Sexual Literacy Review Essay

Sexual Literacy Review Essay

Sexual orientation has continuously been a hot topic, given we tend to define one’s sex based on their gender. The indifference in gender identity has largely been the defining factor in sexual orientation. Sexual orientation, however, lies within a person’s romantic, sexual and emotional attraction and sense of identity to those they are attracted to As such people find themselves being attracted to the opposite sex, to members of the same sex or being bisexual meaning they are attracted to members of both genders. Simon Levy’s book, Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why, closely discusses the biological understanding to sexual orientation. An analysis of Levy’s work further asserts the origins and the main reasons for sexual orientation indifference. The book further calls to question gender identity by giving a plausible sense of continuity and consciousness to our sexual nature.

Levy’s work offers an in-depth analysis of sexual orientation through various theories. In particular, the Prenatal Neurohormonal Theory is closely discussed as one of the attributing factors to homosexuality and heterosexuality. It is through such analysis that the book is able to discuss sex and reproduction, which are often omitted in the understanding of sexual attraction to a particular gender. The book is able to show that sexual orientation is tied to sex hormones as well as the overall state and development of the brain. The basic theory asserts that the brain is organized sexually in intensely and prenatally hormones such as testosterone. It goes on to show that the human brain’s organization does not change up until puberty. In this perspective, Levy shows that children largely have a gendered brain to which gender is mainly invisible, with sexual orientation traits developing at the puberty level due to the different hormonal changes that take place during this stage. Proponents of this theory, in part, discuss the prenatal link to homosexuality and heterosexuality.

As explained within LeVay’s work, gender indifference can be seen right from birth even though it is activated at puberty. The gender indifference, even though well documented from birth tends, offers part of the answer to sex orientation with Levy showing brain structure and hormonal influences to be the major attributing factors to sexual orientation. The postnatal influence is seldom rejected with semiquantitative assessment showing genetic, psychological, and social influences to be the contributing factors to one being gay or straight. The book further explores the innate nature of the brain to which, LeVay claims the homosexual male brain is more feminine than normal. He shows research pointing to this with close analysis been drawn from the works of authors such as Byne et al. (2001) showing support to the claim (LeVay, 2016). Even though there is no statistical evidence to confirm the notion, the presented work shows there is a trend to the claim, even in animals such as sheep.

The parallel relation with animals in relation to sexual orientation is explained in relation to sex dimorphism. This brings about plasticity in the brain to which sex and gender are tied to the brain structure and neural networks, which are, in turn, tied to individual sexual behavior. LeVay endorses and can be seen in the comments, “brain organization cannot be genetically specified in precise detail (p. 60).” This goes on to show that social influence becomes a predominant factor in sexual orientation with brain connections and reactions being influenced by the reactions in our environment. However, at adulthood, the human brain is highly gendered, with the indifference in sed orientation being a result of sexual experiences, maternal and perianal interactions. However, LeVay also notes that the idea that children’s brains have no gender support to implausible by citing some of the rare differences to support this, such as how girls pay more attention to faces while boys pay more attention to particular things. Even to this statistical difference, there still lies a lot more overlaps of gender and sexual orientation.

The book also presents research in relation to the brain and how our brains are the driving force to sexual development and the hormonal changes that influence our sexual preferences. As LeVay notes, our current knowledge of sex neurobiology has been outgrown by the simplistic nature of our brains. Multiple research work has contributed as well as asserted this with the brain’s growth and pruning cycles being the defining stages in the development of the brain. The human brain changes biochemically and in a sexually dimorphic way due to hormonal and environmental changes and largely occurs at birth and again during the age of twenty and less during the puberty stage. It is at this time that an individual finds sexually matures, and the underlying factors in the environment and their growth can be the influence on their sexual preference and orientation.

Social influences offer an inadequate answer to sexual orientation to which the book tries and explore biological theories that can offer a more definite answer. At large, LeVay explores three influences; learning the first sex act, psychoanalytic ideas, and gender learning as the lead attributes of understanding the biological aspects to gender orientation. Even though the book shows the existence and influence of sociological factors, the idea is largely attacked within the latter chapter of the book, with LeVay been seen to consider prenatal factors to be more impactful than others when it comes to sexual orientation. However, postnatal factors also play an equal role with some such as sexual abuse being found to be impactful to one’s sexual nature with some of the people who have faced the ordeal been seen to be Asexual where they find no joy in having sex even though they may have an emotional attraction to another individual.

A study considering twins is also documented within the book with evidence from the research to back the claim to sexual orientation. A landmark study on a classical twin methodology is used to which genetic influences are shown to play a key role in sexual orientation. LeVay cites a paper by Kirk, Bailey, Dunne, & Martin (2000), where an untried and unreplicated study is used as a measurement model. The paper shows that genetic influence can have a 60% influence on sexual orientation (LeVay, 2016). Sexual diversity is also a contributing factor to sexual orientation to which the book shows much of the sexual nature that people have can be attributed to what we see in other people. Levy concludes his research by showing change can be achieved when it comes to sex and gender acceptance. Even though heterosexual relationships have long been the norm, the current society is largely moving into a space where all sex-oriented individuals can be accommodated. One of the major viewpoints within the book is the conversational therapy that needs to be afforded to all sex-oriented individuals while avoiding unbiased attention to some groups (LeVay, 2016). With the right therapy and counseling, all sex-oriented individuals can find a sense of well being to who they are while also giving them the right feel and moral acceptance to other sexually-oriented individuals that are maybe gay or straight.

Conclusively, LeVay’s book addresses how homosexuality and heterosexuality are large as a result of the different factors within our growth, environment, and nature. The sexual diversity of sex orientation, as portrayed within the book, is many at times stronger for homosexuals as when compared with heterosexuals. This because most of the people who identify themselves as not being heterosexual are often ill-judged by society. Levy’s book plays an important role in uncovering some of the underlying issues and influences that put many people in the sexual identity they are most comfortable in. The book shows that even our hormonal changes can be an attributing factor just as well as the overall culture and influence of those around us. The book is a good contribution more so in times given there has been an increased awareness and calls to address and accept all sex-oriented individuals within the society. At large a person’s sexual orientation is largely defined based on one’s sexual attraction as opposed to ones gender with people finding love to the male or female sexes and through the book one can learn to be more open and acceptable to the fact that we are all different and it is in the best interest that all sex-oriented groups find love for who they truly are.