Why the development industry should get over its obsession with bad sex and start to think about pleasure

The development industry has emphasised the dangers of sex and sexuality – in relation to population control, disease and violence. This negative approach to sex has been filtered through a view of gender which stereotypes men as predators, women as victims, and fails to recognise the existence of transgender people. In reality, pleasure and danger are often entwined – not least because for many, seeking pleasure entails breaking social rules. However, the oppressive frameworks which forbid pursuit of pleasure are not the only dangers associated with sexuality. There are other fears to do with sex such as anxieties about loss of control, merging with another, intense sensation, triggering emotions, invoking previous experiences, about not being satisfied, fear of losing the object of love or lust, fear of catching a sexually transmitted or other infection. This ambiguity is part of many consensual sexual experiences. How should development actors negotiate this ambiguous mix of pleasures and dangers in sexuality? This question is important to many aspects of human development – such as dealing with HIV/AIDS, tackling sexual violence, and supporting more fulfilling relationships. Part of the answer is to move to more positive framings of sexuality which promote the possibilities of pleasure as well as tackling the dangers at the same time. The promotion of sexual pleasure can contribute to empowerment, particularly but not only for women, sexual minorities, and people living with HIV/AIDS, who may have been subject to social expectations that sexual pleasure is not for them. The pleasures of safer sex can also be promoted to reduce HIV/AIDS transmission and improve health. These are important ends. However, it would be sad to reduce sexual pleasure to a means of reaching development goals. Sexual pleasure can be wonderful in itself, and indeed it can be argued that people have a right to seek such pleasures, and that an enabling environment should be created for them to do so. Keywords: sex, sexuality, sexual rights, pleasure, gender, transgender, development, globalisation, HIV/AIDS, empowermen

Sexuality and the Economy in China

This publication examines the changing relationships between sex and money in contemporary China. Factors such as marriage or other forms of sexual expression still impact upon access to resources, whilst financial and economic status impacts dramatically upon access to sex and partners, as well as opportunities for pleasure and sexual expression. Unspoken assumptions in current national and international development policies and practices contribute to the creation of heteronormative economic structures that exclude people who do not fit within narrow sexuality and gender norms. The author focuses upon the findings arising from a participatory workshop ‘Sexuality and Economy’ that took place with a number of individuals marginalised as a result of their sexual identity. The workshop was run by Pink Space NGO Beijing and the Institute of Development Studies Sexuality and Development Programme in July 2010. The discussion revealed that whilst development policies and programmes focus on poverty reduction and economic growth, many people on low incomes still believe that exploring their desires around sex, relationships and gender expression are just as important as raising their material standards of living. In parallel, much more work is needed to ensure that poverty alleviation initiatives address the needs of people with stigmatised sexualities.Sid

Gender and Migration: Supporting Resources Collection

La migración tiene impactos potencialmente positivos o negativos en la igualdad de género y el desarrollo. Esta colección cuenta con una gama de materiales que exploran las conexiones entre migración, género y desarrollo, y qué se puede hacer para mitigar los riesgos de la migración y fomentar sus efectos positivos.Migration has potentially positive or negative impacts on both gender equality and development. This collection features a range of materials that explore the connections between migration, gender and development, and what can be done to mitigate the risks of migration and foster its positive effects

Pleasure and Empowerment: Connections and disconnections

Susie Jolly asks if we can reclaim sexual pleasure from the grip of the market and influence the terms on which the market engages with pleasure. She proposes a political perspective on sexuality which challenges the structures and ideologies that generate guilt and shame and make pleasure more accessible to some groups than others.

Not So Strange Bedfellows: Sexuality and international development

Susie Jolly in conversation with three activists whose work relates to sexuality, Henry Armas (GRUPAL, The Working Group for Participation, Peru), Pinar Ilkkaracan (Women for Women's Human Rights, Turkey), Veronica Magar (CARE, Asia Region) explores the links between sexual rights and international development. The conversations are based on the discussion she facilitated at a panel on sexual rights and development, with the aim of exploring development – sexuality connections and the possibilities for more positive and empowering approaches to sexuality. Development (2006) 49, 77–80. doi:10.1057/palgrave.development.1100208