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Part 1, We "Other Victorians"

• It is a commonly held belief that we have been supporting a Victorian regime regarding sexuality and that we are still dominated by it today. The following is a summary of that commonly understood regime.

• In the beginning of the 17th century sexual acts were pursued openly and sexuality was not considered illicit. There was no taboo regarding sex, and even children were aware of sexual behavior.

• Sexuality was gradually confined in the home, where it was a practical pursuit of reproduction by married couples.

• On the subject of sex, silence became the rule. Proper demeanor avoided contact with other bodies, and verbal decency sanitized speech.

• The brothel and the mental institute became the designated places of tolerance, and everywhere else puritanism imposed it's triple edict of taboo, nonexistence, and silence.
• If repression is the fundamental link between sexuality and power, it is not...

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