The DSM-IV, a manual used in mental health to diagnose and pathologize ever so many facets of human behavior and experience, has a section on sexual and gender identity disorders. Tonight, I'll enjoy the thrilling experience of telling a classroom that is a bit heavily populated by naive counselors-in-training about all the paraphilias -- exhibitionism, voyeurism, S&M, etc. Normally, this might be a titilating experience. How often do you get to say "masturbation" repeatedly in front of a blushing crowd of young adults, many of whom may still harbor suspicions that the act in question leads to hairy palms? And how often do you get to make said youngsters squirm by showing them salacious video clips of "Secretary"?
It has fun written all over it.
And yet, I am troubled. That's because there's a gigantic, gaping chasm between what constitutes a paraphilia -- a pathological sex issue -- and what constitutes healthy, albeit perhaps unusual, human sexual behavior. I'm afraid some of my more naive, conservative or just down-right uptight classmates will not be able to make that distinction, no matter how it's explained to them. People who enjoy having sex in front of an audience, for example, are not the same kind of pervs who jack off for kids on the playground. Similiarly, people who like being members of the aformentioned audience are not to be categorized with the twiddle-dee-dees who peep on unsuspecting people through, say, a bathroom window. Regardless of how tightly wound a diagnostician may be, there's a huge difference between what happens among consenting adults and what constitutes victimization.
How exciting for me to get to draw that distiinction. I can't wait for the Q&A session.
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