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Portal:Human sexuality

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Welcome to the human sexuality portal

Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied with historical contexts over time, it lacks a precise definition. The biological and physical aspects of sexuality largely concern the human reproductive functions, including the human sexual response cycle.

Someone's sexual orientation is their pattern of sexual interest in the opposite and/or same sex. Physical and emotional aspects of sexuality include bonds between individuals that are expressed through profound feelings or physical manifestations of love, trust, and care. Social aspects deal with the effects of human society on one's sexuality, while spirituality concerns an individual's spiritual connection with others. Sexuality also affects and is affected by cultural, political, legal, philosophical, moral, ethical, and religious aspects of life.

Interest in sexual activity normally increases when an individual reaches puberty. Although no single theory on the cause of sexual orientation has yet gained widespread support, there is considerably more evidence supporting nonsocial causes of sexual orientation than social ones, especially for males. Hypothesized social causes are supported by only weak evidence, distorted by numerous confounding factors. This is further supported by cross-cultural evidence, because cultures that are tolerant of homosexuality do not have significantly higher rates of it.

Evolutionary perspectives on human coupling, reproduction and reproduction strategies, and social learning theory provide further views of sexuality. Sociocultural aspects of sexuality include historical developments and religious beliefs. Some cultures have been described as sexually repressive. The study of sexuality also includes human identity within social groups, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and birth control methods. (Full article...)

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French translation, 1891
French translation, 1891
The Kama Sutra (Sanskrit: कामसूत्र pronunciation, Kāmasūtra) is an ancient Indian Hindu text widely considered to be the standard work on human sexual behavior in Sanskrit literature written by Vātsyāyana. A portion of the work consists of practical advice on sexual intercourse. It is largely in prose, with many inserted anustubh poetry verses. "Kāma" which is one of the four goals of Hindu life, means desire including sexual desire the latter being the subject of the textbook, and "sūtra" literally means a thread or line that holds things together, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Contrary to popular perception, especially in the western world, Kama sutra is not just an exclusive sex manual; it presents itself as a guide to a virtuous and gracious living that discusses the nature of love, family life and other aspects pertaining to pleasure oriented faculties of human life. (Full article...)

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Did you know

Au Salon de la rue des Moulins, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Au Salon de la rue des Moulins, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Catherine Grand
Catherine Grand

 • ... that the French lawyer and historian Nicolas Chorier was also a writer of erotic fiction (work pictured)?
 • ... that Charles de Talleyrand described his wife, Catherine Grand (pictured), as "an Indian, very beautiful, very lazy, the most idle woman he had ever known"?
 • ... that before becoming King of the United Kingdom, Edward VII was a frequent visitor to the luxurious Belle Époque brothel Le Chabanais in Paris and had himself built a special "love seat" there? (painting of Le Chabanais by Toulouse-Lautrec pictured)
 • ... that some birds, including flamingos, display homosexual behavior?
 • ... that more than 200 species of mammals display homosexual behavior including oral sex, genital stimulation, and urolagnia?
 • ... that the erotic depiction on the Oinochoe (pictured) by the Shuvalov Painter is one of the most frequently illustrated works of Greek vase painting?

August - December 2007

Human sexuality in the news

12 July 2024 – LGBT rights in Burkina Faso
Burkinabè Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala [fr] announces a ban on homosexuality in the country. (BBC News)
12 July 2024 – Same-sex marriage in Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten
The Supreme Court of the Netherlands rules that same-sex marriage is legal in Aruba and Curaçao. (De Telegraaf)
4 July 2024 –
French film director Benoît Jacquot is charged with the rapes of actresses Julia Roy and Isild Le Besco between 1998 and 2000, and "rape, sexual assault and violence" committed between 2013 and 2018. (AP) (Le Monde)
1 July 2024 –
A Nepali court sentences Ram Bahadur Bomjon, a man who thousands believed was a reincarnation of the Buddha, to 10 years in jail for child sexual abuse. (CNN)

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