alternative is what their friends tell them, which is even worse, as anyone who has ever listened to middle-school students should know. Sexuality will always be relevant to people, for if “sexuality were irrelevant… then “out” lesbians and gays would occasion little notice or comment; however, the opposite usually occurs” (Martin 225). There are also other problems inherent in ignoring sexuality. Ignoring sexuality as a whole also leads to ignoring such problems as sexual harassment. Studies have shown that men will often “construct predatory sexual discourses and workplace cultures that derogate and undermine women” (Martin 225). If sexuality was ignored in public settings, it stands to reason that employers would turn a blind eye to these kinds of circumstances, as they often have during times when culture was more sexually restricted in nature.
Sexuality is innate in almost every human person, and as such, it manifests in many scenarios. Sexuality is deeply tied to a variety of social contexts. Despite many individuals attempting to privatize and cover up sexuality, it still has “multiple levels of organization, including individual identities, but also as practices; as an organizing feature of face-to-face social interaction; and as an overarching, normative structure…” (Schippers 206). Sexuality is fluid, and often is not constrained to social norms. Human sexual nature can be “far more diffused and fluid than the hetero-focused binary would have it” (Schippers 207). Individuals who are taught only a limited and distorted view of sexuality are at risk of not fully understanding their sexuality and sexual feelings. As noted below, the repression of sexual urges can often lead to atrocities. Bringing sexuality into public forums can help challenge norms and bring change to society’s beliefs. Before homosexuality became a movement and was exposed to the public eye, “most lesbians and gay men… discovered their homosexual desires in isolation, unaware of others and without resources for naming and understanding what they felt” (D’Emilio 216). It is unfair to future generations to attempt to stifle these movements. No one wants to feel that they are alone and not understanding one’s own sexuality while realizing that it is different must be a very isolating circumstance. Bringing sexual orientation out into public education and forums is necessary in “changing consciousness, creating the ideological conditions that make it easier for people…” (D’Emilio 221). People should be encouraged to express themselves freely and to have the ability to learn to come to terms with their sexuality and identity. Knowledge of one’s own sexual processes and behaviors should be considered a basic human right.
Covering up sexuality can have dire consequences, one of such being the massive cover-up of sexual scandals. A very infamous example of this is the Catholic Church regarding pedophile priests. The Catholic Church did everything in its power to keep these problems within the church, leading them to choose “damage control over revelation and action, a tawdry cover-up at the expense of innocent children” (Barrie 187). It was only when this highly privatized matter was brought to public attention that authorities began to take any real action against these incidences. Had the matter not been exposed, these pedophiles would probably still be abusing children, and it is likely that there are still many who are and are still being protected by the church. Privatizing sexuality and taking the viewpoint that “problems that began in the church…have to get resolved in the church” (Barrie 184) is the first step towards silencing victims of horrendous crimes. It is a vast injustice to promote the interests of the church at the expense of young children. These youths deserve to have their abuses acknowledged and aided, not hidden and denied. Considering sexuality to be an entirely private matter can only encourage tragedies to be silenced, because those that believe in that kind of suggestion will be the first to ignore these atrocities and claim they are a matter for the Church to settle. As Elie Wiesel once said: “neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.” Sexual crimes should be punished by society, and the perpetrators of said crimes should not be allowed to continue their abuses in private.
As stated above, sexuality can never be kept private. It should be taught in schools and brought to the attention of the public. If this is not done, then the public will suffer a variety of consequences, such as a lack of accurate information, an inability to understand various sexualities, and a lack of justice for perpetrators of sexual abuse. Sexuality will always be a part of people’s lives and it should not be something that people are embarrassed or afraid of.



Barrie, Iain A.G. "A Broken Trust: Canadian Priests, Brothers, Pedophilia, and the Media" A Broken Trust: Canadian Priests, Brothers, Pedophilia, and the Media. (1991): Rpt. in Sex, Self, and Society. Ed. Tracey L. Steele. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2005, 50-60.

D’Emilio, John. “Capitalism and Gay Identity” Capitalism and Gay Identity. (1983): Rpt. in Sex, Self, and Society. Ed. Tracey L. Steele. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2005, 50-60.

Martin, Patricia Nancy and David L. Collinson. "Sexuality in Organizations." Gender and Sexuality in Organizations: Rpt. in Sex, Self, and Society. Ed. Tracey L. Steele. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2005, 50-60.

Schippers, Mimi. "The Social Organization of Sexuality and Gender in Alternative Hard Rock: An Analysis of Intersectionality." The Social Organization of Sexuality and Gender in Alternative Hard Rock: An Analysis of Intersectionality. (2000): Rpt. in Sex, Self, and Society. Ed. Tracey L. Steele. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2005, 50-60.