The sexual revolution was a period of sexual liberation that challenged traditional social and behavioral codes in the developed world. Often referred to as the sexual awakening, the sexual revolution changed the way people interacted and lived their lives.
During this time, men and women became free to express their sexuality without concern for their social or family standing.
Millennials
Millennials are often characterized as having a more permissive attitude towards sex than previous generations. The media has made this trend more prominent, but this is not necessarily true. Some of them engage in pre-marital sex and are more likely to contract sexually transmitted diseases. They are also more likely to have access to pornography. Despite this, it is important to understand that millennials have a different definition of sex than previous generations.
Young adults are experiencing a new sexual landscape characterized by more opportunity, ambiguity, and fewer sex practices. This has brought about social changes and a more open conversation about the topic of sexuality.
The Kinsey reports
Kinsey’s work was pivotal to the sexual revolution in the early twentieth century. By evaluating social change through statistics, he revealed how the sex habits of a group of people had changed. Before the Kinsey reports, syphilis and gonorrhea were the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the United States. Today, there are more than two dozen, including AIDS, which infects 42 million people and has killed 23 million. In addition, a National Cancer Institute study found that having three sex partners increased the risk of cervical cancer by 1500%.
After Kinsey’s death, Dr. Paul Gebhard took over as executive director of the Institute. The Institute faced several challenges during this time, including an expensive legal battle with U.S. Customs, and several unfinished projects. With the help of Gebhard, the ISR became a premier resource for all aspects of human sexuality.
The feminist movement
The feminist movement was born of the desire to reclaim the human body and its agency, and to demand material and social conditions that were fair and equitable. Its goals, however, were stalled by twin technological shocks – abortion and contraception. This combination of political and technological forces forced the movement to retreat, and it killed itself. While the feminist movement initially embraced the idea of personhood in the context of the family, it soon evolved to focus on women’s enfranchisement and property ownership.
The sexual revolution took the feminist movement one step further by pushing for legal access to abortion and contraception. While traditional feminism sought to make these laws easier to implement, a new generation of women started organizing in informal groups, seeking to change their lives and the world around them. In these groups, women discussed personal issues, and the nature of oppression. This was known as consciousness-raising.
Neoliberalism
While neoliberalism may have caused the rise of the sex industry, it also has caused an increase in mental stress. Psychologists have documented a link between mental stress and the reduction of the context for sexual intercourse. This is an important point to note because neoliberalism has been shown to have an effect on women’s sexuality.
In addition, neoliberalism has been known to have a depoliticizing effect. It has undermined state-centered politics, as well as public education, social welfare, and health care. This has weakened social ties, particularly in poorer countries.
Sex between people of the same gender
The sexual revolution between people of the same gender is not only happening in a cultural sense, but it will also change the way we view sexuality as a whole. As a recent YouGov survey found, “same-sex sexual orientation is now accepted as a healthy variation of sexuality.” The future of human sexuality may well include the freedom to have sex at will and cultivate our own sexual desires.
The LGBTQ+ movement has put the victims of heteronormative society in the center of political debates. The availability of antibiotics and the pill has decreased the risks associated with aberrant sexual behavior. Lastly, technological developments have put the victims of homophobia at the forefront of the political narrative.
Challenges to religious freedom
As the first freedom listed in the Bill of Rights, religious freedom is often regarded as the First Freedom. First Amendment rights, including the right to practice religion, are interdependent and support each other. By placing religious freedom only where it is not opposed to the sexual revolution, the Biden administration is aligning itself with the LGBT movement’s efforts to export coercive policies to other nations and to prioritize “other rights” over religious freedom.
The progressive movement in the United States has largely reinterpreted religious freedom as a “freedom of worship,” thereby undermining the principle of natural rights. For instance, they have rewritten the U.S. immigration exam to include the language “freedom to practice religion.” But while the First Amendment still protects religious liberty, liberals are trying to redefine it into nothing more than the freedom to practice “any religion.”
