“It’s a Vibe: How Sexual Orientation Lost the “Sex”” by Katherine Dee is a profound exploration of the evolution of sexual orientation and identity in the digital age. It is a journey that takes us from the concrete to the abstract, from the physical to the emotional, and from the tangible to the nebulous.
Her article begins with a startling revelation from a 2016 study that one in five sexually active, openly lesbian-identified teen girls had recently had a male sex partner. This finding, initially puzzling, has become less surprising over time as the definitions of sexual orientation and gender identity have become increasingly fluid and detached from physical experience.
Dee says these fluid identities are now more about feelings and self-perception than about who one is physically attracted to or has sex with.
Her essay further delves into the role of the internet in this shift, particularly the rise of online affinity networks and fandoms. These digital communities, driven by shared interests and untethered from geography, have allowed for a more fluid and flexible understanding of identity. As our lives become more internet-based and disembodied, we are seeing a shift in people choosing identities that reflect their internal essence rather than their lived experiences or inherited traits.
In the words of Geoff Shullenberger, the French philosopher Michel Foucault (1926-1984)
“transferred the primary locus of sex from body to soul and recast the relevant sex acts and outward manifestations as external expressions of an inner essence.”
This unfruitful recasting by Foucault cultivates the logic of Gender Ideology. Far too many in the West have fallen for this body/soul dismemberment. And as a result our culture is reaping a bitter harvest of mutilated young bodies.
Sexual orientation, and indeed many aspects of identity, have become more about a shared sensibility or “vibe” than about concrete behaviors or experiences. This shift is a reflection of the broader changes in our society and culture brought about by, among other things, the digital age.
What does it mean for our understanding of identity when it becomes detached from physical reality? How does this shift impact our relationships, our communities, and our sense of self?
Are we losing Sex? In some minds, yes. But our bodies will not lie.
+++
God Created The Visible & Invisible