Different cultures have different ways of understanding sex.
This perspective is called social constructionism. I am interested in the social construction of sex, gender, consent, and coercion, and how these concepts intersect. My research, which focuses on rape and other forms of sexual coercion, is informed by the social constructionist perspective. I am a past President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, an interdisciplinary organization of researchers, educators, and therapists from the U.S. and around the world, dedicated to advancing knowledge about sexuality and communicating this knowledge to the public. I serve on the boards of the local rape crisis center and a group promoting civil rights for people of all sexual orientations.