Sexuality

"About this time the Sodomites grew proud, on account of their riches and great wealth; they became unjust towards men, and impious towards God, in so much that they did not call to mind the advantages they received from him: they hated strangers, and abused themselves with Sodomitical practices."

"Have ye any crack’d maidenheads, to new leach or mend? Have ye any old maidenheads to sell or to change? Bring ’em to me, with a little pretty gin, I’ll clout ’em, I’ll mend ’em, I’ll knock in a pin, Shall make ’em as good maids again, As ever they have been.If your daughters on their beds, Have bowed or crack’d their maidenheads; If, in a coach, with too much tumbling, They chance to cry, fy, fo, what fumbling! If her foot slip, and down fall she, And break her leg above the knee; The one and thirtieth of February let this be ta’en, And they shall be arrant maids again."

"Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: If anyone has sexual intercourse with an animal, kill him and kill it along with him. I (Ikrimah) said: I asked him (Ibn Abbas): What offence can be attributed to the animal? He replied: I think he (the Prophet) disapproved of its flesh being eaten when such a thing had been done to it."

"Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion."

"Labienus, each hair on your bosom that grows, On your arms, on your legs, with much trouble You shave, and your belly's appurtenance shews Like a newly mown field with its stubble, Thus blooming and sweet, as the breath of the morn. Your mistress entwines you, fond boy. But you've something behind, neatly shaven and shorn, That is scarcely a mistress's toy."

"Chrestus, though not two hairs your scrotum deck, Though your prick's softer than the vulture's neck, Though your mild face, effeminate smooth and plump, Rivals the Pathic's prostituted rump, And girlish in your hairless thighs and hips. Art hides all trace of manhood in your lips; You talk of deeds the great, and good, and bold Have done, with stern pomposity, and hold Forth on the vices that corrupt the age; But while this virtuous war on vice you wage, If some bright lad, who's just outgrown his school, While thoughts of freedom swell his youthful tool, Come up, you lead aside the sprightly boy, And when replete of what you most enjoy, Your Cato's tongue would never dare confess t' us, How very much you had behaved like Chrestus."

"Before your mouth was fringed with hair, All pricks might find a haven there. Till hangmen loathed a boy so common. And dead cart men preferred a woman. When gamahuche no longer paid. Your tongue was still your stock in trade, No more to suck, but to discharge Its venom on mankind at large; On character base slurs to fix. As once it had polluted pricks. Oh filthy tongue, you'd better far Be what you were than what you are!"

"There was a young fellow named Hyde Who took a girl out for a ride. He mucked up her fuck-hole And fucked up her muck-hole, And charged her two dollars beside."

"Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion."

"'Asim reported from Abu Razin on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas saying: There is no prescribed punishment for one who has sexual intercourse with an animal."

"The volumes of fatwas devote pages and pages to an even more exotic subject—namely, what the believer should do with an animal which has been used for intercourse. ... While others may be a bit squeamish in discussing such questions, and a little surprised at encountering them in ‘religious’ books, the ulema have no qualms about discussing such matters and laying down the law on them as much as on any other matter. They regard it as one of their functions to do so."

"As men, being unable to bear discreetly a satiety of these things, get restive like cattle, and become stiff-necked, and discard the laws of nature, pursuing a great and intemperate indulgence of gluttony, and drinking, and unlawful connections; for not only did they go mad after other women, and defile the marriage bed of others, but also those who were men lusted after one another, doing unseemly things, and not regarding or respecting their common nature, and though eager for children, they were convicted by having only an abortive offspring; but the conviction produced no advantage, since they were overcome by violent desire; and so by degrees, the men became accustomed to be treated like women, and in this way engendered among themselves the disease of females, and intolerable evil; for they not only, as to effeminacy and delicacy, became like women in their persons, but they also made their souls most ignoble, corrupting in this way the whole race of men, as far as depended on them."

"Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable. Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion. Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things, for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you."

"There are many kinds of power, used and unused, acknowledged or otherwise. The erotic is a resource within each of us that lies in a deeply female and spiritual plane, firmly rooted in the power of our unexpressed or unrecognized feeling. In order to perpetuate itself, every oppression must corrupt or distort those various sources of power within the culture of the oppressed that can provide energy for change. For women, this has meant a suppression of the erotic as a considered source of power and information within our lives."

"The very word erotic comes from the Greek word ', the personification of love in all its aspects — born of Chaos, and personifying creative power and harmony. When I speak of the erotic, then, I speak of it as an assertion of the lifeforce of women; of that creative energy empowered, the knowledge and use of which we are now reclaiming in our language, our history, our dancing, our loving, our work, our lives."

"Understanding is a hand-maiden which can only wait upon, or clarify, that knowledge, deeply born. The erotic is the nurturer or nursemaid of all our deepest knowledge."

"The erotic offers a well of replenishing and provocative force to the woman who does not fear its revelation, nor succumb to the belief that sensation is enough."

"Recognizing the power of the erotic within our lives can give us the energy to pursue genuine change within our world, rather than merely settling for a shift of characters in the same weary drama. For not only do we touch our most profoundly creative source, but we do that which is female and self-affirming in the face of a racist, patriarchal, and anti-erotic society."

"The erotic cannot be felt secondhand."

"When I speak of the erotic, then I speak of it as an assertion of the life force of women; of that creative energy empowered, the knowledge and use of which we are now reclaiming in our language, our history, our dancing, our loving, our work, our lives."

"When we live outside ourselves, and by that I mean on external directives only rather than from our internal knowledge and needs, when we live away from those erotic guides from within ourselves, then our lives are limited by external and alien forms, and we conform to the needs of a structure that is not based on human need, let alone an individual’s. But when we begin to live from within outward, in touch with the power of the erotic within ourselves, and allowing that power to inform and illuminate our actions upon the world around us, then we begin to be responsible to ourselves in the deepest sense. For as we begin to recognize our deepest feelings, we begin to give up, of necessity, being satisfied with suffering and self-negation, and with the numbness which so often seems like their only alternative in our society. Our acts against oppression become integral with self, motivated and empowered from within."

"To love is to give freely, but not harmlessly. It is impossible to explain why its object is one human being and not another; nevertheless, its dynamics were clear to the ancients, who emphasized its strategic aspect. Giving to the lover does not solicit an exchange, but constitutes a challenge. The lover tends not to take something away from the beloved, but to possess them in a sense that, alongside its sexual significance, also has political and military connotations. Eroticism would be a very insipid and vacuous experience if the lover were not exposed to the danger of defeat. (p. 113)"

"The erotic is a measure between the beginnings of our sense of self and the chaos of our strongest feelings. It is an internal sense of satisfaction to which, once we have experienced it, we know we can aspire. For having experienced the fullness of this depth of feeling and recognizing its power, in honor and self-respect we can require no less of ourselves."

"The erotic is not a question only of what we do; it is a question of how acutely and fully we can feel in the doing. Once we know the extent to which we are capable of feeling that sense of satisfaction and completion, we can then observe which of our various life endeavors bring us closest to that fullness."

"Above all, anti-prostitution feminism argues, men’s demand for the right to purchase sex should be condemned and criminalized. Given the extreme violence to which trans people, particularly trans women, who do sex work are subject worldwide, it seems tempting for trans politics to join with this condemnation of male violence and, consequently, with the condemnation of men who purchase sex. It is true that many sectors of the sex industry, from pornography to street sex work to managed brothels, rely on the exploitation of trans sex workers’ financial and social vulnerability by cisgender men for profit. Yet the converse argument – for pro-sex-worker trans politics – isn’t intended as a moral absolution of the client or unethical industry practices; it isn’t concerned with morality at all. Rather, it recognizes that trans sex workers exist in a society in which money is necessary for survival, and that sex work is one of a limited number of options available to the marginalized in this society – and so, regardless of any condemnation or criminalization of clients, trans sex workers will still need to sell sex. Accepting this reality turns the focus from ‘ending demand’ for sexual services, to harm-reduction for the worker. It is on this basis that full in all its forms must be a central tenet of the movement for trans rights."

"Globally, trans sex workers make up 62 per cent of all trans murder victims, where the victim’s profession is known. [...] Trans sex workers around the world are often at most risk from the very same men to whom they sell their services. This is not some puzzling ‘hypocrisy’, but a horrifying and sometimes deadly reality. It should also be an urgent wake-up call for society and workers’ movements to better protect and support trans sex workers. Trans people’s increased likelihood of experiencing family rejection and homelessness, combined with substantial healthcare costs and a struggle to secure other forms of employment, means that many engage in the stigmatized work of selling sex. And, as we have already seen, trans sex workers experience unique and severe forms of vulnerability and violence. Therefore, the issue of sex-worker rights and safety must be at the heart of the trans liberation movement."

"The murders of trans women sex workers are not rare. This is a recurring phenomenon and we regularly try to alert public opinion and the authorities to this violence. Unfortunately, as always, we find ourselves alone."

"Despite the extreme ways in which their bodies are mythologized, fetishized and denigrated by our culture, trans sex workers, compared to other kinds of trans worker, enjoy the least solidarity and have the least political attention paid to the reality of their lives. This disparity only increases when the trans sex worker is also a migrant and a person of colour."

"In a society that is both patriarchal and capitalist, men’s misogyny towards women sits comfortably alongside their desire to extract women’s sexual labour. This does not change because the woman is trans. In fact, given the political invisibility of most trans women, it may be intensified. To put it plainly, many of the men who purchase the services of trans sex workers will be the same men who argue for the oppression of all trans people and all sex workers. They will be the same men who preach hate and incite violence against them and the same men who, in some cases, personally use physical violence against them. It is no coincidence that trans sex workers are often at the forefront of LGBTQ+ community organizing and activism across the globe, particularly in countries where LGBTQ+ rights are opposed by the state. At times, the two collide."

"She accepted these terms, and slid off on the near side, though not till he had stolen a cursory kiss."

"The kiss, snatch’d hasty from the sidelong maid, On purpose guardless, or pretending sleep:"

"How does my love pass the long day? Does Mary not tend a few sheep? Do they never carelessly stray While happily she lies asleep? Should Tweed’s murmurs lull her to rest, Kind nature indulging my bliss, To ease the soft pains of my breast I’d steal an ambrosial kiss."

"Stolen sweets are always sweeter, Stolen kisses much completer, Stolen looks are nice in chapels, Stolen, stolen, be your apples."

"Now gentle sleep hath closèd up those eyes, Which waking kept my boldest thoughts in awe, And free access unto that sweet lip lies From whence I long the rosy breath to draw. Methinks no wrong it were if I should steal, From those two melting rubies, one poor kiss. None sees the theft that would the thief reveal, Nor rob I her of aught which she can miss. Nay, should I twenty kisses take away, There would be little sign I had done so. Why then should I this robbery delay? Oh, she may wake, and therewith angry grow. Well, if she do, I’ll back restore that one, And twenty hundred thousand more for loan."

"More honourable state, more courtship lives In carrion flies than Romeo. They may seize On the white wonder of dear Juliet’s hand And steal immortal blessing from her lips; Who, even in pure and vestal modesty, Still blush, as thinking their own kisses sin."

"Now let us kiss. Would you be gone? Manners at least allows me one. Blush you at this? pretty one, stay, And I will take that kiss away. Thus with a second, and that too A third wipes off; so will we go To numbers that the stars outrun, And all the atoms in the sun."

"Aim as certain not to miss; Take her as thou would’st a kiss!"

"So soon was she along, as he was down, Each leaning on their elbows and their hips: Now doth she stroke his cheek, now doth he frown, And ’gins to chide, but soon she stops his lips; And kissing speaks, with lustful language broken, ‘If thou wilt chide, thy lips shall never open.’He burns with bashful shame; she with her tears Doth quench the maiden burning of his cheeks; Then with her windy sighs and golden hairs To fan and blow them dry again she seeks: He saith she is immodest, blames her miss; What follows more she murders with a kiss.Even as an empty eagle, sharp by fast, Tires with her beak on feathers, flesh and bone, Shaking her wings, devouring all in haste, Till either gorge be stuff’d or prey be gone; Even so she kiss’d his brow, his cheek, his chin, And where she ends she doth anew begin."

"She shall be dignified with this high honour— To bear my lady's train, lest the base earth Should from her vesture chance to steal a kiss And, of so great a favour growing proud, Disdain to root the summer-swelling flower And make rough winter everlastingly."

"Thou art no man, though of a man’s complexion, For men will kiss even by their own direction.’"

"Love guards the roses of thy lips And flies about them like a bee; If I approach he forward skips, And if I kiss he stingeth me."

"Venus, and young Adonis sitting by her, Under a myrtle shade began to woo him: She told the youngling how god Mars did try her, And as he fell to her, so fell she to him. ‘Even thus,’ quoth she, ‘the wanton god embraced me’ (And then she clasped Adonis in her arms); ‘Even thus,’ quoth she, ‘the warlike god unlaced me,’ As if the boy should use like loving charms. But he, a wayward boy, refused her offer, And ran away, the beauteous queen neglecting, Showing both folly to abuse her proffer, And all his sex of cowardice detecting. O that I had my mistress at that bay, To kiss and clip me till I ran away!"

"Rich preys make true men thieves; so do thy lips Make modest Dian cloudy and forlorn, Lest she should steal a kiss and die forsworn."

"‘I saw you take his kiss!’ ‘’Tis true.’ ‘O, modesty!’ ‘’Twas strictly kept: ‘He thought me asleep; at least, I knew ‘He thought I thought he thought I slept.’"

"Cum flagrantia detorquet ad oscula Cervicem aut facili saevitia negat Quae poscente magis gaudeat eripi, Interdum rapere occupet?"

"My ghostly fader, I me confess, First to God and then to you, That at a window, wot ye how, I stale a kosse of gret swetness, Which don was out avisiness— But it is doon, not undoon, now.My ghostly fader, I me confess, First to God and then to you.But I restore it shall, doutless, Agein, if so be that I mow; And that to God I make a vow, And elles I axe foryefness.My ghostly fader, I me confesse, First to God and then to you."

"Si ne me sceut tant detrayner, Fouler au piez, que ne l'amasse, Et m'eust il fait les rains trayner, Si m'eust dit que je le baisasse, Que tous mes maulx je n'oubliasse. Le glouton, de mal entechié, M'embrassoit…. J'en suis bien plus grasse! Que m'en reste il? Honte et pechié."

"If I steal a kiss, dear, I'll surely return it someday If I steal your dreams, dear, I'll bring them back some way."

"That naughty old Sappho of Greece Said: “What I prefer to a piece Is to have my pudenda Rubbed hard by the enda The little pink nose of my niece.”"

"There was a young bride, a Canuck, Told her husband, “Let’s do more than suck. You say that I, maybe, Can have my first baby— Let’s give up this Frenching, and fuck!”"