The Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS) began its third consecutive year of Beyond Disciplines, a lecture series that works to explore cross-disciplinary issues, demonstrating the ways in which varying disciplines tackle and relate to intriguing topics of discussion. This time around, I had the pleasure to attend “Let’s Talk About Sex.” Let’s just say, between me and you, I was really excited. I have always wanted to attend some sort of conference that openly and unapologetically discussed sex. Having always been open about that topic, I jumped at the chance to hear the lecture.
With six guest speakers and experts in their field, the lecture focused on sexuality and gender and its association with separate and distinct disciplinary areas. Those who attended the event, including myself, were introduced to the topic of sexuality and gender in relation to masculinity, parental advocacy, religion, Irishmen, and neuroscience.
I was definitely surprised, to say the least. I didn’t expect the, somewhat sensitive, topic of sex to take on such a different meaning in different contexts. To give you a little idea of what was discussed, I’ll provide you with a little overview. Sit back and let your mind ruminate on all that is sex.
First up, there was Marc Lafrance, who is a member of the Sociology and Anthropology faculty. Lafrance’s presentation considered the crisis of heterosexual masculinity, and its constant state of change. Kimberley Manning, on the other hand, belonging to the Simone de Beauvoir Institute, discussed parental advocacy for transgender youths. Manning’s concerns relied on an individual’s right to self-determination.
Next, Jane McGaughey, from the School of Irish Studies, introduced the overwhelming issue of gendered and sexualised images and ideas commonly associated with Irishmen. Leslie Orr, from Religions and Cultures, outlined the history of sexualisation that has been noted to accompany Orientalism. Gregorio Pablo Rodriguez-Arbolay Jr., relating the topic of sexuality and gender to Art History, dedicated his presentation to race and sexuality, and interestingly made special references to its connection to and influence on the plight against AIDS.
The last guest speaker was Gonzalo Quintana Zunino, who works with psychology and the Centre for Behavioural Neurobiology. Zunino’s presentation and focus was on the sexual phenomenon known as the orgasm. That’s right. I was eager to hear him out (…more than eager). Zunino has been directing his research on the male and female tendency of, desire to, and interest in achieving climax. More importantly, his aim was to demonstrate the importance of the orgasm, while simultaneously taking into account the growing gap between male and female sexual achievement. As most of us already know, it has been found that men are more likely to climax during sex than women are.
All of this information hit me like a ton of bricks. Here I was, expecting to limitedly talk about the act of sex. I figured people would share personal experiences, maybe delve into certain misconceptions, common problems, and other issues along those lines. Instead, and this is in a totally good way, I was educated on sexuality and gender.
Overall, “Let’s Talk About Sex” made me really want to talk about sex. It was the perfect combination of fun and education. I was temporarily given the opportunity to get my mind out of the gutter, and consider sex outside its black and white binary.