Basic Types of Sexual  Behavior

3. Homosexual Intercourse

Genital Intercourse

Two men with erections approaching each other Rock carving, ca. 1500 BC, Guangxi province, China Courtesy China Sex Museum, Tongli

Genital intercourse is here defined as involving sexual contact between the sex organs of two persons. According to Freud and his followers, the goal of a person's sexual development is "genital maturity", and genital intercourse is therefore the one truly "mature" form of sexual expression for adults. After all, it is the only form of intercourse that can lead to procreation. However, since two men or two women cannot procreate, contact between their sex organs cannot serve any ulterior purpose, and they may very well find much more pleasure in other forms of lovemaking. Still, both male and female couples sometimes engage in genital intercourse and can find sexual satisfaction this way. This is easily understandable because both the male and the female sex organs are highly sensitive to tactile stimulation. Obviously, for anatomical reasons, genital intercourse between partners of the same sex is somewhat different from that between a man and a woman. However, this difference is less pronounced than some people might be willing to admit at first glance.