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Welcome to the human sexuality portal
Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied with historical contexts over time, it lacks a precise definition. The biological and physical aspects of sexuality largely concern the human reproductive functions, including the human sexual response cycle.
Someone's sexual orientation is their pattern of sexual interest in the opposite and/or same sex. Physical and emotional aspects of sexuality include bonds between individuals that are expressed through profound feelings or physical manifestations of love, trust, and care. Social aspects deal with the effects of human society on one's sexuality, while spirituality concerns an individual's spiritual connection with others. Sexuality also affects and is affected by cultural, political, legal, philosophical, moral, ethical, and religious aspects of life.
Interest in sexual activity normally increases when an individual reaches puberty. Although no single theory on the cause of sexual orientation has yet gained widespread support, there is considerably more evidence supporting nonsocial causes of sexual orientation than social ones, especially for males. Hypothesized social causes are supported by only weak evidence, distorted by numerous confounding factors. This is further supported by cross-cultural evidence, because cultures that are tolerant of homosexuality do not have significantly higher rates of it.
Evolutionary perspectives on human coupling, reproduction and reproduction strategies, and social learning theory provide further views of sexuality. Sociocultural aspects of sexuality include historical developments and religious beliefs. Some cultures have been described as sexually repressive. The study of sexuality also includes human identity within social groups, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and birth control methods. (Full article...)
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Estimates vary as to how many women were involved, with most historians settling somewhere in the range of 50,000–200,000; the exact numbers are still being researched and debated. (Full article...) (Full article...)
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Did you know
![The Washington Court Building in Seattle, former site of Lou Graham's brothel.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/Washington_Court_Bldg.jpg/70px-Washington_Court_Bldg.jpg)
![Monument to Mother Featherlegs near Lusk, Wyoming](https://cdn.statically.io/img/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Mother_Featherlegs.jpg/100px-Mother_Featherlegs.jpg)
- ... that loans made by Seattle brothel-owner Lou Graham saved some of the city's most prestigious families from bankruptcy after the Panic of 1893? (former brothel pictured)
- ... that Monica Coghlan, at the center of the scandal surrounding Lord Jeffrey Archer, was killed in an unrelated car crash a month before the start of the trial that would convict him of perjury and vindicate her?
- ... the Śukasaptati, written originally in Sanskrit, is a collection of seventy erotic tales narrated by a parrot to prevent its mistress from committing adultery while her husband is away from home?
- ... that the fictional Document 12-571-3570 was a hoax that purported to describe sex experiments done in space?
- ... that anti-gay protests following the selection of the song Samo Ljubezen by drag-group Sestre (pictured) in the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest led to criticism of Slovenia in the European Parliament?
- ... that the monument (pictured) to Mother Featherlegs near Lusk, Wyoming has been called the only monument to a prostitute in the United States?
- ... that studies on whether nice guys finish last have been hindered by the social desirability bias?
- ... that American novelist Tracy Quan once served as spokeswoman to the sex worker advocacy group Prostitutes of New York?
July-December 2006
Human sexuality in the news
- 4 July 2024 –
- French film director Benoît Jacquot is charged with the rapes of actresses Julia Roy and Isild Le Besco between 1998 and 2000, and "rape, sexual assault and violence" committed between 2013 and 2018. (AP) (Le Monde)
- 1 July 2024 –
- A Nepali court sentences Ram Bahadur Bomjon a man who thousands believed was a reincarnation of the Buddha to 10 years in jail for child sexual abuse. (CNN)
- 28 June 2024 –
- Thousands of Japanese people protest at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo over multiple alleged sexual assault cases involving U.S. service members against Japanese people on Okinawa Island. (Al Jazeera)
- 26 June 2024 –
- France's government orders the dissolution of several far-right and radical Muslim groups prior to the upcoming legislative election due to their violence, discrimination, and hate speech toward different races, women, and LGBTQ+ people. (AP)
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