Historically sexual health and identity have been and still remain taboo topics for the majority of people in society. Despite all the detachment from the topic all along, it affected different spheres of a person’s life. Reproductive health and sexuality will always be the inevitable part of humanity, whether it is widely discussed or mostly ignored by the masses. Several social institutions are impacted the most by the issue of sexual health, and some of them are family, healthcare, and education. However, to better understand the influence and interconnection of the subject and social problems, it is helpful to analyze the phenomena through the history lens. Thus, the paper’s main goal is to identify the impact of the problem on social issues and get a deeper understanding of it through the historical lens.
It seems that it most affects familial and healthcare institutions because of the stigma, stereotypes, and prejudices in society. For instance, medical workers can avoid conversations with the patients about the core points of sexual health and instead use fear as a prevention method. The study confirmed that the lack of history-based knowledge results in the lack of safety and neglect of contraception (Castellanos-Usigli & Braeken-van Schaik, 2019). As a result, appear adolescent pregnancy and the spread of venereal diseases.
The history lens may give a deeper understanding through reviewing the LGBTQ representatives’ position in society regarding sexual health and orientation. The minorities, such as representatives of the LGBTQ community and transgender people, experienced a massive deficit of quality medical assistance (Capriotti & Donaldson, 2022). They were not recognized by society and could hardly get any help, so rarely did some of them have an opportunity to get the treatment (Castellanos-Usigli & Braeken-van Schaik, 2019). Therefore, it impacted the spread of venereal diseases and healthcare in general because historically, they could not access medical assistance.
A similar situation happens with sexuality since many individuals do not feel safe opening up to their surroundings and even the closest family members about their self-identity. Due to the conservatism of some parents and the lack of support towards gay children, the traditional family values do not seem much appealing anymore to the minorities. They create their own vision of classical social institutions and redo them so that it would be possible to adjust already existing norms to the new, constantly changing reality.
In conclusion, the historical perspective on sexual health and identity identified the two central social institutions influenced by this subject: familial and healthcare institutions. The stigma around this topic contributes to the ignorance and lack of proper education, which eventually leads to negative health outcomes. Adolescents and sexual minorities are the most vulnerable groups because of the little awareness and open conversations about sexual health and systematic discrimination.
Art and mass media are some of the most influential and powerful ways of bringing certain ideas to the masses. The same method applies to sexual health and identity. Nowadays, there are many feature films and literature with the representation of sexual minorities, the importance of protection, or the consequences of neglecting the safety methods. For those who do not have a visible example of same-sex relationships or an image of the person with self-identity struggles, art became the answer to their questions. Therefore, the paper aims to identify how the issue is portrayed in society, what message it brings, and how it interacts with my personal life through the humanities lens.
The humanities lens allows us to learn a lot more about the social attitude towards specific topics and identify their perception of the issue. Sexual health, for instance, becomes a less stigmatized topic for the unrepresented parties of the society that see and learn about it through art expressions and mass media. The rise of social media lets individuals and, specifically, adolescents more information regarding the subject of sex. While many parents may still avoid the inconvenient conversation with their children about intimate relationships and their sexual identity, mass media serves as a substitute for this.
Modern culture develops more examples and representations of sex education and health by writing about it on blogs, talking on the shows, making podcasts, and focusing on it on online series. The internet sources gradually eliminate the stigma around the subject and bring awareness to the audience about different scenarios and situations regarding sexual interactions and identities (McInroy et al., 2021). Specifically, there seems to be a growing tendency of the more realistic adolescents’ television shows and series which raise the issue of sexual health and identity. With the help of examples from the movies, young people can align the characters and the problems with themselves and issues they struggle with on a daily basis (Philbin et al., 2021). As a result, some noticeably positive changes start to appear in the representation of this topic among society. For instance, in the bookstores and libraries in the children’s section, illustrated books about reproductive health and sexuality were explained in simple language so that the younger audience could understand.
In addition, my personal experience resonates with the findings from the research and depicts the tendencies that exist in society regarding the topic. Apparently, more people from my surroundings get a more precise understanding of their sexual identity and can more clearly explain it to themselves in the first place. Some subjects regarding asexuality or gender brought awareness to the people and allowed to decrease the amount the confusion while gaining the necessary knowledge that has been missing. Moreover, sexual health became a subject that we can freely discuss in interpersonal conversations with friends and colleagues while sharing opinions without feeling shame or discomfort.
Overall, the humanities’ outtake on the issue of sexual health and identity demonstrates its representation through the art forms such as movies, television series, and literature. People can see some aspects of the issue that they might not face in real life or be unfamiliar with some sides of it. It also affected the communication style in my personal and professional circles in a way that people became more certain of their self-identity and less afraid of speaking about the crucial issues regarding sexuality and health.
References
Castellanos-Usigli, A., & Braeken-van Schaik, D. (2019). The Pleasuremeter: exploring the links between sexual health, sexual rights, and sexual pleasure in sexual history-taking, SRHR counseling, and education. Sexual and reproductive health matters, 27(1), 313-315. WEb.
Capriotti, M. R., & Donaldson, J. M. (2022). “Why don’t behavior analysts do something?” 1 Behavior analysts’ historical, present, and potential future actions on sexual and gender minority issues. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 55(1), 19-39.
McInroy, L. B., Beaujolais, B., Craig, S. L., & Eaton, A. D. (2021). The Self-Identification, LGBTQ+ Identity Development, and Attraction and Behavior of Asexual Youth: Potential Implications for Sexual Health and Internet-Based Service Provision. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 50(8), 3853-3863.
Philbin, M. M., Wang, X., Feaster, D. J., LaBossier, N. J., & Phillips II, G. (2021). LGB-Affirming School Climates and Sexual Health Outcomes Among US High School Students 2015–2017: Differences by Sex and Sexual Identity. Journal of Adolescent Health, 68(6), 1121-1128.