15.11: On Stigma
The ways in which sexuality is policed, stigmatized and separated from our overall wellness in the U.S. creates a specific backdrop to learn about our sexuality. There is nothing natural about the way in which children learn about sex; we have demonstrated in this text that the sex education children receive growing up varies drastically from nation to nation. It is steeped in culture and disseminated to us based on social norms. Because of the frame in which sexuality appears in U.S. culture, it may even be strange for you to read a book discussing the idea that all consensual sex work should be legal.
There is a vast array of sexuality-related workers who engage with the body that fulfill needs for intimacy and sexual desire. The work provides much needed sexual health care to many people and yet, it remains highly stigmatized, pathologized and criminalized. This type of prejudice goes unchallenged, whereas others would be called out. Sexuality workers are often seen as morally suspect, and much of public discourse denies them any agency over their profession. Media representations of sexuality-related workers who engage with the body, intimacy and sexual desire are often laden in stereotypes and tropes that are insulting and inaccurate. Because the cultural narrative around sexuality is still framed in the white, cis, heteronormative, monogamous, penis in vagina (PIV) sex, anyone who engages in sex for reasons other than love and intimacy with one committed partner challenge the sexual scripts we’ve learned to follow.