Examining LGBT Status From Existential and Essential Perspectives

¶ … Sexual: Human Sexuality, Revisited In Ernesto Spinelli's article, Being Sexual: Human Sexuality Revisited, the author attempts to develop an existentially informed approach to human sexuality, focusing on an existential approach to normal and abnormal constructs such as gender and other. Therefore, the article focuses extensively on idea such as gay and straight, but also on concepts that are gaining more prominence in modern discussions, such as intersex and transgender.

Furthermore, because it takes an existentialist perspective, the paper naturally focuses on concepts like choice, which can have a weighted connotation when discussing issues of sexuality, especially in the modern political and religious climate. As a result. I felt I had to carefully read the article a number of times in order to really grasp the distinction that Spinelli was making between existentialist choice and choice insofar as it related to sexuality. Even doing so, I admit to a certain degree of confusion about his analysis and conclusion.

I am unable to determine whether this confusion is the result of the author failing to adequately support his points and perspective or whether it relates to confusion or ambivalence that I may feel about some of the issues he addresses within the body of the article. Regardless of the source, I feel like this confusion played an important role in shaping my own perceptions of the article, and, therefore, must be taken into consideration when I embark upon my own analysis of his work.

Spinelli begins with a discussion of the role that biology plays in sex. He says, "If being sexual remains predominantly linked to the assumed demands of reproduction then being homosexual is not merely 'different' as Medina puts it. Rather, as any number of continuing attacks on sexually homosexually make so plain this latter view can, and does, continue to judge sexual behavior on the basis of its assumed deviation from its 'natural' aim and object" (Spinelli, 2014, p. 18).

However, Spinelli does not go on to argue that being sexual is predominantly linked to the assumed demands of reproduction. Instead, he argues that such a perspective would take an essentialist, rather than an existentialist, approach to homosexuality, because such an emphasis on biology indicates the type of search for a single truth that is not compatible with an existential approach. Instead, he suggests that non-essentialist approaches to sexuality, including Queer Theory, Sexual Fluidity, Dynamical Systems Theory, and Sexual Selection vs.

Social Selection are all more compatible with an existential approach to a discussion of sexuality. While each of these theories all has its own unique perspectives into human sexuality, they all suggest that sexuality is not rigid or fixed, but is more dynamic and situational than most people suppose. In fact, Spinelli seems to take issue with an essentialist approach to sexuality because essentialist approaches focus tremendously on what is "normal" behavior, as evidenced by the behavior practiced by the majority of people under the average set of social circumstances.

Any behavior outside of this norm is considered other or abhorrent and has resulted in tremendous discrimination towards those displaying the behavior. Therefore, he is reluctant to embrace any discussion of sexuality that places people as others. I am not sure I agree with this as a therapeutic perspective. The reality is that, from a social standpoint, people who identify as anything other than straight are perceived as other by a large segment of society.

While societal and cultural norms are rapidly evolving in the area of human sexuality and acceptance, it remains the case that this other status can be a catalyst for a whole range of negative consequences and behaviors towards the individual that mean the individual is likely to have different therapeutic issues and goals than other straight patients who are entering therapy, even if both patients are seeking therapy for primarily sexual-based issues.

Moreover, given the societal barriers to accessing some basic rights, sexual orientation or gender identity might play a tremendous role in someone's decision to seek therapy, but have very little to do with how that person is choosing to express sexuality. For example, a person who experienced job discrimination because of sexual orientation may seek therapy to deal with situational depression that resulted from that job discrimination, but not have any issues or concerns about being sexual homosexually.

The label of "other," though applied from a negative essentialist perspective, is one that has been put upon the individual and probably needs to be dealt with in a therapeutic perspective. Moreover, if there is a biological determinant to sexuality, from a legal perspective, it might be critical to uncover that determinant because it would make homosexuality an innate characteristic and raise the legal hurdle for any laws that would permit discrimination against the individual.

In fact, while discussing the idea that the terminology for heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual is relatively new,.