The looks at gender and sexuality in the centuries leading up to, and inclusive of, the period covered in Parts I and II of LGBTQ History and Culture since 1940, providing context to the materials in those collections. It examines topics such as patterns of fertility and sexual practice; prostitution; religion and sexuality; the medical and legal construction of sexualities; and the rise of sexology. It not only offers a reflection of the cultural and social attitudes of the past, but also a window into how sexuality and gender roles were viewed and changed over time.
Sex and Sexuality, Sixteenth to Twentieth Century