Sexual Oppression vs. Sexual Freedom:

Questions & Answers

Fang-fu Ruan^[1]

Both sexual oppression and sexual freedom have become very common topics by now. Trying to find out how popular they are at this time, I conducted a search in www.google.com.tw for these terms on 2009/10/14. “Sexual oppression” produced 4,700,000 items and “sexual freedom” 405,000,000 items. 4.7 million is certainly a large number, showing that many people are concerned about sexual oppression. However, the number of 405 million is almost 100 times larger, showing that many more people all over the world want to have and enjoy sexual freedom.

Q: How would you describe sexual oppression and its consequences?

A:  All individuals and societies have certain sexual norms, or, in other words: Wherever we are, we are always dealing with both personal and social norms of sexual behavior.

Sexual oppression results from the enforcement of sexual norms that are needlessly restrictive, thus revealing a negative attitude towards to sex. In a sexual oppressive society/culture, “chastity,” "sexual self-restraint", or "sexual decency" are overemphasized. Homosexuality, bisexuality, masturbation, pre-marital sex, extramarital sex, promiscuity, unconventional sexual behaviors, and even many heterosexual special sexual behaviors are condemned as partially or totally inacceptable.

The consequences are social inequality and discrimination, even hate crimes, and this, in turn, leads to unnecessary social conflicts and wide-spread unhappiness.

A sexual oppressive society inevitably turns into a hypocritical society: People lead their forbidden sexual lives in secret, and this becomes equally true of government representatives at all levels. At the same time, the government uses its unrealistic sexual prohibitions to attack or arrest its political dissidents. Thus, sex becomes a tool of political control, poisoning the entire cultural atmosphere.

In short: Sexually oppressive policies inevitably violate human rights, and especially sexual rights. After all, these rights follow a different principle: As long as no third party is being hurt, sexual partners should be free to engage in any mutually agreeable sexual behavior. No society should have the right to interfere with it.

If people allow their sexual rights to be restricted, many other human rights will, sooner or later, also be restricted. This cannot be in the interest of any modern society.

Q. What does “sexual freedom” mean? Does it lead to decadence and the weakening of family values?

A: Sexual freedom develops on the basis of realistic, non-restrictive sexual norms. These express a positive attitude towards to sex.

From the viewpoint of sexual freedom, the term “normal” - i.e. “in accordance with the norms”-  actually represents a spectrum. In other words, rather than each act being simply classified as "acceptable" or "inacceptable", one views many sexual behaviors as "more or less accepted" by different people, and the opinion on how normal or acceptable they are greatly depends on the individual’s personal opinion as well as that of the surrounding culture itself. Based on information gained from sexological studies, the sex lives of many ordinary people lives are very often quite different from popular beliefs about what is “normal”.

In a sexually free society/culture, homosexuality, bisexuality, masturbation, pre-marital sex, promiscuity, extramarital sex, unconventional sexual behaviors, and many heterosexual special sexual behaviors are partially or totally accepted, provided no third parties are being hurt.

Seen from this perspective, there are no right or wrong sexual behaviors, only mutually accepted sexual behavior agreed upon by the sexual partners themselves.  People do what they want to do or they like to do, and no society or anyone else has the right to interfere.  This is why the WAS DECLARATION OF SEXUAL RIGHTS (1999) clearly demands, among other things:

1. The right to sexual freedom. Sexual freedom encompasses the possibility for individuals to express their full sexual potential. However, this excludes all forms of sexual coercion, exploitation and abuse at any time and situations in life.

2. The right to sexual autonomy, sexual integrity, and safety of the sexual body. This right involves the ability to make autonomous decisions about one's sexual life within a context of one's own personal and social ethics. It also encompasses control and enjoyment of our own bodies free from torture, mutilation and violence of any sort.

3. The right to sexual privacy. This involves the right for individual decisions and behaviors about intimacy as long as they do not intrude on the sexual rights of others.

4. The right to sexual equity. This refers to freedom from all forms of discrimination regardless of sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, race, social class, religion, or physical and emotional disability.

5. The right to sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure, including autoeroticism, is a source of physical, psychological, intellectual and spiritual well being.

Sexual freedom excludes all forms of sexual coercion, exploitation and abuse at any time and any situation in life. Therefore, true sexual freedom does not lead to decadence, and weakening of family values and culture. You do not need to follow the example of others, and others do not need to follow your own example either. The new rule in a society of freedom is that people have the right to do things they like sexually, as long as they do not intrude on the rights of others. Everybody will be protected, not only you, but all the others as well.

The soul and basis of sexual freedom is sexual autonomy for oneself and the respect for the autonomy of others. This does not mean absolute freedom without limits. It simply means that you do not violate the sexual rights of others. Ultimately, sexual freedom means that nobody will be hurt, nobody will be forced, and everybody will be happy.