Is sexuality a privilege?

In the mid-1990s, the international conventions on sexuality shifted to discuss sexuality as a human right.  The specific details of such a claim are unknown to me, but that is a powerful statement: sexuality is a human right.  Unfortunately, looking in the US, we can see that certain opportunities are constructed as unalienable rights, yet there exists an entire system that unevenly distributes access to such rights - some do not even have access to those rights.  I will use suffrage as an example: in theory, all US citizens have the right to vote.  In practice, there are barriers in place that make that right less accessible for some (new identification guidelines, etc) and inaccessible to others (many ex-felons have lost their right to vote). 

It is my intention here to raise the following question about sexuality: though we may construct it as a human right, even a human need that must be satisfied, is it really a privilege that some enjoy and others don't?  For several reasons, I would say it is a privilege.  Pulling from the notion of intersectionality (the interlocking of systems of oppression, including race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexuality, class, age, ability), I would argue that there are many who are free to enjoy and explore their sexual selves without (many) limitations, while there are others who face many limitations, and others are completely robbed of free sexuality.  In terms of class, the most obvious barrier is money and wealth.  In terms of money, individuals with low-levels of or no money are constrained in their ability to purchase sexual aides (toys, adult films) and reproductive supplies (condoms, dental dams, birth control).  They have fewer means to live out their sexual and romantic fantasies (a romantic weekend with one's partner).  And, in terms of wealth, sexuality may feel like a privilege or commodity, whereas other concerns take precedence.  Making sure that the heat stays on, one's family is fed and clothed, there is a car or bus fare, are dire concerns that must be negotiate daily, thus putting masturbation, romance, sex toys, and the like at a lower priority.  Individuals with a secure source of wealth are less concerned with these needs on the day to day basis, and thus can focus on their sexual selves.

With respect to gender, there are a limitless number of ways in which sexuality is constrained or completely denied.  We live in a culture that approves of rape and sexual assault against women through its silence.  We live in a culture where, not only is the violence against transgender and genderqueer people overlooked, but the people themselves remain invisible.  I would argue that many women and transpeople are limited in their sexual expression due to the fear of violence, threats of violence, and actual acts of violence.  Around the world, though specifically in certain parts, some women are constrained in their ability to ask that their husbands use condoms during intercourse or to ask about their sexual health and histories, and thus they are put at risk for a number of sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy.  By pointing out that some are freer in their sexual expressions than others, does this articulate a point of sexual privilege?  There are a number of other points as well, particularly the double standard that women face in enjoying their sexualities (e.g., prude vs. slut).

With respect to race, ethnicity, and nationality (all distinct, and thus not to be confused as redundant), people of color and immigrants continue to be exotified in the media and individuals fantasies.  They are sought after, often not as individuals, but as fetishes.  The disadvantage for people of color and immigrants that I am most concerned with is the barriers they face in terms of identifying with and residing in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities.  The mainstream gay identity is one that is Western, middle-class, white, and male.  Many people of color feel a pull between their sexual selves and their racial/ethnic selves, whereas the two are often constructed as opposite poles of some arbitrary spectrum.  To identify as gay is likely to deter from one's "authentic" racial or ethnic identity.  This, of course, is without even touching the perceptions of divisions between LGBT and racial minority communities (i.e., the prop 8 'Black vs. gay' divide).  But, of course, that is an issue as well that constraints the sexual lives of LGBT people of color and immigrants (e.g., racism, ethnocentrism, and xenophobia in LGBT communities and homophobia and heterosexism in communities of color and immigrant communities).

If we are to acknowledge that there is inequality with respect to sexuality, how do we address it?  How do we ensure that this human need constructed as a human right is accessible to all?  Should reproductive resources be free and accessible to everyone?  (In some places condoms are freely available, but less so female condoms, dental dams, lube, etc.)  Should sexual aides, including sex toys, be free and accessible to all?  Should all rights afforded to heterosexual married couples be afforded to all same-gender couples, and even to romantic partnerships of three or more people?  Should every effort be made to ensure that people with disabilities or physical limitations due to age can achieve the same sexual and romantic pleasure as those without such physical and/or mental limitations?  I'm a bit of a radical, so I'd say yes.  But, because of the way that sexuality is linked with other axes of oppression, namely race, ethnicity, gender, ability, age, and nationality, because of the strong Puritan roots of the US, and because of the increasing commercialization of sex, sexuality, and desire, it seems too far-fetched to suggest such things as free and accessible birth control, or free dildos, health care professionals seeking out sex workers (in a system of legalized sex work) for their patients, and so on.

My point in writing all of this is to suggest that we consider the role of class with respect to sexuality and sexual pleasure in our nascent sexual literacy movement.  I applaud the considerations of religion and spirituality, race and ethnicity, gender, ability, and age, but we must realize that class deeply intersects with sexuality, as well as these other axes.  Thus may start with pushing further the concept of sexuality as a human right, which I fear has been accepted among sexuality rights advocates and researchers, but not within US society.