“To some people, me being sexual is really offensive because I’m gay. They’re like, ‘He’s being really gay.’ And I’m like, actually, ‘No, I’m just being sexual.’ Male sexuality is frightening to America [but] female sexuality is all over the place.”
-Adam Lambert, in Out Magazine
What do you guys think about this statement? Do you agree? Disagree?
I'm Britni, a snarky bitch and generally awesome person. I write about sex, love, and bullshit. If sex-positivity, discussions about BDSM and kink, queer issues, and topics that are completely inappropriate by society's standards make you uncomfortable, then this blog is not for you.
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8 Comments
Haha…and I have a post planned on that…in a different vein. You'll understand next week Tuesday.
I am curious as to what people will say on this post.
Gay men have always been pegged as hyper-sexualized and I think part of that comes from many people’s inability to accept that sexuality is a fluid construct of society.
I think Lambert’s comments are really poignant and I agree that any male sexuality that doesn’t involve hot twins in bikinis is frightening to mainstream America. Just like any female sexuality that doesn’t fit into the idea of male sexuality is as well (I think that was part of Lambert’s point). It really relates to the whole raunch culture thing.
First of all, I don't agree that female sexuality is omnipresent. I would argue that a sterilized, waxed, deodorized female sexuality is omnipresent, one that has been dreamed up by men.
To me, gay men are not seen as more sexual than straight, but as more submissive. They are potential "bottoms". Think about all the "straight" men who get blowjobs from other guys without questioning their identity.
I would argue that hedonism is a scary concept for society in general, be it gay or straight or any flavor.
I had to Google Adam Lambert, since I had no idea who he is….
Anyway, I think he has a point. I think you could find a lot of girl-girl suggestive imagery in the media that hardly stirs anyone up, but god forbid someone tries to use some guy-guy imagery. I'm generalizing, of course, but that's my gut reaction.
My verification word? "thruster" LOL
I don't think that male sexuality is frightening to America, but GAY male sexuality may be. As Alana mentioned, gay men have been seen as hyper-sexualized. I think that's what the people Adam was referring to were talking about when they said, "He's being really gay." So no, I don't agree that male sexuality in general is frightening to America.
To me, gay men are not seen as more sexual than straight, but as more submissive.
Sa, I have to disagree with you on this point. I think gay men are seen as much more sexual than straight men, or at least as more sexually reckless or freer in their expression of their sexuality. And I think that *is* frightening to people, because homosexuality is frightening to people.
You know Britni, after posting my comment, I asked around me what they thought of this question, and all of the people questioned mentioned glory holes, gay bars and AIDS.
So apologies, I think I was wrong!
Like April said, it's GAY male sexuality that's under represented. Straight male sexuality, even down to their girl-on-girl fantasies is dominant in Western culture. Female sexuality, is as present as the men in the L'Oreal boardroom would dream it to be.
Real, authentic female sexuality that comes from a place of truth is not widely publicized, often because it fails to meet the fantasies of the dominant straight male culture.