Sex Is Not a Natural Act and Other Essays (Psychology, Gender, and Theory)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent steps in moving to a new discourse of sexuality.
Review: Leonore Tiefer writes, "what has irritated me most about the mystification surrounding sexuality has been the persistent but peculiar idea that 'sex is natural' - that is, that sex is a simple and universal biological function that, without any training, all humans should experience, enjoy, and perform in roughly the same way." Tiefer points out that just as music, full of passion, thought and rhythm, is more than fingers on a piano, sexuality, produced through human interactions and situations, is more than biology. With analogies such as this, Tiefer puts into context historical views on sexuality in order to explore contemporary sexual attitudes. By toppling the long-standing belief that sexuality is biology, Tiefer hopes to relive the anxiety around sexuality. Her essays, full of humor and on-target pop culture references, help explain many of the assumptions that hinder the struggle for reproductive freedom.