Expert says oral sex is 'proper' sex after polling showed that almost half of Britons think otherwise
Date: 2023-08-06 Author: Karina Ziganova Categories: BLOG 18+
In a YouGov poll, more than 5,800 Brits were asked if they thought sexual acts other than intercourse could be considered sex.
According to the results, almost half of the respondents do not consider oral sex to be considered sex, regardless of which gender gives or receives. Meanwhile, 40 to 41 percent said they did.
A higher proportion of people do not consider manual penile stimulation (52 percent) or manual clitoral stimulation (48 percent) to be considered "sex."
"Considering sex as an all-encompassing term has been more common among LGBT+ people, I find it surprising that it's not more accepted."
The survey found that sexuality plays a large role in shaping opinions about what constitutes "sex".
Gays and bisexuals were significantly more likely to say that oral sex with a man is considered sex (57 percent), while lesbians and bisexual women said the same thing about oral sex with a woman (54 percent).
The results also showed a gap between generations. Britons over 50 (54 to 56 percent) were more likely to consider oral sex with men and women sex. However, YouGov said the numbers are "virtually reversed" for respondents under the age of 50.
Knight added: “We really need to move away from the thought process that sex is only valid when it comes to penetration – not only to be more inclusive of different sexual preferences and body types, but also because sex is much more than penetration and orgasms.
“Sex is ultimately about intimacy, pleasure and fun. All this can be achieved without penetration,” she added, suggesting stimulation of erogenous zones other than the genitals.
Knight also recommended "intimate touching" and "dirty talk" as activities that could be considered "sex" because "they all achieve what "sex" is supposed to achieve - sensual pleasure and intimacy."
Blaming the "poor level of sex education" in the UK for attitudes like those found in the survey, as well as "intrinsic shame associated with sex and pleasure".
