There is no doubt that the anus is an erogenous zone with an enormous symbolic, cultural and social charge. For a long time, sodomy was a capital sin, one of the worst that human beings could commit, with the extreme penalty of death at the stake. It was also the safest natural contraceptive and the only way for women to arrive at marriage virgins, although not inexperienced. Perhaps for this reason, it was synonymous with lasciviousness, a sexual act, between heteros, not intended for procreation and that disobeyed the divine command to “grow and multiply.” Anal sex entails, for many, a significant degree of submission; seasoned with the idea of dirt, as this is the area where the human body expels its waste.
“The crime of sodomy is a crime that comes from invention,” says Miguel Ángel Chamocho Cantudo, author of Sodomy. Crime and sin against nature or history of intolerance (Dykinson, 2012); in addition to being a professor of History of Law at the University of Jaén and a member of the Institute of History of Intolerance (Royal Academy of Legislation and Jurisprudence). “The invention of sodomy took place on the occasion of a specific and directed interpretation of a Hebrew text (Genesis 19), which deals with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah due to the alleged attempted homosexual rape perpetrated by the inhabitants of Sodom against the envoys. of God, housed in Lot’s house,” he explains. “Whether this event occurred or not, the truth is that the subsequent Catholic interpretation of this biblical passage was sufficient to consider this type of sexual practice as one of the sins contrary to the nature of things, which God ordained in the six days of the creation. Thanks to the influence of the Church, starting in the 4th century, in most of the European kingdoms this sin became a crime or crime, and one of the worst that human beings could commit, with ignominious persecution and with evidentiary procedural practices based on conjecture or more than doubtful testimony, which decreed a tremendous capital punishment, death at the stake,” the professor continues. “The passing of the years softened the exemplary execution of the sentence by which, and to avoid the suffering of the flames, those condemned as sodomites were first executed, generally by garrote, and later the body, now inert, was devoured.” by the flames.”
At first, this offense was committed mostly between people of the same sex. With the passage of time and the consideration that sexual relations had the sole purpose of procreation and pleasure was a simple accident (which was not desirable for it to come alone), the crime of sodomy in male-female unions also began to be considered. .
“An anonymous canonist from the 15th century identified these sexual practices as a crime when committed by the husband with his wife, because ‘the good of the offspring is put to the test in the case of the spouses,’ Chamocho emphasizes. “There was even a theorist, in the 17th century, the Franciscan Sinistrari D’Ameno, who published an entire work aimed at making society understand that sex between two women should also be considered a sodomitic relationship. Thus, the considered sexual vice in the female gender suffered the same fate as that of men.
As noted in Chamocho’s book, the decriminalization of the crime of sodomy was carried out with the Enlightenment and with the drafting of the first penal codes at the beginning of the 19th century, under the current of thought of rationalist natural law, which enshrined the principle of the freedom of human beings. “It was beginning to be understood that consensual, intimate sexual relations, regardless of whether or not they were aimed at procreation, inside or outside of marriage, and with people of the same sex or not, were part of the development of each person’s freedom. of the citizens, and the State cannot come in to criminalize these behaviors,” says Miguel Ángel Chamocho.
Although this practice was decriminalized, it was not freed from its halo of sin, fault or deviation and was then considered a pathological, unhealthy behavior that required a medical response through psychiatry. “This is how forensic medicine was born to assess and qualify “sexual inverts,” says this historian.
The rise of anal sex
“Today we can say that this practice has increased in frequency and that it is a common activity in young heterosexual couples,” says gynecologist and sexologist Francisca Molero, also director of the Ibero-American Institute of Sexology and president of the Spanish Federation of Sexology Societies. . “But not only that, there are also many men who, without considering themselves homosexual, have relationships with other men because they want to be penetrated, or they ask their female partners to do so with a dildo or sex toy.”
In this evolution of sexual behavior, some men consider exploring, firsthand, the pleasure that anal sex with their female partners can provide them. “The majority do it very timidly and even seek professional or social permission,” says Raúl González Castellanos, sexologist, psychopedagogue and couples therapist at the therapeutic support office A la Par, in Madrid. Serena, an erotic masseuse, who works in the capital and advertises on the internet, recognizes that many men ask her for the extra pegging (anal penetration with a dildo and a harness). “They are heterosexual, but they want to try this practice or they have already tried it and find it very exciting. However, they do not dare to ask their wives or partners for fear of their reaction,” she points out.
This revival sodomy may also have its part in the revaluation of the butt as an erotic element, now that the big asses are taking over (Jennifer Lopez or the Kardashians) and that people of both sexes are increasingly demanding buttock implants. “Anal sex has had a lot of prominence in other cultures, especially in African or Latin American countries,” says Molero, “since it is a practice that allows having relations while keeping the hymen intact, as proof of virginity. , something essential in many societies to be able to access marriage.”
A sensitive and very metaphorical area
“The sensitivity in the anus is due to the fact that it is a very enervated branch of the pelvic area. In women there is only one wall that separates the rectum from the vagina, and for many anal sex can be compared to the sensation produced by deep penetration,” says Molero. “In men, there is the whole issue of prostate stimulation; But, in addition, the anal sphincter is part of the pelvic floor and we have all heard about the relationship that this part of the anatomy has with orgasms and pleasure.”
He annilingus It is a practice that brings many people to heaven, although it is not easy to find volunteers to carry it out. “Any sexual activity related to the anus requires special delicacy, more time and dedication,” recalls Molero. “Anal sex is not compatible with rushing. You have to have a higher degree of excitement, you have to go little by little, use progressive dilations (with your hand or some erotic toy) and use some lubricant. It also requires a more powerful degree of erection and, above all, we must bear in mind that it is the sexual practice that entails the highest risk of contracting an STD. Therefore, a condom must be used, but often it is not done because the risk of pregnancy is zero. Let’s not forget that the anal mucosa is very vascularized. It is not like the vaginal one, which is stronger and has several layers. The anus has many blood vessels and it is easy for there to be small erosions that produce blood, which increases the risk of contracting an STD,” says this gynecologist.
In 2013, actress Isabelle Stoffel presented a monologue based on the autobiographical book in Madrid and at the Edinburgh Festival. The surrender by the New Yorker Toni Bentley, who dealt, among other things, with this issue. Well, in an interview with EL PAÍS, Stoffel argued theories like this: “In the ass, the truth always comes to light. A cock in an ass is like the needle of a lie detector. The ass cannot lie: if you lie, it hurts.” Or this one: “In sodomy, trust is everything. If you resist, they can really hurt you. With this practice I have learned a lot, but, above all, I have learned to surrender.”
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