Sex And Sexuality In The 18th Century Essay

Eighteenth century London, England was a time of great change. It is well understood that in the middle of this century Britain’s entire social landscape was altered as a result of the Industrial Revolution, and as manufacturing started to replace other forms of production and work. While there is some debate among historians regarding whether or not this process ultimately had a positive or negative impact on the people of England, a re-conceptualization of sex and sexuality is nonetheless thought to have occurred during this time period (Hitchcock 1997; Trumbach 1987, 1977). The following paper will discuss and analyze how sex and sexuality were re-conceptualized, or socially constructed as deviant and “unnatural” during the eighteenth century in London, England. This will be illustrated using data collected from the Old Bailey Proceedings Online archive. I will first begin with a historical background and framework, which suggests a “sexual revolution” was transpiring during this period (Hitchock 1997: 2). Second, I will describe the theoretical approach of social constructionism that I employ to analyze the data. Third, I will outline the …show more content…
Nonetheless, during this sexual revolution, and over the course of the eighteenth century, homosexual sex began to be increasingly associated with the effeminate. This association is likely due to a couple of factors. The first is the process of sexual differentiation that occurred between men and women, where men were supposed to be attracted to women, and not other men. The second is the rise of the molly house culture. These molly houses attracted men who were looking to have sex with other men, drink, dance and socialize. As these things occurred, harsher punishments increased throughout the century for cases of sodomy that were brought to