Introduction: The Sexual Body

We tend to think of the use of our body for sex as an intensely personal concern. All things being equal, people would prefer that the state keep out of the bedroom. Among other things, sexual acts are extremely pleasurable, bind two or more individuals together, even if only for the briefest period of time, serve as the basis of intense intimacy, allow for reproduction, and, perhaps even more so than religion, inspire countless artists to create paintings, songs, plays, and novels of the highest order. Hirst introduces the second part of this issue by exploring how sex, which is something so critical to identity and well-being, can be controlled by the state. The papers in this section underscore how difficult it can be to keep the state not only out of the bedroom, but away from our sexual bodies altogether.