Sexual Behavior – Agreements, Contracts, Prejudices

Even today, many people (including researchers, physicians and psychologists) speak of homosexuality and heterosexuality as organic and genetic imposition, as unchosen attitude or unchosen sexual orientation.

In this approach, two extremely problematic ideas persist: the first, in which there is a previous nature, prior to and determinant of the cultural construction of identity (sex equal to organism, nature and gender equal to identity and cultural construction); and the second, in which to choose is to exercise freedom, to exercise preference regardless of limiting contexts.

Both ideas reaffirm secular prejudices, dualisms, and reductionisms about human behavior.

There is no human nature, there is no natural predisposition as determinant of behavior. Human behavior is not the result of “natural forces” and “instincts”, but rather of relational dynamics, relational needs and possibilities characterized by autonomy, fear, justifications, goals etc.

To view choice as an exercise of preference is contradictory, is understanding it as a priori, as commitment with motivations, situations, previous positions and, therefore, as conditioned behavior.

I think of choice as evidence. To choose is to be present, it is the imposition of dialogue. Whenever we participate we are choosing this or that, without pause for evaluation, without conflict, without dilemma.

In this sense, we can even say that there is no choice, life is participation, evidence. To stop to choose is to verify the non-participation, the rupture, it means experiencing the scission and wanting to amend it.

Recently, a poster was circulated on social networks that aimed to criticize discrimination against people and groups based on sexual, ethnic, aesthetic prejudice etc.

Despite the ‘good intention’, the poster conveyed the above-mentioned misunderstandings and even the highly biased idea that “what is natural” is imposed and justified in itself, whereas “what is chosen” is liable to condemnation and rejection.

Its sayings were:

“Things people do not choose:

• Sexual orientation
• Gender identity
• Appearance
• Disability
• Mental illness
• Color, Ethnicity, Race

Things people do choose:

• To be an asshole to people over things they do not choose”.

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2018 Human Wrongs Watch