Abstract

My dissertation involves an examination of current philosophical literature in the area of sexual ethics. Specifically, I examine the book Good Sex: Perspectives on Sexual Ethics by Raymond Belliotti and argue that his analysis is hindered by an unjustified reliance on essentialist conceptions of gender and sexuality. I develop this critique by referring to a number of recent texts, including Pomosexuals: Challenging Assumptions about Gender and Sexuality, edited by Carol Queen and Lawrence Schimel, and Real, Live, Nude, Girl by Carol Queen. I argue that the non-essentialist understandings of sex and gender gleaned from these texts offer us a different, and more philosophically useful, perspective for both describing and understanding moral dilemmas in the area of sexual relations. ;To demonstrate this assertation, I closely examine three current dilemmas in the area of sexual ethics: the issue of barebacking ; sadomasochism; and the controversy within the lesbian community concerning lesbian sexual activity with men. In the philosophical discussion of each moral dilemma, I draw upon a non-essentialist understanding of sex and gender to argue for a more complex and complete analysis of each dilemma than that suggested by Belliotti's work. ;My work with these three case studies has broader implications for how we approach ethical problems in general. I contend that our answers to moral problems will be unnecessarily limited if we do not accurately describe the problem we seek to answer. When ethical dilemmas arise which involve stigmatized and misunderstood individuals and cultures, as is often the case with particular sexual communities, it becomes all the more important to be certain that our moral descriptions are unbiased and accurate. This often means trying to understand the dilemma within the context in which it arises. For example, I argue that we will have an incomplete understanding of the phenomenon of barebacking if we do not consider the values and history of the gay male community, where barebacking takes place. In this way, my work highlights the important role that moral description plays in ethical decision-making