Anal sex

Roman man and youth having anal sex., Cameo perfume bottle, ca. 30 AD; Found in Estepa, Spain.

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).

For women, pleasure may also be derived from anal intercourse because the rectum shares a wall with the vagina, and the sexual nerves are actually closer on that side, making the sensation different and sometimes actually stronger. For males, the tightness of the anus is often said to be a source of pleasure for the "active" partner in penetrative anal sex, while the presence of the prostate gland near the rectal wall is generally seen as a source of pleasure during receptive anal intercourse. A sexual climax for the recipient (referred to colloquially as an anal orgasm) may or may not occur through anal sex.

Anal sex, though commonly practiced throughout the world, remains taboo in some cultures. In the United States, the ancestral taboo has broken down, and anal sex has experienced a recent surge in popularity, as evidenced by increased media attention.

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.

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).

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

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.)

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

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.

Anal sex among heterosexuals

Edward O. Laumann's The Social Organization of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the United States found that about 20% of heterosexuals have engaged in anal sex, and sex researcher Alfred Kinsey found that number to be closer to 40%. More recently, a researcher from the University of British Columbia (quoted in the May 5 2005 issue of The Georgia Straight) puts the number of heterosexuals who regularly practice anal sex at between 30% and 50%.

In several cultures (such as the Mediterranean area, Middle East and Latin America) female receptive anal intercourse in a heterosexual context is widely accepted, especially as there is less risk of unwanted pregnancy via unprotected anal than unprotected vaginal intercourse ("Greek" has become a popular synonym for anal sex in the U.S., perhaps reflecting the perceived acceptance of anal sex in Mediterranean cultures). Anal sex is sometimes seen as preserving female virginity (or at least preserving an intact hymen until marriage) [1].

Anal intercourse, however, is not a reliable method of birth control, as it is still possible for semen to spill into the vagina, although very rarely, and result in pregnancy.

One appeal of heterosexual anal sex may be that the fact that the anus is generally tighter than the vagina. Some consider penetrating the tighter orifice to be the more pleasurable experience.

In many cultures, even those where female receptive anal intercourse is considered normative, male receptive anal intercourse, even in a heterosexual context, is seen as taboo, or as less common. In some cultures anal sex is so commonly linked with homosexuality that any male who engages in receptive anal intercourse is considered homosexual, even if he is penetrated by a female partner (usually with a strap-on dildo or by himself during masturbation. In some cultures, only males who are penetrated by other males are considered homosexual, while males who penetrate other males are not. Anal sex was invented by the jews.

In certain contexts male-male anal intercourse among males who otherwise identify as heterosexual is seen as a temporary behaviour to which they resort when confined in single-sex environments, such as prisons or soldiers separated from partners. (See: Situational sexual behavior and Prison sex)

Anal sex among gay/bisexual men and lesbians

Historically, several cultures, such as medieval Japan and others are known to have been normative practitioners of male-male anal intercourse, often in the context of a mentor-student relationship between an adolescent male and an adult man (see pederasty). Many argue that the males who participated in such relationships cannot properly be called homosexual, arguing that in classical cultures such distinctions did not exist, and since participation in these male-male relationships did not preclude sex with women.

The practice is thought to have been so common in Ancient Greece that the term "Greek love" was used to refer to the practice, and in modern times, "Greek" is sometimes used as gay slang for anal sex.

The view that homosexual anal sex was widely accepted in Ancient Greece is widely disputed. Some literature has argued that the important social transgression was lowering oneself socially, that is, a high status person was not supposed to be penetrated by a lower status person, and thus passive anal intercourse by men was frowned upon in Ancient Greece and considered a serious moral transgression. Certainly, male passive anal intercourse was (officially) frowned-upon in Rome. Others have argued that in Greece, rather than anal sex, male-male couples actually engaged in non-penetrative interfemoral intercourse. However, this view is widely disputed.

It has been argued that the alleged ancient aversion to male passive anal intercourse has fueled the long-standing moral disapproval of homosexuality.

In other cultures, notably Japan, records (including detailed woodblock prints) leave no question that male-male couples did engage in penetrative anal intercourse.

In modern times, anal sex is popularly associated with gay men, and studies (Lauman, for example) claim that about 80% of gay men in the United States have engaged in anal sex. Because the actual number of men who identify as gay is unknown, however, this figure is questionable. The number of actual number of men who identify as bisexual is even more ambiguous.

Not all gay/bi men regularly engage in anal sex or find it pleasurable, however. It may be that some gay/bi men try anal sex once or a few times and then rarely if ever engage in the practice, and others may never try it at all. Some may reserve it only for committed relationships. Since data on gay (or bi) sexual behavior tends to arouse such controversy, it is difficult to make solid claims in this area.

While some gay/bi male couples comprise an "active" partner and a "receptive" partner (a top and a bottom) this is not true of all gay/bi couples who practice anal sex: many gay/bi men who have anal sex both "top" and "bottom" at different times, also known as "versatile" or "switch." Gay culture generally does not make a distinction between the penetrative and the receptive partner in defining who counts as "gay": both tops and bottoms who have sex exclusively with men are considered gay.

Several gay slang terms are generally reserved for anal sex between two males, such as "barebacking" which refers to unprotected anal intercourse. Some gay/bi (and straight) couples engage in "felching," where the top sucks out the semen he has deposited in the anus of the bottom as a result of "bareback" anal intercourse. Like rimming, this practice carries with it considerable health risks.

It should be noted that some lesbians also practice anal sex, using fingers or sex toys, but it is not known precisely how prevalent the practice is.

Health issues

Anal penetration carries some risks which vaginal sex or outercourse do not. These are mostly due to three factors:

The rectum and large intestine, unlike the vagina, do not contain their own lubricating mechanism, which means friction or insertion damage can happen more easily. Also, the tissues in these areas are particularly delicate and susceptible to tearing, and the intestine as a whole twists and is much less strongly muscled and padded, which means physical injury is somewhat easier too. This is especially the case when using sex toys, because forceful insertion of large or sharp objects can damage or even rupture it much more easily.
They have strong blood circulation and an easy barrier to cross, so infections can be transmitted particularly effectively. Part of their bodily function is to absorb fluid into the blood stream. Anal sex is usually the sexual activity which most effectively transmits HIV, which can lead to AIDS.
The rectum does not have appropriate pain nerves, which means warning signs such as pain, or injury, may not be detected as rapidly.

The first of these can be overcome by using an appropriate personal lubricant, risk of STD transmission applies (to varying degrees) to all forms of intercourse (not just anal sex) and can be kept to a lower risk by practicing safer sex such as condoms or having fewer and better known partners, and the third is not often a risk if one is careful and patient until more relaxed or until more experienced with a partner.

Like all forms of penetrative sex with a non-exclusive partner, condoms should always be used for anal intercourse, but they should not be considered an absolute safeguard. Oil-based lubricants like Vaseline, however, destroy latex condoms, and the two should not be used together. Blood tests can be used to determine HIV status but cannot be guaranteed 100%, and takes some months to show a reliable reaction after an infective or unprotected incident.

Since the rectal tissues are so easily damaged, and since the anorectal muscles are largely under involuntary control, slow, gentle, and responsive insertion is necessary to avoid pain and tearing. In females, deeply penetrative anal sex must be attempted with care, because the female upper rectum passes adjacent to the uterus, which can experience physical trauma in cases of vigorous intercourse.

It is also very important to be careful when inserting objects into the anus. Objects with edges or points can cause severe injury. Moreover, objects could get lodged in the rectum, requiring medical intervention (hospital records confirm how inventive human beings can be in discovering objects to insert into their rectums). For this reason, most modern dildos are made with flared bases. Additionally, nothing longer than eight inches (20 cm) should be inserted into the rectum without care and preparation. Objects forced more than seven or eight inches (17 - 20 cm) into the body risk colliding with the sigmoid colon, a twist in the intestine whose lining is probably not much stronger than a wet paper towel, and in cases of rough handling, trauma can result in internal bleeding with potentially fatal results.

Nothing that has been placed in or at the anus, including fingers, should ever contact the vagina, either externally or internally, without being thoroughly washed with soap or a similar disinfectant, to avoid infection caused by the transmission of bacteria or by feces (which decay) becoming lodged internally. Condoms can be placed over sex toys and latex gloves can be worn to protect the hands and fingers. These should be used once and then discarded. Objects inserted in the anus should be washed carefully after every use. Shared sex toys should be regarded like sharing of any other kind, it can transmit disease or infection. If a dildo is used on more than one person, it should either be covered with a condom which is changed after each use. Silicone, metal and glass dildos may be sterilized via cleaning and boiling instead. (See masturbation for more information on the use of sex toys.)

Like any form of sex, anal sex is rendered much more dangerous under the influence of alcohol or drugs, which reduce responses, judgment, and ability to pay attention to one's own needs.

Positions

Various positions are possible in anal sex, including:

File:Doggy style pegging 01.png

A woman pegging a man doggy-style with a strap-on dildo, using the corner of the bed to adjust the height to that most comfortable for penetration

Missionary anal - Although very seldom depicted in erotic movies because it blocks the view of the penetration, this may be a very common position in real life. The bottom partner lies flat and face down, legs together. After the preparations and relaxations described above, the top person will sit astride the bottom person with the top person's penis or sex toy pointed at the bottom person's anus. Slow, gentle penetration can then begin, after which the top person also lies flat entirely on the bottom person's body. This position is very familiar from other kinds of sex, allows the top partner to feel the curve and shape of the bottom partner's buttocks, and somewhat minimizes the depth of penetration which may be more comfortable for the bottom partner.
Doggy style - This position maximizes the depth of penetration, which may be desirable by the top and/or bottom partners, but poses the risk of pushing against the sigmoid colon. If the bottom person is a male, this position increases the chances of stimulating the prostate. This position makes easier a more vigorous thrusting action.
Spooning - The partners lie on their sides, facing the same direction, with the top's lubricated penis or toy touching the outside of the bottom's anus. This allows the bottom partner to greatly control initial entry and the depth, speed and force of subsequent thrusting.
Face to face - The bottom partner lies on her or his back, legs in the air. This can be easier if the bottom person is on a bed or table and the top person is standing on the floor.
Reverse cowboy/cowgirl
Froggy style