Human Sexuality and its Problems is an influential text in the arenas of sex research and psychosexual medicine. The current edition specifically aimed to incorporate the full range of perspectives on human sexuality. However, an analysis of the book found that sociological, social psychological, feminist and queer perspectives were still marginalised or lacking. In addition to this, the text was heteronormative in its construction of sexuality and sexual practice. An in-depth analysis of coverage of vaginismus and trans highlights problematic understandings of gender roles and their involvement in sexual difficulties, as well as little awareness of the diversity of gender identities and experiences.
BancroftJ (2009) Human Sexuality and its Problems, London: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.
2.
BarkerM(2007) Heteronormativity and the exclusion of bisexuality in psychology. In: ClarkeVPeelE (eds) Out in Psychology: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer Perspectives, Chichester: Wiley, pp. 86–118.
3.
BarkerM (2011a) Existential sex therapy. Sexual and Relationship Therapy. 26(1): 33–47.
4.
BarkerM (2011b) De Beauvoir, Bridget Jones’ pants and vaginismus. Existential Analysis. 22(2): 203–216.
5.
BarkerMLangdridgeD (2008) Bisexuality: Working with a silenced sexuality. Feminism & Psychology. 18(3): 389–394.
6.
BarkerMLangdridgeD (2010) Whatever happened to non-monogamies? Critical reflections on recent research and theory. Sexualities. 13(6): 748–772.
7.
BarrettJ (2007) Transsexual and Other Disorders of Gender Identity, Oxford: Radcliffe.
ClarkeVEllisSEPeelERiggsDW (2009) Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Psychology: An Introduction, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
10.
GijsLBrewaeysA (2007) Surgical treatment of gender dysphoria in adults and adolescents: Recent developments, effectiveness, and challenges. Annual Review of Sex Research. 18: 178–224.
11.
GoettschSL (1987) Textbook sexual inadequacy? A review of sexuality texts. Teaching Sociology. 15(3): 324–338.
12.
GrahamCA (2010) The DSM diagnostic criteria for female orgasmic disorder. Archives of Sexual Behavior. 39: 256–270.
13.
GregoireA (1999) Assessing and managing male sexual problems. British Medical Journal. 318: 315–317.
14.
GuirguisWR (1991) Reading about … sex therapy. The British Journal of Psychiatry. 159: 597–600.
15.
HartmannU (2010) The long-awaited Bible of sex research is back!. Journal of Sex Research. 47(5): 507–512.
16.
HegartyPLemieuxAMcQueenG (2010) Graphing the order of the sexes: Constructing, recalling, interpreting, and putting the self in gender difference graphs. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 98: 375–391.
17.
KleinplatzPJ (1998) Sex therapy for vaginismus: A review, critique and humanistic alternative. Journal of Humanistic Psychology. 38(2): 51–81.
18.
KruijverFPM (2004) Sex in the brain, Amsterdam: Netherlands Institute of Brain Research.
19.
Laan E (2010) A biopsychosocial perspective on women’s sexual problems. Presentation to the British Association for Sexual and Relationship Therapy conference, King’s College London, 20 November, 2010.
20.
LawrenceAA (2003) Factors associated with satisfaction or regret following male-to-female sex reassignment surgery. Archives of Sexual Behavior. 32(4): 299–315.
21.
McDonaldG (1981) Misrepresentation, liberalism, and heterosexual bias in introductory psychology textbooks. Journal of Homosexuality. 6: 45–59.
22.
MyersonMCrawleySLAnsteyEHKesslerJOkopnyC (2007) Who’s zoomin’ who? A feminist, queer content analysis of ‘interdisciplinary’ human sexuality textbooks. Hypatia. 2(1): 92–113.
23.
ReadJ (2010) Book review: Human sexuality and its problems. Sexual & Relationship Therapy. 25(2): 234–239.
24.
Richards C (forthcoming) Trans sexualisation. Psychology & Sexuality.
25.
RichardsCBarkerM (forthcoming) Sexuality and Gender for Counsellors, Psychologists and Health Professionals: A Practical Guide, London: Sage.
26.
SimoniJM(2000) Confronting heterosexism in the teaching of psychology. In: GreeneBCroomG (eds) Education, Research, and Practice in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Psychology: A Resource Manual, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, pp. 74–90.
27.
TieferL (1995) Sex is Not a Natural Act, Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Yanowitz KL and Weathers KJ (2004) Do boys and girls act differently in the classroom? A content analysis of student characters in educational psychology textbooks. Sex Roles 51(1/2): 101–107.
