Masculine Sexuality

Cellular localization and age-dependent changes of the regulatory subunits of cAMP dependent protein kinase in rat testis

by Brynjar Landmark

This study was undertaken to examine the expression and cellular location of the various cAMP-dependent protein kinase... more This study was undertaken to examine the expression and cellular location of the various cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) subunits in different testicular cell types, using cDNA probes, isoenzyme-specific antibodies and activity measurements. Amounts of mRNA and protein were examined in cultured Sertoli cells, cultured peritubular cells, germ cells (pachytene spermatocytes, round spermatids), Leydig cell tumours as well as whole testes from rats of various ages. In Sertoli cells, there was a good correlation between the amount of mRNA and the respective immunoreactive proteins. In other types of cell, such as germ cells and Leydig tumour cells, this was not always the case. Large amounts of RIIβ mRNA were found in Leydig tumour cells, whereas the amount of immunoreactive protein was low. Furthermore, large amounts of small-sized, germ cell-specific mRNAs for RIα (1.7 kb) and RIIα (2.2 kb) were also found in the developing rat testis after 30 to 40 days of age, but the large amounts of mRNA were only partially reflected at the protein level. Pachytene spermatocytes and round spermatids were practically devoid of both RIIα and RIIβ protein. During spermatid differentiation, there was a decrease in RIα and an increase in RIIα protein. Cell specific distribution of the various PKA subunits in testicular cell types is described. In some types of cell, discrepancies between mRNA and protein were demonstrated, which clearly suggest cell specific differences in translational efficiencies for some of these mRNAs, particularly the small-sized mRNAs for RIα and RIIα in meiotic and post-meiotic germ cells.

Sexualidad en parejas con problemas de fertilidad

by Jorge Alberto Álvarez-Díaz

Courting the Pink Pound: "Men Only" and the Queer Consumer, 1935-1939

by Justin Bengry

History Workshop Journal 68 (2009): pp. 122-148.

Men Only was among the earliest men’s lifestyle magazines published in Britain. From its first issue, in December... more Men Only was among the earliest men’s lifestyle magazines published in Britain. From its first issue, in December 1935, the magazine cultivated a mainstream audience of middle-class, presumably heterosexual male consumers. But at the same time, I argue, it addressed and courted another audience long associated with urban leisure and fashionable consumption. References to homosexuality in Men Only went beyond mockery and insults directed at effeminate men. Instead, both textual and visual references to subcultural codes, practices, and homoerotically charged situations all reinforced potential readings of the magazine that would be understood by a queer audience. Other readers sometimes decoded the magazine’s references and doublespeak too. Some even expressed concern that particular magazine elements were ‘a trifle pansy’. But by printing such concerns the magazine producers further highlighted Men Only’s complicated dual address. By 1939, however, as the magazine’s references to homosexuality and urban queer subcultures became increasingly dated and less lucrative, it began to direct its attention to a new military and home front audience. This article argues that through the deft use of humour, imagery, and coded doublespeak, Men Only courted a homosexual market segment a full half century before advertisers and marketers would openly acknowledge and seek the Pink Pound.

Review of The Beggar’s Benison: Sex Clubs of Enlightenment Scotland and their Rituals, by David Stevenson.

by Corey E. Andrews

Eighteenth-Century Scotland 16 (2002): 42-43.

Fantasies of White Masculinity in Arthur Schnitzler's 'Andreas Thameyers letzter Brief' (1900).

by Michael Boehringer

Published in German Quarterly, 84.1 (2011), 80-96

While the notion of masculinity in crisis has become a common-place in fin-de-siècle literary studies, Arthur... more While the notion of masculinity in crisis has become a common-place in fin-de-siècle literary studies, Arthur Schnitzler’s novella „Andreas Thameyer’s letzter Brief,“ has thus far been investigated primarily with respect to the (pathological) psychology of its protagonist and the medical discourses surrounding the theme of maternal impression. This essay undertakes a reframing of the text, by placing it within historical discourses on masculinity, the body and heterosexuality, and their intersections with colonial discourses on race and whiteness. Such a reading illuminates the complex construction of and multiple threats to urban bourgeois masculinity, masculine hegemony and the control of women, and the influence of colonial discourses on this empire without colonies. Re-contexualized within its historical discourses, the article proposes that the novella needs to be understood as a damning indictment of white western masculinity in fin-de-siècle Austria.

Boyz to Men: Irish Boy Bands and Mothering the Nation.'

by Moynagh Sullivan

''"No Undue Details": Love, Sex and Embodiment in the Poetry of Pearse Hutchinson'

by Moynagh Sullivan

The Naked Hero and Model Man: Costumed Identity in Comic Book Narratives

by David Coughlan

Published in "Heroes of Film, Comics and American Culture: Essays on Real and Fictional Defenders of Home." Ed. Lisa DeTora. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2009. 234-52.

Comic book superheroes often display dual identities, which they dress in contrasting ways. Wearing an identifying... more Comic book superheroes often display dual identities, which they dress in contrasting ways. Wearing an identifying costume, they are superheroes, fighting evil and saving the world; out of costume, and wearing instead their civilian identity, they try to live a normal life. Clothes, then, make them a ‘man’ (and it is male superheroes who are the focus of this paper), but it is only in costume that the man can be ‘super’. The comic book hero, colourfully costumed, but to all intents and purposes visually naked, displays his power and sense of invulnerability, while at the same time hiding the secret identity which is his greatest weakness, because it means a world where the hero is as powerless as his innocent family and friends. For the sake of those he loves, therefore, the comic book hero ironically removes himself from the familial, communal, and even legal worlds he has sworn to protect. The effect of this is to preserve for the, predominantly male, reader the stereotypical and simplified power fantasies so often fostered by superhero stories, where any failings or shortcomings in the domestic sphere are compensated for in a secret world of heroic achievement, despite the fact that the defining qualities of the hero’s costumed world, the secrecy, subterfuge, violence, and intimidation, are at odds with, if not a betrayal of, the values of his home-life. This raises the question of how the superhero relates to the domestic, and what it means to be a superhero at home. This essay argues that the costumed form of the comic book superhero embodies a dominant masculinity which is identified in opposition to all things feminine, including the domestic. However, it will be argued that this apparent exclusion of the domestic can be reinterpreted as an exclusion from the domestic. The hero ultimately removes himself from the home because he cannot trust himself not to harm his family, given the violence that defines him as a man.

Sleep, sex, and the Web: Surveying the difficult-to-reach clinical population suffering from sexsomnia.

by Ulf-Dietrich Reips

Co-authored by Mangan, M., published 2007 in Behavior Research Methods, 39, 233-236.

One major advantage of Web-based research lies in its ability to reach and study people who have rare conditions of... more One major advantage of Web-based research lies in its ability to reach and study people who have rare conditions of interest. Another advantage is that, due to the anonymity of the survey situation, the Internet is particularly suited for surveys on sensitive topics. Sexsomnia is a newly identified medical condition whose sufferers engage in sexual behavior during their sleep. Problematic cases are highly distressing and have forensic implications. The consensus among opinion leaders in sleep medicine is that sexsomnia may be quite common but
that it often goes unreported because of shame and embarrassment. Thus, little is known about this condition’s
demographics and clinical features. This article reports findings from a sample analysis of 20 years of research on sexsomnia and discusses the results, strengths, and weaknesses of a recent Web-based survey conducted on the difficult-to-reach clinical population that suffers from sexsomnia.

Dead White Men: An Essay on the Changing Dynamics of Race in US Action Cinema

by Gretchen Bakke

Anthropology Quarterly 83(2): 400-428.
2010.

Addressing the Sexual Cultures of Heterosexual Men: Key Strategies In Involving Men and Boys In HIV/AIDS Prevention

by Michael Flood

Heterosexual Men's Sexuality (1995)

by Michael Flood

This article offers an outline of the construction of heterosexual men’s sexuality, examining such issues as... more This article offers an outline of the construction of heterosexual men’s sexuality, examining such issues as masculinity, identity, intimacy, consent and pleasure. It argues for the positive reconstruction of this sexuality, offering the HIV/AIDS epidemic as one possible site of such a project.

Citation: Flood, M. (1995). Heterosexual Men’s Sexuality. On The Level (Family Planning Association, NSW), Special Issue: Men & Sexuality, 3(4), October, pp. 3-8.

Homophobia and Masculinities Among Young Men (Lessons In Becoming a Straight Man) (1997)

by Michael Flood

I will begin with a quick overview of homophobia and heterosexism in society. I'll then discuss the links between... more I will begin with a quick overview of homophobia and heterosexism in society. I'll then discuss the links between homophobia and gender, and specifically, homophobia and men and masculinity. I'll then look at schools in particular, and describe the consequences of homophobia for young gay men and lesbians themselves. I'll then move to an outline of schools' obligations to make schools safe for all students, and describe some strategies for change.

Citation: Flood, M. (1997). Homophobia and Masculinities Among Young Men (Lessons in Becoming a Straight Man). Presentation to teachers, Professional Development Training, O’Connell Education Centre, Canberra, 22 April.

Pathways to Manhood: The social and sexual ordering of young men’s lives (2002)

by Michael Flood

Boys’ and young men’s lives are shaped by powerful social and sexual relations, which limit their ability to form... more Boys’ and young men’s lives are shaped by powerful social and sexual relations, which limit their ability to form healthy relationships and to nurture their own and their sexual partners’ sexual and reproductive health. Typical social constructions of manhood and masculine sexuality inform males’ risk-taking behaviour, constrain their access to health services and thwart health promotion efforts. Such constructions increase the likelihood of boys’ and men’s participation in unplanned pregnancy, disease transmission, and sexual violence.

This paper outlines key aspects of the current ordering of young men’s sociosexual lives. I focus on practices, discourses and relations of gender and sexuality among boys and young men which shape their sexual behaviour, social interactions and sexual relationships. These patterns influence boys’ and young men’s involvements in a range of health issues, including contraception and pregnancy, bodily health, unsafe sex and disease transmission, violence, and sexual and familial relationships more broadly. Therefore, in order to understand both health-related behaviour and the possibilities for health promotion among young men, it is crucial to ‘map’ their social and sexual relations. It is to this exercise that I now turn, beginning with a brief explanation of the terms I use.

Lust, Trust and Latex: Why Young Heterosexual Men Do Not Use Condoms (2003)

by Michael Flood

This paper examines young heterosexual men’s participation in unsafe sex. A qualitative study of young heterosexual... more This paper examines young heterosexual men’s participation in unsafe sex. A qualitative study of young heterosexual Australian men’s understandings and practices of safe and unsafe sex, involving in-depth interviews conducted with 17 men aged between 18 and 26, found that five principal themes recur in young men’s accounts for the non-use of condoms. First, men stress the risk of pregnancy rather than the risks of HIV or other sexually transmitted infections, and they respond to the former risk by relying on their partners’ use of the contraceptive pill. Second, men perceive that wearing condoms decreases penile sensation and that condoms are difficult to use. Third, men find that the ‘heat of the moment’ of sexual episodes, and their spontaneous and passionate ambience, makes it hard to incorporate condoms. Fourth, men privilege ‘trust’ as fundamental to their sexual involvements, and quickly define involvements as ‘relationships’ and therefore as trusting and monogamous, such that they abandon condoms. Fifth, men believe that they are very unlikely to contract HIV because they see their social circles, the ‘heterosexual community’ or heterosexual sex PER SE as safe and free of HIV/AIDS. Future education and prevention efforts directed at the heterosexual sexual transmission of HIV should address such configurations of sociosexual meaning and practice in men’s lives.

Citation: Flood, M. (2003). Lust, Trust and Latex: Why young heterosexual men do not use condoms. Culture, Health, & Sexuality, 5(4), July-August, pp. 353-369.

Men, Sex and Homosociality: How Bonds Between Men Shape their Sexual Relations with Women (2008)

by Michael Flood

Male-male social bonds have a powerful influence on the sexual relations of some young heterosexual men. Qualitative... more Male-male social bonds have a powerful influence on the sexual relations of some young heterosexual men. Qualitative analysis among young men aged eighteen to twenty-six in Canberra, Australia, documents the homosocial organization of men’s heterosexual relations. Homosociality organizes men’s sociosexual relations in at least four ways. For some of these young men, male-male friendships take priority over male-female relations, and platonic friendships with women are dangerously feminizing. Sexual activity is a key path to masculine status, and other men are the audience, always imagined and sometimes real, for one’s sexual activities. Heterosexual sex itself can be the medium through which male bonding is enacted. Last, men’s sexual storytelling is shaped by homosocial masculine cultures. While these patterns were evident particularly among young men in the highly homosocial culture of a military academy, their presence also among other groups suggests the wider influence of homosociality on men’s sexual and social relations.

Citation: Flood, M. (2008) Men, Sex, and Homosociality: How bonds between men shape their sexual relations with women. Men and Masculinities, 10(3), April: 339-359.

Bent Straights: Diversity and flux among heterosexual men (2008)

by Michael Flood

New formations of sexuality are emerging among young heterosexual men. There are signs of diversity, and flux, in the... more New formations of sexuality are emerging among young heterosexual men. There are signs of diversity, and flux, in the sexual cultures of such males, shaped by wider shifts in gender and sexual relations. This chapter maps some of the clearest examples of diversity and flux among them, as part of a wider project on young men’s sexual and social relations with women.

Citation: Flood, M. (2008) “Bent Straights: Diversity and flux among heterosexual men.” Intimate Citizenships: Gender, Subjectivity, Politics. Ed. E.H. Oleksy. Routledge.

Young Men Using Porn (2010)

by Michael Flood

Most everyday users of pornography are heterosexual men. Looking at, and masturbating to, pornography is the routine... more Most everyday users of pornography are heterosexual men. Looking at, and masturbating to, pornography is the routine practice of large numbers of men. And most of the commercial pornographic industry caters to heterosexual men. These men – and their consumption of pornography – are the subject of a growing body of research. This chapter offers an overview of what we can learn about heterosexual boys’ and young men’s use of pornography, focusing particularly on quantitative studies of the extent, nature and meaning of pornography consumption.

Citation: Flood, M. (2010). Young Men Using Porn. In Everyday Pornographies. Ed. K. Boyle. Routledge.

MEANS OF DESIRE'S PRODUCTION: MALE SEX LABOR IN CUBA

by Jafari Allen

“My Wife Calls Him My Boyfriend”: Gary Barlow and Robbie Williams’ Reconciliatory Bromance

by Hannah Hamad

Flow TV, Vol 13, No. 9, February 25th 2011