lets talk about sex

On starting my research on Darwin and sexuality I was overwhelmed. Where do I start? Does Darwin even address sexual identity in his theory of evolution? These were all questions that vexed me and to be honest, hindered my initial research. I have now started to come to the realization that Darwin may not have explicitly written anything about gender identity or sexuality, but he started the conversation on sex. Darwin published during the Victorian era, a time when sex was considered necessary, but an evil only to be permitted in the institution of heterosexual marriage. People were not educated on the mechanisms of sex and saw sex and love as a mysterious, and (sometimes) divine part of humanity. Darwin changed this repressive culture of sex by uncovering the shroud of mystery behind sex, and pointing out its universal role in the natural world. Without Darwin, our understanding of sex and sexuality may have been a few years behind what it is today. It will be interesting to see how other scientists were inspired by Darwin’s naturalistic approach to sex.

Mary