Opinion Paper #1: Key Event
A key event from the 20th century that I feel had an impact on my sexuality today is the discovery of penicillin. In the 1940’s the antibiotic penicillin was discovered as a treatment for STD’s. This was a huge breakthrough for the medical world and for the world of sexuality during that time, and for times to come. Because people knew they could be treated for certain types of common STD’s the fear of being promiscuous was decreased and desire for sexuality became greater. This has personally effected me today because with the developing sexuality came more and more ways to protect ourselves which is something I really value. The effort to promote safe sexual intercourse and knowing that we have today many more antibiotics to treat us when we encounter a sexually transmitted disease; as well as resources to practice safe sex and protect our bodies when having sexual intercourse to prevent any further transmission. So not only did it provide a treatment then, but it also promoted awareness of needing to be careful when having sex, which as I said above, set in motion a pursuit to make sexuality safe so that we could be more promiscuous. Without this development, maybe sexuality would have developed in different ways. In the decades following the 40’s when penicillin was discovered, sexuality blossomed in many different ways, and maybe this was because our society began to feel that they could explore it with less doubt and more confidence. I myself am grateful to know that I can practice safe sex, and also be treated for things I don’t always have control over. This makes me much mroe confident with my own sexuality today.