Gender and Sexuality

"I had long known that there were worlds of difference between males and men and between females and women.  Genitalia indicated sex, but work, discipline, courage and love were needed for the creation of men and women."  Maya Angelou, All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes, 1986.

Gender is a significant dimension of sexuality and sexuality is a key element of gender roles and identities.  Both gender and sexuality have biological and social contexts.   Gender is a social characteristic of individuals which often is consistent with whether they are male or female.  The biological contexts of sexuality involve how people use their bodies for sexual pleasure and reproduction.  Sociology is a useful perspective to use in understanding sexuality and gender because it focuses on how people in different cultures and contexts create sexuality and gender through languages, values, laws, interactions, etc.