Anal sex

Anal sex or anal intercourse is a commonly practiced form of human sexual behavior in some cultures. It involves the anus (or rectum), especially, but not limited to, the insertion of the erect penis into the rectum through the anus. The use of sex toys and other activities involving the anus and rectum may be considered anal sex as well. Anal sex can be pleasurable for both the insertive partner and the receptive partner, as the anus contains many of the same kinds of nerves as the penis or clitoris (it can also be unpleasurable for both partners, especially if performed forcefully or without lubrication).

Overview

The terms "sodomy" and "buggery" are imprecise, but are often used as synonyms for anal sex, particularly in older works. While they are sometimes used as synonyms for anal sex, they often also refer to various other sexual activities. For instance, depending upon the jurisdiction, the legal definition of sodomy may include any non-coitus act, including oral sex and zoophilia.

Related Topics:
Sodomy - Jurisdiction - Coitus - Oral sex - Zoophilia

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Anal sex has been taboo in many Western countries since the Middle Ages, when heretical movements were sometimes slandered by rumors that their members practiced anal sex among themselves. At that time the mainstream Christian clergy was not celibate, but the highest orders of some heretical sects were, leading to rumors that their celibacy was a sign of their attraction to members of the same sex. The term buggery originated in medieval Europe as an insult used to describe the rumoured same-sex sexual practices of the heretics from the Buggre sect. This sect originated in medieval Bulgaria, where its followers were called bogomils, but when they spread out of the country they were called buggres (from the ethnonym Bulgars).

Related Topics:
Taboo - Middle Ages - Heretical - Christian - Medieval - Europe - Bulgaria - Bogomil

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Some medieval woodcuts portray persons kissing the anus of a goat-like figure representing the Devil (christianity).

Related Topics:
Kiss - Devil

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As recently as 2003, several jurisdictions in the United States had statutory prohibitions making anal sex and other forms of sodomy a crime. Many of these statutes purported to prohibit anal sex by same-sex partners. In 2003, John Lawrence and Tyron Garner brought a landmark suit that challenged as unconstitutional Texas's anti-sodomy law before the Supreme Court. Lawrence and Garner had previously been apprehended in Lawrence's home in the act of anal sex, after a neighbor had made a false noise complaint to the local police. The Supreme Court struck down the Texas law by a 6–3 vote. Five of the justices joined the deciding opinion, which overturned the Court's previous ruling on sodomy in Bowers v. Hardwick. The Court reached the conclusion that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibited the state from regulating private behaviors between adults without furthering a legitimate state interest. The governmental interest behind the law, the moral objection to homosexuality, was held to not be a legitimate interest. (See Lawrence v. Texas.)

Related Topics:
United States - Sodomy - Texas - Supreme Court - Bowers v. Hardwick - Due Process Clause - Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution - Lawrence v. Texas

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Although it is also practiced by heterosexuals, anal sex is often associated with homosexual men. However, like persons of other sexual orientations, some gay men enjoy sexual activities of this kind while others do not.

Related Topics:
Heterosexual - Homosexual - Sexual orientation - Gay

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The vagina normally produces its own lubrication during sex; the rectum does not, so a store bought personal lubricant is recommended by most sexologists for an enjoyable anal sex experience.

Related Topics:
Vagina - Lubrication - Rectum - Personal lubricant

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