Sexology Research Articles

Genders, Sexualities and Cities: Global Contexts and Local Possibilities

This article is primarily a review of international research-based literatures that explore the three areas of genders, sexualities and cities and the intersections between them. Its purpose is to explore the ways in which diverse literatures bring gender and sexuality studies to the city, and city studies to exploration of genders and sexualities. The article intends to locate this special issue, informing those interested in widening the field, and generating new questions for conceptualisation, research and writing in the coming decades. It draws cautiously on global conceptualisation of the issues, then sets out a variety of approaches including feminist, gay, queer and related perspectives. It moves on to the ways in which gender and sexualities research might contribute to “better cities”. The article also outlines contributions to this special issue of the journal on “Genders, sexualities and place: (Re)Imagining and (re)making urban spaces”, relating them to themes in global literature.

Special Issue Introduction: Research Presented at the 49th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Sex Research Forum, October 12–14, 2022

Special Issue Introduction: Research Presented at the 49th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Sex Research Forum, October 12–14, 2022

“It’s a lot more like family Sunday dinner than people think”: Community, pleasure, and other motivations for group sex

Group sex (i.e., sex involving four or more simultaneous partners) is a prevalent but stigmatized sexual behaviour. People assume that group sex centers around self-focused pleasure/physical gratification and that accordingly, this must be the primary motivation people have for engaging in group sex. Yet emerging research on group sex, as well as broader sexuality research and theory, suggests that group sex motivations are multifaceted and, for many, tied to community and belonging. In the present study, we focus on people’s reasons for engaging in group sex. We recruited twenty participants of diverse genders, sexual identities/orientations, ages (≥18 years), abilities, and group sex communities for individual interviews in southwestern British Columbia. We found that participants had engaged in group sex for a plurality of reasons, including their desire for novelty, sexual exploration, spirituality, and their upbringing. Importantly, many were motivated to have group sex by their belonging and acceptance in communities of like-minded individuals that embraced sex-positive principles and values. Pleasure was also an important motivator and was described in multifaceted ways and was intertwined with sexual empowerment, emotional vulnerability, and feelings of connection and intimacy. These findings shed light on an understudied aspect of group sex – that is, why people have it – and challenge the assumption that group sex is entirely motivated by self-focused desire for physical pleasure/gratification. Instead, they highlight how group sex motivation can be multifaceted and community focused.

Silence, Shame, and Disrupting Heteronormative Ethics in Sexualities Research: Autoethnographic Reflections of a Queer Researcher

ABSTRACT This autoethnography is a layered and strange account that explores the “tacit norm of silence” around sexual dynamics between researchers and participants in the field. Such situations go against the dichotomous ethical standards within sociology about the relationship between researchers and participants, which resulted in feelings of shame, guilt, and anxiety both professionally and within the author’s personal life. These standards of ethics, and the resulting feelings when boundaries are crossed, serve as a disciplinary mechanism that promotes epistemic injustice regarding how queer scholars produce and disseminate knowledge within the academy. However, in confronting these feelings and challenging the stigma and silence around this topic, the author seeks to disrupt the normative ethical standards of research that marginalize queer researchers and maintain this heteronormative bias and the resulting epistemic injustice. Lastly, by remaining complicit toward this tacit norm of silence, sociologists do a disservice to students and future researchers by not preparing them to confront similar dilemmas and feelings while conducting research.

Measuring sexual self-concept: a methodological review

ABSTRACT Sexual self-concept (SSC) is a person’s perception of themself as a sexual being. SSC is a key construct in understanding people’s sexuality. However, the extent to which sexuality researchers consistently define, measure, and evaluate SSC is unknown. In this review, we determine the common elements of researchers’ conceptual definitions of SSC (RQ1), describe how researchers measure SSC (RQ2), examine the structural (RQ3) and external (RQ4) validity of these measures, and (highlight who is represented in the creation of SSC measures (RQ5). We conducted a comprehensive review of 67 peer-reviewed SSC studies identified through a systematic search of five databases. We extracted data using Loevinger’s (1957) three phases of construct validation: substantive, structural, and external. Our results highlight current limitations in SSC construct validity. Of the 67 studies, 50 provided a conceptual SSC definition, including 14 unique definitions. Additionally, there were 32 unique measures of SSC, providing 34 distinct subscales. White (38.3%), female (47.8%), and North American (47.8%) participants were mostly represented in the research; sexual minoritized people’s perceptions were underrepresented. We discuss the importance of having consistent theory-driven definitions of SSC. Moreover, researchers must consider how different groups of people uniquely understand and construct their SSCs to improve knowledge.

Genders, Sexualities and Cities: A Review of South African Literatures

Well-developed bodies of literature—of course with major lacunae as well as strengths—exist in relation to two areas of research and thought relevant to the emergence of better cities in the tortured territory and society of South Africa. The more personal scale deals with genders and sexualities and is energetic, young, globally linked and relatively open. At city scale, extensive literatures are voluminous though sometimes tied to global urban conceptual traditions, although there are many creative and original contributions too. From the perspective of intersections between the person and the city, what is lacking is more substantial work which brings questions common in genders and sexualities literatures to city scale enquiry, and some of the techniques of city enquiry into genders and sexualities research more broadly. There exists, however, a variety of types of work which consciously (sometimes otherwise) brings gender and sexuality studies to the city, and, in turn, brings city studies to exploration of genders and sexualities. The modest purpose of this intervention is to survey such literatures and to generate new questions for conceptualisation, research and writing. The intention is to aid new entrants to the field of genders, sexualities and cities to add creatively and substantially to scholarship.

Gender and sexuality in African discourses

This issue examines the role of language and/or cultural expression in discourses around gender and sexuality. We explore the expressions used to describe people in relation to their gender and sexual configurations and practices. The contributions are from scholars writing from West and Eastern African perspectives, and the findings are useful for ongoing discourse and for informing policy direction. We first present an introduction to this issue, where we highlight the problematic areas of gender and sexuality research in Africa and the aim of the study, taking into consideration how spaces in language expressions make us gendered and sexual beings. We also discuss some historical research trajectories in African sexuality, followed by some future prospects. We conclude with a brief overview of each of the papers in the issue.

No respect: sex research as sex work

ABSTRACT In this scholarly conversation, Dr Rebecca Sullivan and Dr Valerie Webber share their experiences in sex work and how it has informed their research in their different areas of sexuality studies. Dr Webber, who has worked as both a porn and cam performer, is a postdoctoral scholar at Dalhousie University’s Sexual Health and Gender (SHaG) Research Lab. Dr Sullivan, a professor in the Department of English at University of Calgary, had a brief stint as a phone sex operator during her undergraduate studies. Together, they reflect on the similarities between sex labour and academic labour, from precarity to gig economies. Their research has deepened their understanding of stigma and emphasized the importance of allied scholarship in order to imagine new research frameworks for porn studies that foreground sexual health and rights for vulnerable communities.

Autistic Traits of People Who Engage in Pup Play: Occurrence, Characteristics and Social Connections

ABSTRACT Pup play is a kink or BDSM activity and subculture that provides opportunities for social and sexual play and exploration. While growing scholarly attention has focused on the diverse dynamics of pup play cultures, and reasons for participation within them, no research has considered how pup play may be attractive for neurodivergent people. This study sample consisted of 413 pup play practitioners from an international internet survey to examine the occurrence of autistic traits and explore characteristics and social connections of people with autistic traits who engage in pup play. Autistic traits were assessed using the Autism-Spectrum Quotient-Short Form (AQ-S), with 1 in 2 participants reporting a score that is indicative of an autism diagnosis, substantially higher than the prevalence of autism in the general population (1 in 44). Using linear and multinomial regression analyses, we found that people with high autistic traits preferred non-flexible roles in pup play, had lower identity resilience, and more restricted sociosexuality. People with high autistic traits were also less likely to belong to pup play social communities or to closer-knit family/pack units despite wishing to and were also less likely to have a strong identification with pup play communities than people with low AQ-S scores. While these findings need to be treated as preliminary based on methodological and sample limitations, this research demonstrates the importance of considering intersections between autistic traits and sexual subcultures and provides evidence that sexuality research would be enhanced by a more inclusive approach to considering neurodivergence more broadly.

What's Next for Modernizing Gender, Sex, and Sexual Orientation Terminology in Digital Health Systems? Viewpoint on Research and Implementation Priorities.

In 2021, Canada Health Infoway and the University of Victoria's Gender, Sex, and Sexual Orientation Research Team hosted a series of discussions to successfully and safely modernize gender, sex, and sexual orientation information practices within digital health systems. Five main topic areas were covered: (1) terminology standards; (2) digital health and electronic health record functions; (3) policy and practice implications; (4) primary care settings; and (5) acute and tertiary care settings. In this viewpoint paper, we provide priorities for future research and implementation projects and recommendations that emerged from these discussions.

So You Want to Run a Sexuality Research Lab: Ethical Issues and Recommendations

So You Want to Run a Sexuality Research Lab: Ethical Issues and Recommendations

Buffering masculinity’s impact on binge drinking: the femininity effect

Background Across most developmental periods, males tend to drink at a higher frequency and at a higher intensity than females. In identifying the mechanism responsible for these differences, biological factors have been a prevalent focus; however, gender expression is also highlighted. The purpose of this paper is to decipher how differences in binge drinking are attributed to sex differences and gendered traits. Method Using data from Wave III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (ADD Health) (n = 8,882), we conducted a multiple group moderation analysis to examine how differences in biological sex and gender roles in emerging adulthood predicted binge drinking. Results We found that binge drinking in emerging adulthood was most strongly predicted by high levels of masculinity and low levels of femininity in emerging adulthood. As masculinity decreased, alcohol use decreased. Femininity significantly moderated masculinity’s association with binge drinking, primarily when masculinity was high, and this did not vary across sex after controlling for gender roles. Conclusions Our findings expand sex and gender research surrounding alcohol use. For both males and females, the higher the masculinity the more frequent alcohol use, an effect of which was buffered by higher levels of femininity. Clinicians should take into consideration gender role ascription of their clients when determining the risk profile during assessment.

Adolescent Religiosity and pre-marital sexual behavior: The mediating role of pre-marital sexual attitude

Pre-marital sex before marriage in adolescents is a severe problem associated with increased transmission of sexually transmitted diseases, having more than one partner, and early pregnancy. Even though Indonesia is considered a society with high religious values, free-sex behavior is considered increasingly concerning. This study investigates the relationship between religiosity and attitudes toward pre-marital sexual behavior with pre-marital sexual behavior in adolescents. Respondents of this study were 200 adolescents aged 10-19 years old, selected through a purposive sampling technique, with criteria: have religion, not married, and currently dating. Data were analyzed using a linear regression method. The results showed that pre-marital sexual attitude fully mediates the effect between religiosity and pre-marital sexual behavior. The present study findings contribute to pre-marital sexual research by explaining that religiosity does not decrease pre-marital sexual behavior if the person is permissive or has a supportive attitude towards it. With this outcome, it is expected that the relevant parties will focus more on changing adolescents’ thoughts, attitudes, and perspectives regarding pre-marital sexual behavior and not only rely on religious teachings as the only framework for preventing pre-marital sexual behavior

A genderful research world: rapid review, design, and pilot study of an interactive platform for curated sex and gender health research resources

BackgroundIntegration of sex and gender into health research is best practice for designing and conducting equitable, rigorous scientific research. Many evidence-based resources exist to support researchers in this endeavour, but such resources often remain underutilized as they are difficult to find, are not publicly accessible, or are specific to a particular research phase, context, or population. The development and evaluation of a repository of resources was deemed important to create an accessible platform for promoting sex- and gender-integration in health research.MethodsA rapid review was conducted of critical resources for conducting sex and gender health research. These were integrated into a prototype website design (the Genderful Research World; GRW) that provided an interactive digital landscape for researchers to access these resources. A pilot study evaluated the GRW website for applicability, desirability, and usability with an international sample of 31 health researchers from various disciplines and career stages. Quantitative data from the pilot study was summarized with descriptive statistics. Qualitative data was summarized narratively and used to identify concrete elements for improvement in a second design iteration.ResultsResults of the pilot study revealed that the GRW was considered user friendly and desirable by health researchers and helped them access relevant information. Feedback suggested that providing these resources in a playful way may enhance the experience of the user, particularly given the high ‘desirability’ scores and that users emphasized the interactive layout as being key to their intention to integrate it into their teaching endeavors. Key feedback from the pilot study (e.g., addition of resources specific to research with transgender populations, revision of website layout) was integrated into the current version of the website: www.genderfulresearchworld.com.ConclusionsThe present research suggests a utility for a repository of resources for integrating sex and gender considerations into research, and that providing a logical, intuitive means of cataloguing and navigating such resources is critical for usability. The results of this study may inform the development of other novel researcher-directed resource curation efforts to address health equity issues and encourage and support health researchers to integrate a sex and gender perspective in their work.

Are we moving the dial? Canadian health research funding trends for women’s health, 2S/LGBTQ + health, sex, or gender considerations

BackgroundSex and gender impacts health outcomes and disease risk throughout life. The health of women and members of the Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning (2S/LGBTQ +) community is often compromised as they experience delays in diagnosis. Distinct knowledge gaps in the health of these populations have prompted funding agencies to mandate incorporation of sex and gender into research. Sex- and gender-informed research perspectives and methodology increases rigor, promotes discovery, and expands the relevance of health research. Thus, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) implemented a sex and gender-based analysis (SGBA) framework recommending the inclusion of SGBA in project proposals in 2010 and then mandating the incorporation of SGBA into grant proposals in 2019. To examine whether this mandate resulted in increased mention of sex or gender in funded research abstracts, we searched the publicly available database of grant abstracts funded by CIHR to analyze the percentage of abstracts that mentioned sex or gender of the population to be studied in the funded research. To better understand broader health equity issues we also examined whether the funded grant abstracts mentioned either female-specific health research or research within the 2S/LGBTQ + community.ResultsWe categorized a total of 8,964 Project and Operating grant abstracts awarded from 2009 to 2020 based on their study of female-specific or a 2S/LGBTQ + populations or their mention of sex or gender. Overall, under 3% of grant abstracts funded by CIHR explicitly mentioned sex and/or gender, as 1.94% of grant abstracts mentioned sex, and 0.66% mentioned gender. As one of the goals of SGBA is to inform on health equity and understudied populations with respect to SGBA, we also found that 5.92% of grant abstracts mentioned female-specific outcomes, and 0.35% of grant abstracts focused on the 2S/LGBTQ + community.ConclusionsAlthough there was an increased number of funded grants with abstracts that mentioned sex and 2S/LGBTQ + health across time, these increases were less than 2% between 2009 and 2020. The percentage of funded grants with abstracts mentioning female-specific health or gender differences did not change significantly over time. The percentage of funding dollars allocated to grants in which the abstracts mentioned sex or gender also did not change substantially from 2009 to 2020, with grant abstracts mentioning sex or female-specific research increasing by 1.26% and 3.47%, respectively, funding allocated to research mentioning gender decreasing by 0.49% and no change for 2S/LGBTQ +-specific health. Our findings suggest more work needs to be done to ensure the public can evaluate what populations will be examined with the funded research with respect to sex and gender to advance awareness and health equity in research.

Sexual Pleasure Matters – and How to Define and Assess It Too. A Conceptual Framework of Sexual Pleasure and the Sexual Response

Objective Sexual pleasure is central to current understandings of sexual function, health, and wellbeing. In this article, we suggest that we lack a sufficiently specific, yet encompassing, definition of sexual pleasure and that we therefore lack comprehensive assessments of sexual pleasure. We introduce a definition of sexual pleasure and position it centrally in an adapted framework of the sexual response. In the framework, we include a taxonomy of rewards which can be retrieved from sex and thereby aim to capture the multifaceted nature of sexual pleasure. Methods/Results Through narrative review, we arrive at the definition, framework, and taxonomy by integrating theories of sexual motivation and response with the literature on sexual pleasure and basic rewards. We position this literature within theories of affect and personality which allows us to differentiate between the experience of and the tendency to experience sexual pleasure (i.e., state versus trait sexual pleasure). We discuss how this conceptualization of sexual pleasure could be reflected in self-report assessments to quantitatively assess sexual pleasure. Conclusions The framework may aid to understand the role of the diverse facets of sexual pleasure in sexual function, health, and wellbeing and contribute to giving sexual pleasure the center position it deserves in sex research and therapy.

Sexual identity data collection and access in UK population-based studies

Sexual identity data collection and access in UK population-based studies

(095) The Elicitors of Intimacy: A Behavioral Checklist

Abstract Introduction Intimacy is crucial for developing successful relationships as it strengthens bonds between partners. Intimacy has been ill-defined and inconsistently measured for decades; however, theorists and researchers consistently agree that intimacy features components of love, affection, self-disclosure, and mutual validation. These constructs feature both cognitive and behavioral aspects of human connection. Despite the importance of intimacy in relationships, there is no widely accepted measure that captures the full spectrum of this multidimensional construct. Popular measures like the Miller Social Intimacy Scale (MSIS), the Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships (PAIR), and the Fear of Intimacy Scale (FIS) each address assess subjective feelings of intimacy. Though they may include behavioral items, the outcome of the scale is cognitive conceptualizations of feelings of intimacy. Extant scales do not sufficiently focus on the behavioral aspect of intimacy in relationships. The widely-accepted Interpersonal Process Model of Intimacy suggests that the exchange of intimate behaviors and experiences over time create these feelings of intimacy and its theorized components in a couple. As such, the development of a more inclusive, behavioral intimacy assessment would benefit both researchers and clinicians and help advance our understanding of this construct. Objective The current study aimed to identify specific acts or behaviors that elicited feelings of intimacy for individuals in order to develop a more nuanced, behavioral measure for use in future research and clinical practice. Methods In Study 1, 297 participants nominated over 2,700 items that “elicited feelings of intimacy” for them. Examples of nominations included: trust, communication, touch, attraction, and sex. Trained raters condensed duplicate items (e.g., kiss, kissing) and created a final list of unique nominations for use in Study 2. Five experts in the field of sex research submitted additional items for consideration in Study 2 based on previous conceptualizations of this construct. This process results in 45 distinct items; however, some of the items were behaviors like “sex, acts of service, and attention.” As such, the authors created items for self and partner initiated acts to reflect both the giving and receiving of intimate behaviors (e.g. giving and receiving acts of service). 105 items were compiled from Study 1 and Study 2. Results These 105 behavioral elicitors of intimacy comprise the Intimacy Checklist. In Study 2, 301 participants rated and confirmed that the items created in Study 1 were important to intimacy in varying degrees. Study 2 attempted but failed to identify a significant factor structure for the items. Conclusions The lack of a clear factor structure speaks to the complexity of this multidimensional construct; this is actually consistent with previous literature as there are numerous studies that suggest different factor structures of the same construct (i.e., 4 factor versus 8 factor models). The resulting Intimacy Checklist is a potentially powerful tool for identifying person-specific experiences of intimacy and preferences for intimate interactions in both clinical work and research. A follow up study will be conducted to determine if individuals who feel more satisfied with their intimate interactions are more sexually and relationally satisfied overall. Disclosure No

Researchers With Benefits? Methodological and Ethical Challenges and Possibilities in Sexuality Research Within Marginalised Populations

While the qualitative research interview can be a relevant and effective method, it can also be highly demanding for both the researcher and the participant. In this paper we analyse the methodological and ethical challenges that can arise for sexuality researchers who conduct interviews with members of marginalised communities. We thereby aim to open a discussion and contribute with knowledge that we ourselves missed as doctoral students – and still do as researchers – and which we therefore hope can be used in education as well as in continuous reflexive discussions among scholars conducting sexuality research in general – and in particular with individuals belonging to marginalised populations. We revisited our separate previous studies and made a joint re-analysis of our interview processes in three different projects conducted in Sweden between 2011 and 2021. Participants in the three studies were people with disability/chronic illness, transgender and non-binary gendered people and incarcerated young people in secure state care. We argue that the qualitative research interview can be seen and used by interviewees as an opportunity for advice and emotional support and that the methodology can bring added therapeutic value to participants whose sexual health needs have been previously ignored or denied. The researcher should therefore be prepared to share whatever sexuality-related knowledge or support the interviewee seeks – anything else would be unethical. Essentially, this concerns the very fundamental reason why we are doing research in the first place: to contribute to new knowledge on sexuality and thereby greater possibilities for the realisation of the sexual health and rights of persons belonging to marginalised communities – but without this happening in a way that jeopardises interviewees’ well-being. We therefore suggest that qualitative interviewing on sexuality requires systematic preparative work with reflexivity on how to balance research ethics, professional conduct and academic rigour.

(059) Surrogate Treatment- A Case Study of 151 male clients and surrogacy coaching.

Abstract Introduction Surrogate Treatment: A retrospective case-based study of 151 male clients obtained from the archives of three professional surrogate coaches. Surrogate Treatment is also known as Sex Surrogate therapy/Partner Therapy was created in the 1960s by the Medical and Sex Research team of Dr. William Masters and Virginia Johnson. It is significant in aiding clients to improve their social and sexual problems, as well as remedy diagnosed disorders. This research identifies social and sexual barriers which inhibit clients from experiencing healthy relationships and the feeling of sexual well-being. To overcome these barriers, the surrogate treatment enables the client to experience medical, psychological, social, and sexual healing. It is a treatment that combines the integration of physical and mental health. This research defines and examines the surrogate treatment, surrogate coaches, and the clients that participate in this treatment. It also demonstrates the medical and mental health role in Masters & Johnson’s “Triadic model”. The triad consists of body practitioners, therapists, and the patient/client. Inside this examination will include a description of sensate focus body-focused techniques that are the center of M&J’s surrogate treatment. Objective The purpose of this study is two-fold: 1) to evaluate the degree of success in the correction of the client's stated physical and mental problem and 2) the clinical and mental/sexual resolution of their diagnosed social and/or sexual disorder. Methods The result of this analysis is presented quantitatively in tables and qualitatively reported in a narrative-expository form. A number of themes emerged based upon the verbal interviews, with the three professional surrogate coaches as well as the data recorded during the medical and psychological clients' history-taking process. These are representational descriptions of the stated problem as self-defined by the clients and/or the referring physician. These themes are categorized as follows: 1) fear of women, 2) lack of social and sexual confidence and experience, 3) shyness and anxiety around social and sexual situations, 4) inability to develop intimate relationships, 5) lack of social and sexual education, 6) inability to perform sexually, 7) emotional and mental pain of childhood abuse and 8) lack of sexual desire. Results The implications of this study are that socioeconomics, education, age, religious backgrounds or sexual practices do not limit the success of the sensate focus and socialization techniques in surrogate treatment. Conclusions The statistical data demonstrates that clients who complete sensate focus exercises, as well as other body-focused or somatic practices also achieve resolution of their diagnosed disorder. Disclosure No