Leonore Tiefer

Sex is Not a Natural Act, and other essays

Sex is Not a Natural Act: Table of Contents

Part One: Sex is Not a Natural Act: Theme and Variations

1. Am I normal? The question of sex
2. Social constructionism and the study of human sexuality
3. Sexual biology and the symbolism of the natural
4. Historical, scientific, feminist, and clinical criticism of the human sexual response cycle

Part Two: Popular writings on the theme

1. Six months at the daily news
2. Kinsey lecture on kiss
3. From Niagara to Viagra: Why is it so hard to just talk about sex?
4. Interview in MS magazine
5. McDonaldization of Sex
6. Doing the Viagra Tango

Part Three: Feminism and sexuality

1. An activist in sexology
2. Biological Politics (read: propaganda) Remains Alive and Well in Sexology
3. Gender and meaning in the nomenclature of sexual dysfunctions
4. Some harms to women of restrictions on sexually related expression
5. Toward a feminist sex therapy
6. The capacity for outrage: feminism, humor and sex

Part Four: The Medicalization of Sexuality

1. Sexism in sex therapy – whose idea is ‘sensate’ focus?
2. Women’s Sexuality, Not a Matter of Health
3. Medicalization of impotence: normalizing phallocentrism
4. Pleasure, medicalization and the tyranny of the natural
5. Sexology and the Pharmaceutical Industry: The threat of co-optation

Part Five: The creation of "Female Sexual Dysfunction"

1. Female Sexual Dysfunction: A new disorder is created for women
2. A New View of Women’s Sexual Problems
1. The Selling of Female Sexual Dysfunction
2. A New Sexual World – NOT!
3. The Pink Viagra Story: We have the drug, but what’s the disease?

Conclusion

Selected Works

TV and print media interviews and quotes on sexuality and pharmaceutical topics
Recent Media
Most recently "PBS' "Need to Know," photo and story June 17, 2010 in New York Times, and, in recent years: ABC "Nightline," CBS "Sunday Morning," ABC/CBS/NBC Nightly News programs, ABC "Good Morning America," NBC "Today;" New York Times, LA Times, Washington Post, Seatlle Times, MS. magazine, Psychology Today magazine, many more
Recent Media.
Appearances in ABC-TV "Nightline," CBS-TV "Sunday morning," ABC/NBC/CBS Nightly News, NBC "Today," Quotes in Boston Globe, LA Times, NY Times, Washington Post, The Independent (UK), Seattle Times, Psychology Today magazine, Science, Miami Herald, etc.
Recent lecture (2007)
Recent plenary lecture: "The Marketing of Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD): Illuminating Current Issues in Sexuality and Public Health"
Analysis of role of pharmaceutical industry in creating and promoting "female sexual dysfunction" in order to sell drug products.
Article
Female Sexual Dysfunction: A Case Study of Disease Mongering and Activist Resistance
Provocative critique of how pharmaceutical companies create sexual disorders and the role of consumer activism and resistance.
Collected essays
Sex is Not a Natural Act, and other essays
Popular and professional writings on contemporary sexual life. "An important book"
--The Nation
Essays
A New View of Women's Sexual Problems
Diverse commentaries on the New View Campaign Manifesto, plus essays on new sex research on women