325
Oscar Wilde was tried and convicted
in the late 19th century of “gross
indecency” with other men. The trials
of the Irish writer helped construct
homosexuality as a social problem.
See also: Sylvia Walby 96–99 ■ Margaret Mead 298–99 ■
Michel Foucault 302–03 ■ Adrienne Rich 304–09 ■ Steven Seidman 326–31
FAMILIES AND INTIMACIES
of sexuality that claimed to be a
science but was often undertaken
by wealthy amateurs) to pass
sentence on homosexuals.
The growing interest in
classifying sexuality assumed that
women were naturally sexually
passive and men were naturally
active, without having any
evidence for such assumptions.
Anything contrary to these
“essentialist” views (that sexuality
reflects biology) was often
considered abnormal. The new
sciences thus firmly upheld
existing patriarchal ideas.
Weeks observes that there was
an increasing tendency to view
the institution of marriage as
essential to the maintenance of
a stable, “healthy” society. There
was also, therefore, a concern to
regulate men’s “natural” lustfulness
by steering them toward marriage.
At the same time marriage was
heralded as the norm and essential
for society, “homosexuality,” Weeks
says, was invented. Acts that
might be homosexual had been
criminalized previously, but for the
first time in history, sexologists
identified a new type of people:
“homosexuals” (the category
“heterosexuality” was invented
soon after). Many of the studies on
sexuality were influenced by the
teachings of the Christian Church.Sexuality as social control
Male homosexuality was viewed as
a perversion and, increasingly, as a
social problem, leading to tighter
legal and social control. The 1885
Criminal Law Amendment Act, for
example, broadened and redefined
the legal definition of homosexual
acts. This construction of
homosexuality as abnormal, along
with essentialist ideas of femininity
and masculinity, served to support
the belief that heterosexuality was
normal and the only legitimate form
of sexual behavior.
It is possible, Weeks suggests,
to see this defining of sexuality as
both a social construction and a
form of social control. The law can
decide who is allowed to marry,
adopt children, have sex, and at
what age. Religion can instruct
society that any sex that does not
lead to procreation is sinful.
But cultural ideals about who
should have sex, and who should
not, can have a significant negative
impact. There has, for example,
been a notable rise in sexually
transmitted diseases among the
over-50s in the UK and the US
because ideas that sex between
older people is, among other things,
distasteful, has led to fewer older
people seeking medical care. ■Jeffrey Weeks
The social historian Jeffrey
Weeks was born in Rhondda,
Wales, UK, in 1945. His
work has been influenced
by his early participation as
a gay rights’ activist in the
Gay Liberation Front (GLF).
Weeks was a founding
member and editor of the
journal Gay Left, and his work
continues to be informed by
ideas from lesbian and gay
politics, socialism, and
feminism. He has published
over 20 books and numerous
articles on sexuality and
intimate life, and is currently
a research professor at the
eponymous Weeks Centre
for Social and Policy Research
at South Bank University in
London, England. In 2012, he
was awarded an OBE for his
services to social science.Key texts1977 Coming Out: Homosexual
Politics in Britain
1989 Sex, Politics, and Society
2001 Same Sex Intimacies:
Families of Choice and Other
Life ExperimentsSocial processes construct
subjectivities not just as
categories but at the level of
individual desires.
Jeffrey Weeks