ORALSEX O
tion of individual self-interest that collec- Mouth-to-Penis Activity. T h e
tivist ideologies such as Marxism formally ancient Mediterranean peoples were fa-
entail. miliar with this behavior in both its
As has been noted, all subsequent homosexual and heterosexual forms. The
analyses of oppression stem from the origi- Romans distinguished between fellatio-
nalinsights of theHebrew Prophets. While in which the penetrating partner remains
it is theoretically possible to devise a cri- relatively motionless, allowing his recep-
tique of oppression independent of both tive partner to do most of the work-and
the Judeo-Christian tradition and its Mam- irrumation, in which the penetrator en-
ist offshoot, the task has not been seri- gages in vigorous buccal or laryngal thrusts.
ously attempted, and it is hard to see what Depending on the individual, both are felt
framework might serve the purpose. De- to enhance the penetrator's masculinity:
tached from the larger intellectual context in fellatio the beneficiary of the action
that would give it meaning, the discourse luxuriates in making the other service him
of oppression now seemsrhetorical. While completely, while in irrumation he has
it undoubtedly encapsulates social and the converse satisfaction of being able to
psychological realities, it does so in a par- give full vent to the impulse to aggressive
tial way that many find unsatisfying. penile thrusts. In modern writings, how-
ever, it is usual to refer to both forms
BIBLIOGRAPHY. Dennis Altman, simply as fellatio; the street terms "cock-
Homosexual Oppression and Liberation,
New York: Outerbridge and Dienstfrey, sucking," "blow job," and "(givinglget-
1971; Norman Gottwald, The Bible and ting) head" are also current.
Liberation: Political and Social Herme- There are three common posi-
neutics, Berkeley: Radical Religion, tions in this form of sexual activity. In the
1976; Mario Mieli, Homosexuality and first, the penetrator stands, while his part-
Liberation: Elements ofa Gay Critique,
London: Cay Men's Press, 1980; Jacques ner kneels, sits, or crouches to take the
Pons, L'oppression dons 1'Ancien erect member in his mouth. In the second
Testament, Paris: Letourzey et Ant, main position, the penetrator lies on his
1981; Aubrey Walter, ed. Come To- back, and the insertee crouches over him
gether-the Years of Gay Liberation,
or lies between his legs. In the third posi-
London: Gay Men's Press, 1980.
Ward Houser tion, especially suitable for irrumation,
the insertee lies on his back with head
propped up, and the penetrator straddles
ORALSEX his chest, leaning forward over his head
Human oral sex may be said to be while thrusting forward. Of course there
the one family of sexual practices that is are many variants and intermediate posi-
truly universal, inasmuch as it is common tions.
to heterosexuals, male homosexuals, and The novice fellator tends to be
lesbians. Although oral sex is widely dif- inexpert in various ways that may prove
fused among the world's societies, past frustrating to his partner. Since he has
and present, no detailed studies have been usually not yet overcome thegagreflex, he
made as to the reasons for its relative may take only the head of his partner's
popularity-in comparison with anal sex, member in his m o u t h rather t h a n
for e x a m p l e a n d the relevant correlations deepthroating it, which is optimal. Fur-
with other cultural traits. One reason why thermore, anxiety about ejaculation may
many prefer it to anal sex is the absence of cause him to slow his movements or even
the pain and discomfort often initially freeze up at the stage in which the tempo
experienced by the passive partner in the of the action should be increased. With
latter activity, particularly if thesphincter relaxation and experience these difficul-
has not been sufficiently loosened. ties are usually overcome, and many prac-
0
3 ORALSEX
titioners learn to swallow the semen, even the penis in a rubber condom, while anal
developing an appreciation of variations in ones do.
its taste. Lesbian OralActivity.Physically,
There is a tendency to associate lesbian cunnilinctus does not differ in any
the two very different roles in fellatio- essential way from heterosexual cunni-
penetration and reception-with a hierar- linctus, the configurations of the mouths
chy of beauty, age, and sexual orientation, of women and men being essentially the
wherein the favored position is that of same. However, the fact that a woman is
penetrator. With respect to the latter, many better able to gauge the physiological re-
men who regard themselves as heterosex- sponses of another woman than is a man (a
ual will accept a blow job ("tr;ldeU),claim- factor which also favors male fellators)
ing that there is little diffcrencc between a allows for lengthy and subtle sessions that
female and a male mouth; yet they show take advantage of the capacity of women
revulsion at the slightest suggestion that for multiple orgasms. As with men, the
they should return the favor. This attitude oral activity may be sequential, onewoman
is characteristic of a certain type of adoles- sucking another first and then having the
cent male prostitute. In toilet sex contacts favor returned, or the sixty-nine position
it has been observed that younger men may be assumed. However, lesbian rela-
expect to be fellated, but as they get older tions are less likely to be hierarchical, so
will switch to the receptor role. Some that neither partner is "left in the lurch"
older men are only active as cocksuckers, by receiving an inadequate amount of
havinglong since given up the expectation stimulation. Contrary to popular belief,
of having their own member orally stimu- modern lesbians rarely resort to dildoes,
lated. By convention, regardless of the though electrical vibrator-usually not
source of effort, the penetrator is consid- phallus-shaped-may be employed as a
ered "active" and the insertee "passive." supplement to oral activity.
Some hold that sixty-nine, in There is virtually no risk of vene-
which the two partners fcllate one another real disease, including AIDS, in lesbian
simultaneously, is ideal because of its activity. However, yeast and other infec-
mutuality. Certainly this reciprocity of- tions of the vaginal region may on occa-
fers a psychological advantage. Yet sixty- sion be transferred to the mouth.
nine has real drawbacks. First, the position Variations. Some people enjoy
decreases each partner's maneuverability. giving their partner a tongue bath, though
Secondly, the distraction at one end tends the extent of this procedure is usually
to cause a slowdown or even cessation of limited by the exhaustion of the tonguer's
activity at the other. Finally, the tongue is saliva. Many restrict themselves t o
of necessity on the upper side of the penis, French kissing, laving the inside of the
where it is less stimulating than it would outer ear, nipple sucking, or (less com-
be if it were placed on the lower side. For monly) toe sucking.
thesereasons, many prefer serial fellatio to Anilinctus or "rimming" is the
the simultaneous mutual form known as tonguing of the anus. Although this is
sixty-nine. mildly cnjoyable to the recipient of the
In the 1980s oral-penile activity action, the main benefit appears to be the
has become more popular as it has been psychological effect that the rimmer has of
shown that the risk of contracting the acceptinghispartnertotally. In other cases,
AIDS virus is either insignificant, however, the rimmer may be enacting his
especially for the penetrator, or at least own self-abasement, and in a few extreme
enormously lower than with penile- scenes his partner may even expel faeces
anal activity. However, oral activities do which he then ingests. One need scarcely
not usually lend themselves to shielding stress that anilinctus in all of its versions
ORIENTATION, SEXUAL 9
is dangerous to health; it has been impli- ORGANIZATIONS
cated in hepatitis and probably transmits See Movement, Homosexual.
other diseases as well. Erotic urination
may take place in or into the mouth,
sometimes as an adjunct to oral sex; un- SEXUAL
ORIENTATION,
like faeces, however, fresh urine is nor- The expression sexual orienta-
mally sterile and thus poses no compa- tion, which came into general use only in
rable health problem. the 1970s, denotes the stable pattern estab-
Legal aspects. In the canon law of lished by an individual of erotic and affec-
the medieval church the definition of tional response to others with respect to
sodomy included all forms of oral sexual- gender. Commonly two orientations,
ity, whether the partners were of opposite heterosexual and homosexual, are recog-
sexes or of the same sex, because the pos- nized; many would add bisexual. Attrac-
sibility of fecundation was excluded in tions to sectors within the male and
both. The prosecution of participants in female populations with respect to age,
oral sexuality, however, has certainly been race, and the like are not normally
less frequent than legal action against those regarded as orientations, nor are such
engaging in anal penetration, and in regard paraphilias as eroticization of urine and
to lesbians, virtually non-existent. sadomasochism (SIM].
While English common law took In comparison with older judg-
over many of the canon law definitions, in mental terms, such as sexual deviation
1817 a court decision excluded oral sexu- and perversion, sexual orientation has the
ality from the definition of buggery, so advantage of value neutrality. In compari-
that the crime was later prosecuted under son with the expression sexual preference,
other statutes such thoseprohibitinggross it emphasizes that erotic attraction stems
indecency, lewd and lascivious conduct, from the deep structure of the personality,
and the like. In entrapment cases, how- and is not a mere choice or taste which can
ever, the unsuspecting victim of the be easily altered. Moreover, the metaphor
plainclothesman's advance may have of orientation, which originally referred to
agreed to nothing more than one of the alignment according to the points of the
forms of oral sex in order to find himself compass, suggests the possibility of vari-
under arrest. ety among individuals, rather than the
In the recent Georgia case of rigid eitherlor contrast that a strict polar-
Bowers v. Hardwick, which went to the ity of heterosexual/homosexual implies.
United States Supreme Court (1986),the Finally, the concept of sexual orientation
party under indictment had been acciden- conveys something of the complex inter-
tally observed in the act of fellating an- actions between the individual personal-
other male; the court ruled that the Ameri- ity (itself made up of conscious and uncon-
can legal precedents extending the right of scious components], on the one hand, and
privacy to heterosexual intercourse did the changing scripts and cues being trans-
not apply to sodomy. mitted by the social environment, on the
other. Oneresponds to a subtle "landscape
BIBLIOGRAPHY. Gershon Legman, of eros" as posited by society, but one does
Oragenitalism, New York: lulian Press,
1969; Joann Loulan, Lesbian Sex, San so in keepingwith one's individual charac-
Francisco: Spinsters Ink, 1985; Charles ter and experience.
Silverstein and Edmund White, The Ty o In the view of some, the expres-
of Gay Sex, New York: Crown, 1977. sion should be altered to affectional orien-
Ward Houser tation, to indicate a broader concern with
the whole person, rather that overtly ex-
pressed erotic or genital acts. Restriction