“Rather than criticizing the party scene or men’s behavior, students blame victims…” (Sex Matters 48). Students are blaming victims, victims are blaming themselves. What causes rape? Most would say “drinking too much”, “dressing too provocatively”, etc. But what most would not say is “the rapist.” The rapist is to blame, not alcohol, not what you’re wearing, not where you are or who you are.  “At least half and perhaps as many as three quarters of the sexual assaults that occur on college campuses involve alcohol consumption on the part of the victim, perpetrator, or both” (Sex Matters 47). The correlation is too dramatic for their not to be something done about drinking and rape… but what can be done? College students drink and will always drink. Inebriated college students make bad decisions. Usually the friends that would halt bad decisions from being made are also drunk altering their judgement as well.

Most parents would hope that they’ve raised their boys to be gentlemen and treat a lady right – that they wouldn’t make bad decisions like getting a girl too drunk and sleeping with her. However, college is the perfect breeding ground to turn gentlemen in to slobs. I’ve seen it more than once. There’s always that one guy pushing shot after shot in to your hand; if you don’t take the shot, you get nasty looks and bad comments. 1 shot, 2 shots, 3 shots, 6 shots later, the guy is fine, but the girl never really is. It’s the perfect time for the guy to take advantage of the girl – she’s in no state to make good decisions in a sexual context. The next morning, the girl feels used, dirty, and terrible but always thinks it her fault for getting too drunk. If she were to ever say that she was sexually assaulted, most of her friends would just say she got too drunk. Most would never let her admit that she was raped. That’s the rape culture that needs to be changed. “The most common way that student – both men and women- account for the harm that befalls women in the party scene is by blaming victims. By attributing bad experiences to women’s ‘mistakes’, students avoid criticizing the party scene or men’s behavior within it. Such victim-blaming also allows women to feel that they control what happens to them…” (Sex Matters 487).

Emory’s party scene allows rape culture to continue. The beginning of the night starts with a pre game by consuming a minimum of 3 drinks. Then, it continues at the frat houses where guy hands girl drink after drink, whether it be a shot, or a solo cup of sketchy punch from a cooler. When everyone is way too drunk for their own good, the party is moved to a bar where the consumption only continues. By the end of the night, most everyone’s goal or (newly-realized inebriated goal) is to find a hookup. Many girls are dangerously close to blacking out but the men are still on the prowl. This proves to usually result in risky sexual behavior.

What’s to be done about party rape? I think the most important factor in preventing this is to be informed. Know that it happens, and know that it doesn’t have to happen. Be aware that if you’re too drunk, you don’t have to tolerate risky sexual interactions. Inform your friends that they never have to blame themselves when they’re involved in party rape. Know that it was never the victim’s fault.

Sex Matters: The Sexuality and Society Reader.  Ed. by Mindy Stombler, Dawn Baunach, Elisabeth Burgess, Denise Donnelly, Wendy Simonds, Elroi Windsor. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2010. 481-495

Have you ever heard of Lauren Bernstein? You will Tuesday. She’s the person to know if you’ve been a victim of sexual violence. She came to Emory last year and now she’s a coordinator for the Respect Program, advisor for Alliance for Sexual Assault Prevention (ASAP) and Sexual Assault Peer Advocates (SAPA), and on the Center for Women Advisory Board. She’s bringing awareness to Emory about sexual violence on campus, helping victims, and trying to prevent any further instances. With her help and the programs we have on campus, sexual violence is being brought to the forefront of Emory’s attention.

Before this year, even before this class, I hadn’t even heard of any reports of sexual violence on campus. But as on any campus, there is sexual violence prevalent. In the Emory Wheel, Ariana Skibell writes “Seven rapes reported since August… Three took place in Clairmont Hall, two in fraternity houses on Eagle Row and one in Harris Hall…” When this is mentioned around campus, the attitudes surrounding it are surprisingly negative. I’ve heard “Oh, she probably got too drunk… she was asking for it.” Never, is this the case. Alcohol is not an excuse for rape. “Rape does not happen just because one individual chooses to rape another. Rape happens because there are attitudes and norms that allow it to happen (Guy 10). Society has accepted what is known as “rape culture” – rape culture condones physical and emotional terrorism against women as the norm (Guy 10). It is sad to realize that our culture has accepted rape culture. Women are afraid to report rapes, people are timid to acknowledge that rape happens, rapists are condoned for their actions.

“Approximately 50-70% of sexual assaults involve alcohol” (Guy 19). Inebriated people, especially college students more likely to binge drink, lose their inhibitions. People do things they would normally never do – some can get aggressive while others some can become submissive and act as an easy target. When I attended Take Back the Night last Monday, Emory students told their personal stories of sexual violence attacks against them, many involving alcohol. Many females who reported they had been raped said they never had said no and that they were too drunk to do anything about it.  “In order to change individual campus norms, it is necessary to understand the context and reasons (the how, when, and why) that students use alcohol and the connection to sexual violence” (Guy 19).

Emory’s 8th annual Take Back the Night took place Monday November 12th. It was a supportive collaboration of ASAP, SAPA, the Respect Program, and Emory students that raised awareness of sexual violence on campus by reporting statistics, reading about sexual violence, and telling anonymous and personal stories submitted by Emory students. These are the kind of events that should set off alarms in every students head. Sexual violence happens, and it can happen to anyone. No one is immune. As people told their stories of what had happened to them, I found myself even tearing up. The emotional aftereffects of sexual violence is overwhelming, omnipresent, hard to acknowledge, difficult to overcome, painful, and more. Events like Take Back the Night engage campus communities across the globe. They try to transform the norms of rape culture and prevent further sexual violence. What we can do is bring awareness amongst more members of the Emory community. Let’s prevent sexual violence.

Seven Rapes Reported Since Aug.

Guy, Lydia; Lee, David; Perry, Brad. “Shifting the Paradigm: Primary Prevention of Sexual Violence.” American College Health Association. August 2008.

The idea of premarital sexual intercourse became less and less of a rigid standard during the mid 20th century. New cures and antibiotics were being discovered to cure sexually transmitted diseases. A societal transformation encouraged a new view of sex – “the sexual revolution, feminism, and the beginning of the gay and lesbian movement” were calling for a more sexually active America (Allen 121). Contraceptions, birth control, and ideas of safe sex liberated the sexual movement; sex became “fun” rather than just a means of reproduction. With this freedom came consequences: accidental pregnancy, disease, and the deadly virus, HIV.

The emergence of AIDS and HIV became associated with the identification of gay men. This sexually transmitted disease stigmatized the associated groups; outcasting and disgracing those unfortunate enough to get AIDS and HIV. During the mid to late 20th century, AIDS and HIV brought out societies hesitant ability to talk about issues relating to sex. It became the forefront to the other battles associated with sexual identity and health fighting for acceptance in America. Unfortunately, people like Cardinal O’Connor, Reverend Jerry Falwell, and other church associates blamed homosexuality and people’s sins as the reason for the spread of the virus; calling it “God’s cure to homosexuality.” Statements like “Do it and Die” led society to thoughts of guilt, anxiety, and fear concerning sexual activity effecting the entirety of the nation (Allen 122).

The stigma turned to taboo when President Reagan and his administration refused to acknowledge the growing AIDS and HIV epidemic. Rather than finding safer ways of performing sexual activities without transmitting the disease, the administration stayed silent. Silence only aided the spread. The atmosphere regarding AIDS became only more and more hostile. Only in the gay community did AIDS awareness appear in the early 80’s – “In 1981, activist Larry Kramer founded an organization in New York known as the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, now the nation’s largest AIDS organization, and later, a more radical group called ACT-UP (The AID’s coalition to Unleash Power) (Allen 126). These organizations warned people of the dangers of HIV and persuaded them to practice safe ways to enjoy activities virus-free.

Eventually, enough people became to acknowledge the virus as a sexually transmitted disease with the ability to affect any member of the community. The church revoked its statement that AIDS and HIV were God’s punishment among sinners. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop followed Reagan’s policy of silence until October 22, 1986. He published a statement endorsing abstinence “but was not shy about explaining that AIDS could be transmitted by anal, oral, or vaginal sex- and that transmission could be prevented by the proper use of condoms” (Allen 130). Once the message was out in public, the front only gained more movement. Movie stars began to endorse the message of AIDS awareness. Bono began the message of “Red” associating its image with several popular American brands and products. Now the message is taught to every child in a sexual education class or in the real world. Forms silence to total awareness, the AIDS movement has made a total transformation. Now the only thing is to hope that people take in the message, prevent the spread, and cure those who are infected.

Allen, Peter L. The Wages of Sin: Sex and Disease, past and present. Chicago: university of Chicago, 2000. Print.

I’m on the soccer team. That’s how I identify myself to people. I don’t know why that became my first identity but before “I’m a Virginian, I’m a blond, I’m in ADPi, I’m a student, etc.,” that’s how I introduce myself. Everyone’s looking to belong to something; they’re looking to associate with a bigger group or identity. But when someone comes out of the closet, they’re no longer a frat bro or team member, they’re known for not being straight. When being interviewed, a 16 year old lesbian activist she said, “I love being queer… but sometimes I want to be Jenny, not Queer Jenny” (Levine 622). Why is that a different kind of sexuality automatically becomes the official new identity? This terrifies many adolescents attempting to identify their sexuality as LGBT.

When families, friends, and the community ostracize LGBT teens just coming out of the closet, it leads teens to be desperate to gain a support system. “Family hostility is in fact a leading cause of homelessness among teen youth” (Levine 622). Homeless teens are forced to extreme actions… if they’re not old enough, they can’t work, they can’t go anywhere. “Parent’s abandonment of overt rejection is partially responsible for the dramatic rise of teen male prostitution in the United States” (Levine 622). Any type of prostitution is dangerous for any kind of human, let alone teens with the lack of confidence from societal rejection.

Homeless homosexual teens are looking for a place to stay, eat, and any kind of comfort they can grab. Prostituting themselves becomes a easy way to have a temporary home for a night or two. They live day to day never looking at the future; losing respect for their souls and body in the meantime. These unsafe actions have a high risk of getting and transmitting sexually transmitted diseases and infections; among them, HIV.  There are groups attempting to reach out to “street kids” to teach them about the hazards of a risky sexual lifestyle and how to prevent the transmission of diseases.

Many people are just ignorant of STD’s are feel invincible. “It won’t happen to me… I won’t get a STD…” Why is that we feel invincible? In “Damaged Goods,” Nack reports a story of a 20 year old college student who received phone call from a former sexual partner informing her that he has an STD and that she should get checked (Nack 488). It can happen to anyone. The statistics make it clear: the CDC estimates that there are 19 million new infections every year in the United States (STD Trends, CDC). Everyone needs to open their eyes, get informed and practice healthy and risk-free sex. The CDC recommends to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases in order to prevent infertility, and even death. “Less than half of people who should be screened receive recommended STD screening services” (STD Trends, CDC).

In Carlos Del Rio Viral Cultures lecture, he talks about the realization of AIDS & HIV. In the 80’s there was a disease spreading and no one knew about it until years later and it’s too late. He identifies what a person with AIDS looked like in the 80’s as white, male, middle-class, and gay. In 2012, he identifies a person with AIDS as African American, male or female, poor, with possible mental health problems.  But really do STD’s have a particular image of a person to them? Sexually-active people are all at risk.

http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats10/trends.htm

Levine, Judith. “Community.” Sexuality and Public Policy. Print.

Nack, Adina. “Damaged Goods.” Sexual Health. Print.

I’d like to preface this blog entry by saying that I am currently in an 2-3 day trek back from New York where the soccer team’s flight back to Atlanta was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy wreaking havoc all up the east coast. I’m not trying to gain sympathy points, merely stating that the wifi access I have is very limited and painfully slow so my entry may not retain some of the reading information (and also I may not be able to make class on Tuesday morning).

They say that communication is key in a relationship. I’d like to further that and say that communication is key in a sexual relationship. Most people seem to shy away from conversations of sex especially when talking to people of opposite gender. In society, the topic of sex seems to be taboo until it comes to a political or celebrity scandal. Otherwise, sex is personal and hush hush. We’re not talking about it as kids until our parents give us the “birds and bees” talk and don’t tell me that wasn’t one of the worst conversations you’ve had with your parents. So why would we talk about it in high school, college, and in our adult lives? It’s so essential to a healthy sexual experience.

“…research suggests that women are often lacking in the training and socialization necessary to be effective communicators in sexual relationships” (Moore 172). The only way to learn is to be taught and experience it. The only way to really gain an experience is to become intimate with someone for a long period of time until the comfort level sets in. Once the comfort is there, usually the communication will follow. But what if someone never had the comfort of being in a sexual relationship early on in life? College hits, and the random hookups begin. Not a lot of freshman are going to have the confidence to openly communicate with a random hook up partner. If there’s a lack of confidence, you risk a bad sexual experience. Are you using birth control? Do you have a condom? Are you comfortable with this? These and more questions have to be communicated.

Confidence comes with experience. Experience comes with intimacy. In college, many people don’t get the gift of intimacy. Usually it’s quick, one or two night stand, and then get out. Sorry, but those frat beds are not big enough for two people. It comes down to cuddling and awkward morning chats or enjoying the comforts of your own bed… which do you prefer? There may not be a good chance for communication, especially after a sexual encounter; however, it has to happen. Otherwise, there’s a good chance that some poor girl will be walking to CVS to pick up that plan B the next morning. “College women are more likely to experience feelings of anxiety, nervousness, embarassment, and guilt during their first sexual intercourse rather than excitement and pleasure…” (Moore 172). Nervous and embarassed college girls don’t sound like the type that are about to ask if their sexual partner has a STI.

Along with prevention of sexually transmitted diseases/infections, communication helps partners discover pleasure and fun during sexual intercourse. Saying what you like, where, and asking questions can only help one’s self and partners pleasure. It may be uncomfortable at first, but it may be completely worth it. You know your body better than anyone else, so telling a partner what you like will help achieve a heightened sense of pleasure.

Communication will help prevent disease, pregnancy, and dissatisfaction.

Moore, Nelwyn, and Kenneth Davidson. Communicating with New Sex Partners. Print.

“Human beings are sexual beings throughout their entire lives. At certain points in life, sexuality may manifest itself in different ways” (DeLamater 64). Usually, most people begin to question and experience their first signs of sexuality in their pre-teen years; puberty causes many changes physically and in sex hormone levels. In later teen years, rates of premarital heterosexual intercourse have shot up showing that, yes, many teens are having sex (obviously we knew that).  The progression of sexual exploration proceeds to mature in the adult years by learning how to communicate and connect in relationships intimately.

So where does college fit in to all this? “Approximately 80% of college students have engaged in sexual intercourse yet only about one-third report they regularly use condoms” (Abbey 469). “In one survey, 75% of college women indicated they had gotten drunk within the last year…in fact, 17% of college women reported deliberately drinking more than normal to make it easier to have sexual intercourse with someone” (Moore 173). Women in college just don’t have that much experience and are usually sexually-insecure. Referring back to the readings two weeks ago about the culture of hooking up, freshmen are especially at risk for risky and dangerous sexual behavior. Most freshmen and sophomore girls just want to hook up and aren’t really looking for a relationship; but because of the lack of experience and sexual confidence, they’re more likely to engage in this risky behavior.

“Lower condom use occurs among college women with high perceptions of relative vulnerability, absence of negative emotions, lower perceptions of present risk, and endorsement of the ‘relational idea’ (i.e. love and commitment as a prerequisite for sexual intercourse)” (Abbey 471). Binge drinking and the idea of getting hammered before encountering a sexual exploit is putting both people in danger of an intoxicated state; one that would probably forget, or not even bother to use a condom. I think that now, in contemporary times, many women in college are on birth control and rely on that as their primary form of contraception. There are many men that would opt for not using a condom for the “better feeling” or waste of time it takes to actually get on. What I think many women are forgetting is that they should have the confidence to have condoms/tell the men to actually use condoms, and the fact that diseases can be still be spread without a condom.

It’s interesting to read research done about women my age (in college) and data about their sexual explorations. Should it be reaffirming what is normal or contradicting personal or closely-related instances of what I’ve experienced?

Abbey, Antonia, Michelle Parkhill, and Philip Buck. Condom Use with a Casual Partner. Print.

DeLamater, John, and Wiiliam Freidrich. Human Sexual Development. Print.

Moore, Nelwyn, and Kenneth Davidson. Communicating with New Sex Partners. Print.

“£40m for any man who can turn my gay daughter straight: Father’s shock offer after lesbian wedding ceremony” by Mail Foreign Service.

In Hong Kong, a wealthy playboy’s daughter has taken to a different kind of lifestyle than what he was expecting. After Gigi Chao’s lesbian marriage in France, father Cecil Chao announced a reward of 40 million pounds to whichever man that makes his daughter straight. Reading the comments underneath the article made it very clear that most people are outraged by the “marriage bounty” (Mail Foreign Service). Clearly, money can’t buy you everything. The fact that this playboy father publicly announces his rejection for his daughter’s lifestyle proves his intolerance and pure desperation. In Hong Kong, where they’re from, gay marriage is not accepted. I’m not quite sure of the social taboos or the range of acceptance in Hong Kong but perhaps straying from the sexuality norms is not acceptable. In a society that doesn’t have an active awareness campaign and/or very clear populations of LGBT communities, it is very unlikely that individuals will be accepting of, in this case, a lesbian couple. I’m sure the father’s promiscuous heterosexual active lifestyle is part of the reason he is so openly against the lesbian couple.

The South is also often considered an area and culture that is very intolerant of different types of lifestyles especially when it comes to sexuality. In Sweet Tea, homosexual African American men tell their stories of their gay partners. Bob’s story hits close to home; he attended Emory University upon meeting his partner. About his mom’s contact with his interracial partner, he says “Although my mother has been in contact with white people, she had never been in intimate contact with them; she was in a more subservient role” (Johnson 434). Its interesting that his first thought went to race and not much is said about his mother reacted to his sexuality. Perhaps homosexuality was more taboo at this time?Talking about California, Bob says “Because if you think about it back in the 70’s, the civil rights movement had just come into vogue, and in Berkeley it was the in thing to have these interracial meetings” (Johnson 434). The vast difference between his home experience and the diversity he experienced during his time of California portrays a geographical and cultural difference in topics of race of and sexuality. In the South in the 60’s and 70’s, racism was omnipresent. But on the west coast, it was the “in thing” to mix with people of other races. It seems that the other parts of the nation seem to have been more accepting of a broader range of ideals that stray from the social norm while the south maintained its rigidity.

But at the present moment, in Atlanta, I beg to differ. I think this part of the South has opened their minds and hearts to accept to LGBT. I also think that homosexuality is now more of an issue than race. Racism is still present in the South but most likely just as much as it is anywhere in the U.S.

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if their was no accepted traditional gender role to follow; that going to a bar meant hitting on whoever caught your eye whether it be guy, girl, or whatever else. I think we’d be a much more tolerant kind of humanity, with more love and compassion for all types of people in all parts of the nation and world. But that’s all a hypothetical really..

[1] Mail Foreign Service. “£40m for any man who can turn my gay daughter straight:
Father’s shock offer after lesbian wedding ceremony.” News. Mail online.                            26 Sept. 2012. Web. 6 Oct. 2012
[2] Johnson, E. Patrick. Sweet Tea: Black gay Men of the South. Chapel Hill: University of                          North Carolina 2008. Print.

Never have I been acquainted with the term, “asexual.” I always just assumed that everyone had desires and attractions whether it to be people of the same gender, opposite gender, or both. Asexuality represents a whole new category of people “who prefer no physicality with others, or only some forms, or only self-gratification, as well as people who don’t experience themselves as having sexual “needs” or “desires” but will have and enjoy sex with their sexual partners.” Biologically speaking, wouldn’t this be the worst when it comes to reproductive fitness? The desire for physical sexuality comes from the innate sense to reproduce and pass on genetic material; where asexual people claim that there are people who either don’t have this physical desire and/or only want the pleasure.

Mosurinjohn’s article, “School’s Out: Asexy Teens” talks about how children are perceived as lacking sexuality but then are sexually targeted and marketed to. This is quite the paradox. Everyone’s been a child / pre-teen and experienced the sex questions, sexual frustrations, lust, desire, confusion, etc. Quite clearly, most kids are not asexual, so why do we treat them as so? They’re being targeted by seemingly innocent companies like Disney. The comic mocking disney princesses really nails it – describing Cinderella, “If you’re beautiful enough, you may be able to escape your terrible living conditions by getting a wealthy man to fall for you.” There is something to be said about the condition of the princesses and beauty being used for Disney. I’m pretty sure that all little girls grow up watching most, if not all these Disney movies. And what is Disney teaching these little girls? It enforces heterosexuality, shows what “beauty” should look like, and a maybe even throw in a little racism. Oh Disney, you put these thoughts in my head before I even knew what they meant. No one’s really teaching kids about the spectrum of sexuality, or letting them being sexually free of societies constraints because they’re being looked at very asexually.

Now on to bisexuality. Angelide’s A History of Bisexuality: “…the nature of sexuality is fluid not fixed..the erotic discovery of bisexuality is the fact that it reveals sexuality to be a process of growth, transformation, and surprise, not a stable, knowable state of being…” (page 3). I completely agree with this statement. There have been times where I have questioned my own sexuality (and I know I’m not the only one) thinking that maybe I could be attracted to other girls… but what I never really figured out whether it was attraction, adoration, desire, or something in between. It really brings up the question, where do we draw the line? Perhaps we can’t. The fluidity of sexuality makes it nearly impossible to say which category a person truly falls in to – heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, (don’t forget about asexual!) Even though sexuality is very fluid, society still looks at it as being very rigid. Anything other than the “norm” of being attracted to the opposite sex is looked at as being wrong (except maybe when two girls are looking for some attention at a party). So why is this fluidity so wrong?

There’s this game we play when it comes to finding a sexual partner. I like to call it “the chase” and I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about. Step 1: You meet someone. Step 2: You talk for a little and you find yourself liking this person. Step 3: They don’t seem as interested (playing hard-to-get). Step 4: You desire this person even more now. What is it about trying to “get” someone who isn’t throwing themselves at you? There’s this satisfaction of sexually interacting with someone whom you’ve successfully “chased.”

Stated in “Sexual Desire and Gender,” the sociobiological view of desire is that “humans have an innate, genetically triggered impulse, to pass on their genetic material, through successful reproduction.” Speaking biologically, we are programmed to HAVE desire, to sexually interact, to ensure reproduction. In a social context, Schwartz and Rutter say that “a social conflict theorist would go a step further and note that the enactment of gendered fashion norms serves the political agenda of groups in power (in this case men) at the macro level.” In this sense, I think that women gain satisfaction from the chase because they are enticed by the “power” of men. Whereas in the case of men, I think men feel satisfaction from the chase in a more biological sense; they want the sexual pleasure and in a more innate sense, they want to pass on their genetic material – “reproductive fitness.” Now, I’m not saying that men are more animalistic or inferior to women in this sense, I’m merely stating that perhaps women and men have different reasonings for gaining satisfaction from this chase.

The saying “men inseminate, women incubate” wouldn’t accurately describe the sexual behavior at Emory University. It is known that women get way more attached when sex is involved, but honestly from what I’ve witnessed, girls are hooking up with numerous guys without that need for a relationship. Maybe because its college, or because Emory is different from society, but I think that just as many girls as guys are hooking up with various partners. There’s desire coming from both genders – women aren’t just trying to stick with one partner. Biologically, Schwartz and Rutter explain that women are more likely to get divorced and remarried because they’re looking to create a better child – they’re looking for better genes constantly. And men, men are likely to have many partners because they’re trying to pass on their genes as well.

Sociobiologists also claim that “older men generally pick younger women because they are more fertile; younger women seek older men who have more status, power, and resources because such men can provide for their children” (Sexual Desire and Gender page 278). I find this interesting (and weird) when looking at my parents that are 8 years apart. Where they thinking this when the initial desire kicked in?

So back to the chase… personally, I love the chase. As a competitive person, the challenge is enticing. And “winning,” well, it doesn’t get better then winning.

Once upon a time society associated biological with gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. This is our traditional model of male as man as masculine and attracted to women. However, we all know that this no longer is completely applicable to a society such as ours today – which brings us to the inclusive model. With so many different combinations between sex, identity, expression, and orientation, our generation sees sexuality in a completely new, different light. Sexuality continuously is evolving. Beginning in 1879, “sexuality” first appeared in the dictionary, leading to “heterosexual” and “homosexual” in 1892. From there on, many new types of sexualities were being defined for society.

The change from our traditional model to the inclusive model of defining sexuality has made me realize that sexuality was much more black and white in the past. Right now, we are seeing sexuality evolve in to many different shades of grey. Queer movements are popping up across the nation causing fiery political debates, riots, parades, and so on. What was once unacceptable in society is rising, as is all types of sexuality. I find that the concept of sexuality is becoming more acceptable to younger and younger generations. I think MTV’s “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom” has really shown us this.

Emory in the late 19th certainly had a much more restrictive environment. In “A Brief History” by Gary S. Hauk, “The catalogue of 1891-92 banned students from attending any ball, theatre, horse-race or cock-fight; from using intoxicating drinks; from playing cards; from playing at any game for stakes; from keeping fire-arms or any deadly weapon, a horse, a dog, or a servant; from engaging in anything forbidden by the Faculty; from associating with persons of known bad character; from visiting Covington or other near points beyond the limits of Oxford without permission of some member of the Faculty, and from visiting points more distant without written permission from parents or guardians and the permission of the President of the College; from visiting any place of ill-repute, or at which gaming is practiced, or intoxicating liquors are sold; from engaging in any ‘match game,’ or ‘intercollegiate’ game of football, baseball, whatsoever.” Certainly now, the gentlemen of our fine fraternities are visiting places where intoxicating liquors are sold, and our athletes are engaging in match games of intercollegiate sports. The fact that Emory’s environment has become so much less restrictive, the idea of sexuality at Emory has also become less restrictive. Emory’s LGBT club announces on their current about page that “the mission of the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Life is to engage the university community in the creation of an affirming and just campus environment while supporting the development of students of all gender and sexual identities.” The black-and-white view of sexuality has transformed and developed at Emory to include all those that struggled to fit on the traditional model of sexuality.

Society struggles to accept new types of people, especially when it comes to a different type of sexuality. I think our generation is the new generation of an evolving sense of sexuality. Perhaps, our generation will learn not to accept the traditional model as normal – rather, accept that there are many different kinds of identity and expression, that orientation isn’t necessarily engrained in us.