title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: Lara returns to London, where she formally accepts her inheritance and inadvertently discovers that Trinity's front company, Patna, is a subsidiary of Croft Holdings. She investigates further and suspects Ana is an agent of Trinity and manipulated her into accepting her inheritance to take control of Croft Holdings' business operations when Richard stopped cooperating with Trinity. Having witnessed Trinity's ruthlessness firsthand, she prepares for her next adventure. Later, Lara returns to Alan's pawnshop to buy back her pendant and also purchases two identical guns.


title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: Additionally, Antonio Aakeel plays Lara's friend Nitin. Duncan Airlie James plays Terry, a mixed martial arts club operator. Josef Altin portrays Lara's boss Bruce, Billy Postlethwaite and Roger Nsengiyumva appear as Bill and Rog, Lara's co-workers and opponents at the race, and Michael Obiora portrays Baxter, the Croft Holdings' receptionist.


title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: In 2007, Warner Bros. Pictures purchased film rights from Paramount Pictures as a turnaround for a potential film reboot (four years after Angelina Jolie stepped down as Lara Croft from ), with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer also purchasing half of it in 2009. GK Films first acquired the rights to make the film in 2011. Initially, Megan Fox, Jennifer Lawrence, Olivia Wilde and Mila Kunis were originally rumored to play as Lara Croft, but all had declined. Norwegian director Roar Uthaug came on board in November 2015, and Alicia Vikander was cast as the new Lara Croft in April 2016. "Deadline Hollywood" had previously reported that Daisy Ridley was considered for the role, but Ridley later described it as "the craziest rumor [she had] ever heard about [her]self". Walton Goggins was announced to play the villain in December 2016, and much of the rest of the cast was revealed in early 2017.


title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: Principal photography began on January 23, 2017, in Cape Town, South Africa, and wrapped on June 9, 2017, at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in Hertfordshire, England. Wilton House near Salisbury in Wiltshire was the location for exterior shots for Croft Manor. The waterfall sequence involving the plane was filmed at a waterpark at Lee Valley, outside London, at a venue that had been built for the 2012 Summer Olympics, and was combined with footage filmed in South Africa.


title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: The visual effects are provided by Scanline VFX and supervised by Nick Crew and Paul Linden with the help of Method Studios, Rising Sun Pictures, Mr. X, Soho VFX, Zero VFX, and Factory VFX.


title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: On June 14, 2017, It was announced that Tom Holkenborg signed on as the film's composer after being removed from "Justice League". The soundtrack was released digitally on March 9, 2018, by Sony Classical Records, with the physical edition being released on March 16, 2018, followed by the vinyl on August 24, 2018.


title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: "Tomb Raider" premiered on March 2, 2018, in Berlin, Germany, at an exclusive preview with guests and cosplaying fans. It was released in the United States on March 16, 2018, by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film received an IMAX 3D and a RealD 3D release. It also received a 4DX release in selected countries.


title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: Outside the US, the film was released in most territories between March 8–16, 2018, in Japan on March 21, 2018, and in Poland on April 6, 2018.


title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: To promote the release of the film, Mattel released a promotional Barbie doll based on Lara Croft to tie in with the release. The doll is sculpted in the likeness of Alicia Vikander and features full articulation and a doll stand. The doll was designed by veteran doll designer Bill Greening as a Black Label Collector doll and released on February 19, 2018. Square Enix also promoted the film for its Final Fantasy mobile game, "Final Fantasy Brave Exvius", with Lara Croft being its playable character.


title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: "Tomb Raider" was released on digital streaming platforms on May 29, 2018. A 4K UHD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD release occurred on June 12, 2018. It was released in Australia on June 18, 2018, for Blu-ray, Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, and DVD.


title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: "Tomb Raider" grossed $58.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $216.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $274.7 million, against a production budget in the range of $90–106 million. To break even, estimations say the film needed to gross at least $275 million worldwide. According to MGM's 2020 Q2 earning reports, "Tomb Raider" is producing net revenue for the studio.


title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: In the United States and Canada, "Tomb Raider" was released alongside "Love, Simon" and "I Can Only Imagine", and was projected to gross $23–29 million from 3,854 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $9.1 million on its first day (including $2.1 million from Thursday night previews). It went on to open to $23.5 million, finishing second at the box office, behind "Black Panther" ($27 million in its fifth week). It fell 55% to $10.6 million in its second weekend, finishing 5th at the box office. It grossed $4.9 million in its third weekend, falling 51% and finishing seventh.


title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: Internationally, the film opened in nine Asian countries a week before its United States debut. It made $14.2 million over the weekend, with Korea's $2.9 million being the biggest market. The film opened in China on March 16, 2018, and made $12.3 million the first day. It was the fifth-highest-grossing day for a Warner Bros. film, opening 6% higher than "Wonder Woman", and went on to debut to $41 million. , the film's largest markets were China ($78.4 million), the United Kingdom ($10.4 million), France ($10.1 million), and the CIS countries ($7.5 million).


title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of based on reviews and an average rating of . The website's critical consensus reads, ""Tomb Raider" reboots the franchise with a more grounded approach and a star who's more than up to the task—neither of which are well served by an uninspired origin story." At the time of its release, it was the best-reviewed movie based on a video game on the site. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 48 out of 100, based on 52 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, the same score earned by the 2001 film; PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it a 70% positive score.


title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: Michael Phillips of the "Chicago Tribune" gave the film 2 out of 4 stars and said, "The Lara Croft reboot "Tomb Raider" isn’t half bad for an hour. Then there’s another hour. That hour is quite bad. It’s no fun watching your action heroine get shoved, punched, and kicked to the sidelines of her movie, while the menfolk take over and take turns overacting before expiring." Todd McCarthy of "The Hollywood Reporter" gave the film a mixed review, criticizing the story but praising Vikander, and writing, "When all the one-dimensional supporting characters and familiar action moves fall by the wayside, the one thing left standing is Vikander...The film strains credulity even for a vid-game fantasy by letting the leading lady recover quickly from bad injuries, but other than that Vikander commands attention and is the element here that makes "Tomb Raider" sort of watchable." Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave it 2 out of 5 and wrote: "Throughout Vikander maintains a kind of serene evenness of manner. Blandness is Lara’s theme."


title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: Owen Gleiberman of "Variety" praised the film, saying that "The exciting surprise of the new "Tomb Raider", directed by the Norwegian genre specialist Roar Uthaug, is that it doesn’t tamp down Vikander’s inner flame, or the three-dimensionality of her talent; it doesn’t fold and insert her into an overly gymnastic and CGI-happy thrill ride. The movie is full of vine-swinging, bow-and-arrow-shooting, ancient-spirit-meeting action, but most of it is staged on a convincing human scale, one that’s been expertly tailored to its star’s understated directness." Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, and said, "this is a beautifully crafted and unpretentious piece of action cinema, with several sequences that are as gorgeous as they are thrilling, and a female hero who's as elegant as she is deadly: an ass-kicking Audrey Hepburn." IndieWire's Anne Thompson wrote that Tomb Raider "was a well-mounted, intelligently wrought adventure, more grounded in the real world than its fantasy predecessors" and that "it establishes the action bonafides of both Vikander and director Roar Uthaug".


title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: At the 2018 Teen Choice Awards, the film received nominations for "Choice Action Movie" and Alicia Vikander as "Choice Action Movie Actress", but lost both to "" and Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow in "Avengers: Infinity War", respectively.


title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: In 2015, Adrian Askarieh, producer of the "Hitman" films, stated that he hoped to oversee a shared universe of Square Enix films with "Just Cause", "Hitman", "Tomb Raider", "Deus Ex", and "Thief", but admitted that he does not have the rights to "Tomb Raider".


title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: Before the release of the first film, Alicia Vikander expressed interest in returning as Lara Croft for a second film, stating that "If there's an audience out there for it, then I would love to". In April 2019, Amy Jump was hired to write a script for a possible sequel, with Vikander attached. In September 2019, Ben Wheatley, Jump's husband, signed on to direct the sequel, with a planned March 19, 2021 release date, with Warner Bros. Pictures dropping out of the project. It was announced that filming would start in early 2020 in England.


title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: According to "Geek Vibes Nation", principal photography was scheduled to start in April with filming taking place across several countries including England, South Africa, Finland, and China, and looking to deliver a faithful adaptation of the games' story. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, production was delayed, with filming due to take place in England and South Africa; and the film was removed from the studio's release schedule.


title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: In January 2021, Misha Green signed to replace Jump and Wheatley respectively as writer and director. The film was going to be released theatrically in the U.S. via Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s distribution and marketing joint venture United Artists Releasing, and internationally through Warner Bros. Pictures.


title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: In May 2021, Misha Green confirmed via her official Twitter account that the first draft of the script, with the working title "Tomb Raider: Obsidian", had been completed. In July of the same year, Vikander told Collider that the sequel is still happening but has not been greenlit yet. In September that year, Green responded to a fan question about the status of the film on her Twitter account, indicating that she was still set to direct her own script.


title: Tomb Raider (film)

text: In July 2022, it was reported that MGM had lost the film rights to the "Tomb Raider" franchise, after the window ran out to give the sequel the green light, culminating in Vikander's departure from the lead role. During this time, rights were reverted to its original game companies (Eidos and Crystal Dynamics), which were later acquired by Embracer Group in the third quarter of 2022, and has prompted a bidding war among other film studios.


title: Jason Kidd

text: Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Regarded as one of the greatest point guards and passers of all time, Kidd was a 10-time NBA All-Star, a five-time All-NBA First Team member, and a nine-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. He won an NBA championship in 2011 as a member of the Dallas Mavericks and was a two-time gold medal winner in the Olympics with the U.S. national team in 2000 and 2008. He was inducted as a player into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In October 2021, Kidd was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.


title: Jason Kidd

text: Kidd played college basketball for the California Golden Bears and was drafted second overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 1994 NBA draft. He was named co-NBA Rookie of the Year in his first season with the Mavericks, along with Grant Hill. Then, from 1996 to 2001, Kidd played for the Phoenix Suns and later for the New Jersey Nets from 2001 to 2008. He led the Nets to two consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003. In the middle of the 2007–08 season, Kidd was traded back to Dallas. At age 38, Kidd won his only NBA championship when Dallas defeated Miami in the 2011 finals. He finished his playing career in 2013 with the New York Knicks. The following season, he became the head coach of the Nets, who had relocated from New Jersey to Brooklyn. After one season, he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, where he coached for four seasons until he was fired mid-season in 2018. After a season off, he was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he won an NBA championship in 2020; he reunited with the Mavericks organization in 2021 to become the franchise’s head coach, reaching the Western Conference Finals in his first season there.


title: Jason Kidd

text: Kidd's ability to pass and rebound made him a regular triple-double threat, and he retired ranked third all-time in the NBA for regular season triple-doubles with a career total of 107 and third in playoff triple-doubles with a career total of 11. He ranks second on the NBA all-time lists in career assists and steals and 13th in three-point field goals made.


title: Jason Kidd

text: Kidd was born in San Francisco, and raised in an upper middle class section of Oakland. His father, Steve, was African-American, and his mother, Anne, is Irish-American. As a youth, Kidd was highly scouted for AAU teams and tourneys, garnering various all-star and MVP awards. He attended the East Oakland Youth Development Center and frequented the city courts of Oakland, where he often found himself pitted against future NBA Hall of Famer Gary Payton.


title: Jason Kidd

text: At St. Joseph Notre Dame High School in Alameda, under the guidance of coach Frank LaPorte, Kidd led the Pilots to consecutive state championships, averaging 25 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds and 7 steals his senior season. During that year, he also received a host of individual honors, including the Naismith Award as the nation's top high school player, and was named Player of the Year by "PARADE" and "USA Today". The all-time prep leader in assists (1,155) and the state's seventh-highest career scorer (2,661 points), Kidd was voted California Player of the Year for the second time and also a McDonald's All-American. On January 31, 2012, Kidd was honored as one of the 35 Greatest McDonald's All Americans.


title: Jason Kidd

text: After a highly publicized recruiting process, Kidd shocked many fans and pundits alike by choosing to attend the nearby University of California, Berkeley—a school that was coming off a 10–18 season and had not won a conference title since 1960—over a number of top-ranked collegiate programs including the University of California, Los Angeles, University of Arizona, the University of Kentucky, the University of Kansas, and Ohio State University.


title: Jason Kidd

text: In his first year playing for the Golden Bears, Kidd averaged 13.0 points, 7.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.8 steals per game which earned him national Freshman of the Year honors and a spot on the All-Pac-10 team. His 110 steals set an NCAA record for most steals by a freshman and set school record for most steals in a season, while his 220 assists that season was also a school record. His play was also a key factor in the resurgence of Cal basketball and helped the Golden Bears earn an NCAA Tournament bid, where they upset two-time defending national champion Duke in the second round of that tournament before losing to Kansas in the Sweet 16.


title: Jason Kidd

text: Kidd continued his success as a sophomore, tallying averages of 16.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 9.1 assists, breaking his previous school record for most assists in a season with 272, while also leading the nation in that category. He was also selected a First Team All-American, the first Cal player to be so named since 1968, as well as Pac-10 Player of the Year, becoming the first sophomore to receive that honor. The Golden Bears made the NCAA Tournament again as a fifth seed, but was upset in the first round by Dick Bennett's Wisconsin–Green Bay team 61–57. Kidd was also named a finalist for both the Naismith and Wooden Awards as college basketball's top player and subsequently opted to enter the NBA draft in 1994. In 2004, Cal retired Kidd's number 5 jersey.


title: Jason Kidd

text: Kidd was selected as the second pick overall by the Dallas Mavericks, behind Glenn Robinson of Purdue, and just ahead of Duke's Grant Hill. In his first year, he averaged 11.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 7.7 assists, and led the NBA in triple doubles, sharing 1995 NBA Rookie of the Year honors with Hill of the Detroit Pistons. The year before the Mavericks drafted Kidd, they finished the season with the worst record in the NBA at 13–69. After Kidd's first season with the Mavericks, their record improved to 36–46 which, at 23 games, was the largest improvement in the NBA.


title: Jason Kidd

text: In the following season Kidd was voted a starter in the 1996 All-Star Game. In his first two years with the Mavericks, the move most people associated him with was "the baseball pass". Kidd was a member of the "Three J's" in Dallas along with Jim Jackson and Jamal Mashburn. After promising beginnings, things turned sour among the trio. Mashburn's injury combined with deteriorated personal relations between the immature leaders of the team resulted in the Mavericks taking a step backwards instead of further development. Kidd's continued problems with the coaches affected the Mavericks' decision to trade their young star just in his third season in the league.


title: Jason Kidd

text: Kidd was traded to the Phoenix Suns with Tony Dumas and Loren Meyer for Michael Finley, A. C. Green, and Sam Cassell during the 1996–97 season. In his first full season with the Suns in 1997–98, the team's win total improved by 16 games. The Suns, who finished the season with a 56–26 record, had been recognized for their fast-paced style of play with Kidd frequently leading a small lineup of four guards (Kidd, Kevin Johnson, Rex Chapman and Steve Nash) being on the floor at the same time together with Antonio McDyess playing at center. In the playoffs, Phoenix was eliminated in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs led by their Hall of Fame Twin Towers duo, David Robinson and Tim Duncan.


title: Jason Kidd

text: In the 1998–99 season, Kidd averaged 10.8 assists per game to dethrone Washington's Rod Strickland as the league's assists leader. He also led the NBA with seven triple-doubles (the rest of the league had just 11) and was second in the NBA with 41.2 minutes per game (behind Allen Iverson's 41.5 mpg). Kidd averaged career highs in points (16.9 ppg), field goal percentage (.444), rebounds (6.8 rpg, best among NBA guards) and steals (2.28 spg, fourth in the NBA) and was the only player to be ranked among the top 50 in the NBA in 10 different statistical categories. The Suns won all seven of the games in which he had triple-doubles.


title: Jason Kidd

text: The Suns acquired Penny Hardaway from the Orlando Magic before the start of the 1999–00 season in hope of creating the best backcourt duo in the league. The combination of Kidd and Hardaway in the starting lineup was often labeled as the "BackCourt 2000". Despite a decent 53–29 record, the Suns' season was spoiled by injuries to both of their superstars. Kidd, who broke his ankle late in the regular season, returned during the playoffs to help his team to beat the defending champion San Antonio Spurs and advance to the second round for the first time in his career. The Spurs were missing Tim Duncan because he injured his meniscus shortly before the end of the regular season and was unable to play in the playoffs.


title: Jason Kidd

text: The 2000–01 season was affected by Kidd's personal problems as he was charged with domestic abuse of his wife. The Suns, who struggled in the middle part of the season, finished strongly with a 15–6 record to secure another 50-win season. Kidd took on more of the offensive load after his teammates encouraged him to be more selfish. He recorded 30-plus points six times on the year and five times in the last 19 games. In one particular hot stretch, he scored 36, 32 and 31 in three consecutive games in mid-March, prior to which he had never recorded consecutive 30-point games.


title: Jason Kidd

text: During his stay in Phoenix, Kidd made the All-Star Game in 1998, 2000, and 2001 (in 1999 it was not held because of a lockout) and led the NBA in assists for three consecutive years (1999–2001). It was also with the Suns that Kidd rose to the status of the league's best playmaker as he was voted to the All-NBA First Team and NBA All-Defensive Team three years in a row (1999–2001).


title: Jason Kidd

text: On June 28, 2001, after five seasons in Phoenix in which the team made the playoffs each year, Kidd was traded, along with Chris Dudley, to the New Jersey Nets for Stephon Marbury, Johnny Newman, and Soumaila Samake. Kidd joined the franchise as the team was constructed around a sophomore Kenyon Martin, veterans Kerry Kittles and Keith Van Horn, along with the rookies Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins, and Brandon Armstrong coming from the draft-day trade for the seventh pick Eddie Griffin. The 2001–02 season saw Kidd lead the Nets to a 52–30 finish, a 26-game improvement from the season before and the first 50-win season in the franchise's NBA history. He was voted to the All-NBA First Team and finished second to the Spurs' Tim Duncan in MVP voting. Many critics and fans have argued that Kidd deserved to win the award because of his impact in New Jersey—transforming the Nets from perennial league doormats into championship contenders seemingly in the space of a single training camp.


title: Jason Kidd

text: Under Kidd's guidance, the young Nets team prospered through the playoffs, won the Eastern Conference title and advanced to the franchise's first-ever appearance in the NBA Finals. Along the way they had some memorable moments including a double overtime victory against the Indiana Pacers in the decisive Game 5. Indiana's Reggie Miller forced the first overtime with a 35-foot three-pointer at the buzzer and the second one with a two-handed dunk, but the Nets eventually survived and beat Indiana 120–109. Kidd scored 20 of his then playoffs-best 31 points in the fourth quarter and overtimes. After defeating the Charlotte Hornets 4–1 in the second round, the Nets then faced the Boston Celtics in the Conference Finals. In that series Kidd and the Nets experienced the biggest fourth quarter collapse in the playoffs' history, when the Celtics came back from a 21-point deficit to win the pivotal Game 3, taking a 2–1 series lead. However, the Nets then won three consecutive games, while Kidd averaged a triple double for the entire series. In the NBA Finals the Nets were swept in four games by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers.


title: Jason Kidd

text: New Jersey enjoyed another stellar season under Kidd's leadership in the 2002–03 season, during which the team finished 49–33 and reached the NBA finals once again. Kidd had his highest scoring season with 18.7 points per game and led the league in assists with 8.9 per game. This time Kidd was selected to the All-NBA Second Team. In the playoffs after splitting the first four games with the Milwaukee Bucks, the Nets recorded a 10-game winning streak, while sweeping the Celtics and the Detroit Pistons on the way to their second consecutive NBA Finals. In the Finals, New Jersey lost to Tim Duncan's San Antonio Spurs in six games, even though the series was tied after the first four games.


title: Jason Kidd

text: As an unrestricted free agent in the 2003 offseason, there was speculation that Kidd would join the defending champion Spurs and replace Tony Parker as their starting point guard. Parker, then young and unproven, was perceived to have "limitations" in his game that Kidd did not. However, Kidd elected to stay with the Nets on a 6-year, $99 million deal. In the 2003–04 season, Kidd averaged 15.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 9.2 assists (leading the league in assists for the second year in a row). The Nets led by Kidd finished the season 47–35 as their leader was voted to the All-NBA First Team for the fifth time in his career. In the playoffs however, they lost in the Conference Semifinals in a seven-game series against the Detroit Pistons, the eventual champions. Kidd went scoreless in the decisive Game 7, while playing with a serious knee injury.


title: Jason Kidd

text: On July 1, 2004, Kidd underwent microfracture surgery to repair a damaged knee. He made a full recovery and returned to the court for the 2004–05 season in December, during which the Nets acquired star swingman Vince Carter from the Toronto Raptors. With the Nets hanging on the prospect of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2001 and with Jefferson injured, Carter and Kidd combined to fuel the team to a late regular season surge that enabled them to inch past the Cleveland Cavaliers for the eighth and final playoff berth in the East. The Nets were eliminated in four games to the top-seeded Miami Heat in the first round.


title: Jason Kidd

text: In the 2005–06 season, Kidd averaged 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.4 assists. He and Carter led the Nets to a third-place finish in the East with a 49–33 record to clinch their fourth Atlantic Division title in the last five seasons. In April the Nets recorded NBA season-best winning streak, which was ended by the Cleveland Cavaliers at 14 wins in a row. Kidd was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for the fourth time in his career. In the playoffs the Nets beat the Indiana Pacers in six games in the first round, but later in the Conference Semifinal they were defeated again by the Miami Heat, the eventual champions.


title: Jason Kidd

text: Kidd was named a reserve for the NBA All-Star game along with teammate Vince Carter during the 2006–07 season. However, Kidd missed the game because of a strained back and was replaced on the roster by Joe Johnson. On April 7, 2007, Kidd and Carter became the first teammates to record triple-doubles in the same game since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen did it in 1989 for the Chicago Bulls. In the first round of the 2006–07 postseason Kidd averaged 14.0 points, 13.2 assists, 10.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals, as the Nets defeated the Toronto Raptors in six games. He joined Wilt Chamberlain and Magic Johnson as the only players in NBA history to average a triple-double in multiple playoff series. For the postseason, Kidd averaged 14.6 points, 10.9 assists and 10.9 rebounds in twelve playoff games. He became the second player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire postseason. Despite Kidd's efforts the Nets were eliminated in six games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the Cleveland Cavaliers.


title: Jason Kidd

text: In the 2007–08 season, Kidd became the third player to get a triple-double in three straight games since 1989. He did so after he logged his 97th career triple-double in a 115–99 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. Kidd was voted by the fans to start in the 2008 All-Star game in New Orleans as a guard along with Dwyane Wade. During that season Kidd had been mentioned in trade rumors, notably to the Los Angeles Lakers, but the deal fell through when the Lakers refused to give up their young center Andrew Bynum. On January 28, 2008, Kidd revealed that his agent had been talking to the Nets' front office about a trade. On February 19, 2008, Kidd was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, the team that originally drafted him.


title: Jason Kidd

text: On February 13, 2008, the Dallas Mavericks and New Jersey Nets reached an agreement on a trade to send Kidd and Malik Allen to Dallas for Devin Harris, Devean George, Jerry Stackhouse, DeSagana Diop, Maurice Ager, two first-round drafts picks (in 2008 and 2010), and $3 million, but the trade fell through when George invoked his (Early) Bird rights, as was stipulated in his contract at the time. The trade was retooled, with Trenton Hassell replacing George, and Keith Van Horn, who had agreed to come out of retirement, replacing Stackhouse, because NBA officials informed the Mavericks that if Stackhouse were to be included in the deal, he could not re-sign with the team if the Nets chose to buy out his contract. Antoine Wright was also added to the retooled trade proposal (the two teams originally agreed on a separate deal that would have sent Wright to the Mavericks for a 2008 second-round pick, but were ultimately able include him in the Kidd deal). On February 19, 2008, Kidd was traded to the Mavericks along with Allen and Wright for Van Horn (via a sign and trade deal), Harris, Diop, Hassell, Ager, $3 million, and first round picks in 2008 and 2010.


title: Jason Kidd

text: The Mavericks hoped that Kidd would provide leadership to the team that for years had been labelled as weak mentally and help Dallas and its franchise-player Dirk Nowitzki to win their first ever NBA Championship. Although already a member of the Mavericks, Kidd started for the Eastern Conference in the 2008 NBA All-Star Game, as he had already been named as a starter prior to the trade. The Mavericks made a strong playoff push following the trade, but despite a 51–31 record, they were only able to secure the seventh seed in the highly competitive Western Conference. In the playoffs, they faced Chris Paul's New Orleans Hornets, and were eliminated in five games in the first round.


title: Jason Kidd

text: The following 2008–09 season saw Kidd and the Mavericks stumble out to a rocky start, losing eight out of the first 15 games; however, the team finished the season strong to earn the sixth seed in the playoffs with a 50–32 record. Kidd finished the season ranked third in the league in steals with 2.0 per game, his best average in six years. In the playoffs, the Mavericks upset the San Antonio Spurs, with Kidd leading the team in assists in all but one game; the Mavericks reached the Conference Semifinals for the first time since 2006. Kidd's season ended there as the Mavs lost to the Denver Nuggets in five games.


title: Jason Kidd

text: On July 5, 2009, Kidd verbally committed to re-signing with the Mavericks after being pursued heavily by the New York Knicks. The three-year deal reportedly was worth more than $25 million, all of it fully guaranteed. In the first year of Kidd's new contract in the 2009–10 season the Mavericks finished second in the Western Conference with a 55–27 record during the regular season. However, the season ended with another disappointment as the Mavericks lost in six games to the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the 2010 NBA playoffs. It was rumored that Kidd had gone through a flu just before the series began which might have affected his physical conditions. He did not speak to reporters after Games 5 and 6 and skipped the team's final meeting.


title: Jason Kidd

text: Kidd won the NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks on June 12, 2011, defeating NBA All-Stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat. After appearing and losing in two different NBA finals, it was the first and only championship in his career. Despite a mid-season injury to Dirk Nowitzki, and a season-ending surgery to their starting small forward Caron Butler, the 2010–11 season turned out to be the best for the Mavs in Kidd's era as they finished the regular season with a 57–25 record. On February 4, Kidd hit a three-pointer with 2.5 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Mavs a win in Boston over the Celtics, extending their winning streak to seven games.


title: Jason Kidd

text: Kidd sparked the Mavericks' impressive run with a total of 42 points in the first two playoff games against the Portland Trail Blazers. Dallas won the series 4–2. The Mavs then swept the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, with Kidd successfully guarding Kobe Bryant in decisive moments of close games 1 and 3. In the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kidd was partly responsible for guarding young and athletic superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Kidd hit a tie-breaking three-pointer late in overtime in a Game 4 victory at Oklahoma City to give his team a 3–1 lead. Dallas defeated Oklahoma in five games. In the NBA Finals, the Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, despite trailing the Heat two games to one at one point. At various points, Kidd was called upon to defend superstars Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. Kidd averaged 9.3 points, 7.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game during the Mavericks' 21-game championship run. At 38 years of age, he became the oldest starting point guard ever to lead his team to the championship.


title: Jason Kidd

text: Shortened by a lockout the 2011–12 season turned out to be the last for Kidd in the Mavericks uniform. With 39-year-old Kidd averaging career lows in minutes, points and assists for the regular season, the defending champions were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2012 NBA playoffs. On May 3, 2012, Kidd won his first NBA Sportsmanship Award.


title: Jason Kidd

text: On July 12, 2012, Kidd signed with the New York Knicks. After making a verbal commitment to re-sign with the Mavericks, Kidd changed his mind and decided to sign a 3-year deal with the Knicks. Kidd was expected to act as a mentor to Jeremy Lin but after Lin left to the Houston Rockets, it was assumed that Kidd would serve as a backup to Raymond Felton at the point guard position. During the preseason however, the Knicks head coach Mike Woodson decided to start the season with both playmakers in the starting lineup and Kidd adjusting more to the shooting guard role.


title: Jason Kidd

text: With the new backcourt duo in the lineup, the Knicks opened the 2012–13 season with an 18–5 record while Kidd averaging 9.0 points per game on 44 percent three-point shooting in the first two months of the season. Nearly 40 years old, Kidd was asked to play almost 33 minutes per game in December. New York finished the season with 54 wins, an 18-game jump from the previous season. It was their first 50-win season since 1999–2000. The Knicks advanced to the second round of the playoffs, but lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games. Kidd struggled during the playoffs, when he was held without a field goal in his last 10 playoff games. It was believed that overworking Kidd during the regular season had strongly affected his performance in the second half of the season and left him burned out for the playoffs. Kidd retired on June 3, 2013, after one season with the Knicks and 19 seasons in the NBA. His announcement came two days after 1995 co-Rookie of the Year Grant Hill retired.


title: Jason Kidd

text: On June 12, 2013, Kidd was named head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, replacing interim coach P. J. Carlesimo. He is the third person since the ABA–NBA merger to debut as an NBA head coach the season after he retired as a player. In September 2013, Kidd bought a minority ownership stake in the team (from Jay-Z).


title: Jason Kidd

text: On October 17, 2013, the Nets retired and raised his number 5 jersey to the rafters before a preseason game against the Miami Heat.


title: Jason Kidd

text: Kidd was suspended for the first two games of the season after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor DWI charge stemming from an incident in July 2012. Joe Prunty served as acting head coach for the team's season opener in Cleveland and their home opener against Miami. He made his debut as head coach on November 3 in a loss to the Orlando Magic. On November 5, Kidd had his first victory as head coach in a 104–88 win over the Utah Jazz. On November 28, Kidd was fined $50,000 by the NBA for instructing his player Tyshawn Taylor to bump into him and intentionally spilling a cup of soda on the court in order to stop the game so his team could draw up a last-second offensive play against the Lakers.


title: Jason Kidd

text: After a loss to the Chicago Bulls on Christmas Day, the Nets dropped to a disappointing 9–19 record. Many critics started to question Kidd's ability to manage a group of veterans that included Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson and there even appeared rumours that Kidd might be on his way out before the end of the season. However, the Nets were able to turn things around at the beginning of 2014 and finished the season with a 44–38 record, while Kidd began to get recognition for his coaching skills.


title: Jason Kidd

text: On February 3, 2014, Kidd was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for January. On April 1, 2014, he was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month a second time for March. He became the fourth coach overall to win both Player of the Month and Coach of the Month honors. He also became the second coach, after Jeff Hornacek of the Phoenix Suns, to win both honors with the same team.


title: Jason Kidd

text: In the first round of the 2014 NBA playoffs, the Brooklyn Nets eliminated the Toronto Raptors in a 7-game series. Kidd is the 19th rookie head coach in the league's history to coach his team in a decisive Game 7 on the road, and became the first one to win it. In the semifinals, the Nets faced the Miami Heat and lost the series 4–1.


title: Jason Kidd

text: On July 1, 2014, the Milwaukee Bucks secured Kidd's coaching rights from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for two second-round draft picks in 2015 and 2019. The move did not come without controversy, as it was reported that Kidd had been seeking more management power over the Nets' general manager Billy King and after being denied began talks with the Bucks even though they still had a coach under contract in Larry Drew. He later stated that he felt the Nets truly did not want him nor were they committed to building a contender. In his return to Brooklyn on November 19, 2014, he was greeted with heavy boos and jeers.


title: Jason Kidd

text: The Bucks were one of the biggest surprises of the 2014–15 season. Under Kidd's guidance the young team improved from franchise-worst 15 wins in the previous season, finishing with a 41–41 record to advance to the playoffs as the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee achieved that feat despite losing their 2nd draft pick overall Jabari Parker in December to a knee injury and trading star guard Brandon Knight to the Phoenix Suns in February. Kidd is the first coach in NBA history to lead two franchises to the playoffs in his first two years as a head coach. Kidd finished third in voting for the Coach of the Year Award behind Mike Budenholzer and Steve Kerr.


title: Jason Kidd

text: The 2015–16 season was less successful for Kidd, as the Bucks finished with a 33–49 record and did not qualify to the playoffs. On December 20, 2015, it was reported that Kidd would be out indefinitely as he would undergo hip surgery on December 21. While Kidd was recovering, his assistant Joe Prunty was acting as an interim coach. On a positive note, Kidd moved rising 21-year old Giannis Antetokounmpo into a point guard position, which helped the young player to record five triple doubles in the season and make progress in most statistical categories. Despite the disappointing season, the Bucks owners issued Kidd a vote of confidence and mentioned a possible contract extension, which was set to expire after the next season.


title: Jason Kidd

text: The following season Kidd led the Bucks to a winning record as they qualified to the playoffs for the second time in three years. Kidd had his projected starting unit available for just several minutes during the season. On February 9, the same day the shooting guard Khris Middleton was making his season debut after recovering from a hamstring injury, the power forward Jabari Parker went down with an ACL injury. Despite the setback, Kidd had the Bucks finishing the season strong with a 42–40 record. In the first round of the playoffs against the Toronto Raptors, the Bucks took a 2–1 lead after game 3, but went on to lose the series in six games. On January 22, 2018, the Bucks fired Kidd after the team posted a 23–22 record midway through the 2017–18 season.


title: Jason Kidd

text: On July 31, 2019, Kidd was hired as an assistant coach by the Los Angeles Lakers. Kidd would go on to win his second NBA championship when the Lakers defeated the Miami Heat in 6 games in the 2020 NBA Finals. It was his first championship as a coach at any level.


title: Jason Kidd

text: On June 28, 2021, Kidd was hired as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks. During the 2021–22 season, Kidd helped lead the Mavericks to a regular season record of 52–30, which earned them the fourth seed in the Western Conference standings. This was the Mavericks' highest win total since the 2014–15 season when they finished 50–32, and their highest standings finish since the 2010–11 season, when Kidd was a player for the Mavericks team that finished as the third seed. In his first season as head coach, Kidd oversaw a defensive renaissance in Dallas, transforming a team that was among the worst defenses in the league prior to his tenure, into one of the top units in the NBA. Under Kidd, the Mavericks won their first two playoff series since their 2011 NBA championship when they defeated the Utah Jazz in six games in the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs and the Phoenix Suns in seven games in the second round, advancing to the Western Conference Finals. Kidd, along with Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison has been credited with improving the organizational culture and creating an environment more favorable to players than was present under former coach Rick Carlisle. Dallas' run was halted in the Western Conference Finals as they fell short to the Golden State Warriors in five games.


title: Jason Kidd

text: Kidd's first participation in USA basketball came after his first season in college. He was the only freshman chosen to take part in Team USA's 10-member team. The team played five games in Europe and finished with a record of 3–2. Kidd tied for team highs in assists per game with 4.0, and steals per game with 1.4. He also had averages of 8.4 points per game, and 4.2 rebounds per game.


title: Jason Kidd

text: Kidd's next stint with USA basketball came in 1999 where he participated in the USA Olympic Qualifying Tournament. The team finished with an undefeated record of 10–0 resulting in a gold medal and earning a berth at the 2000 Olympics. Kidd averaged 7.4 PPG, 6.8 APG, 4.4 RPG, 2.7 SPG and again led the team in APG and SPG.


title: Jason Kidd

text: In 2000, Kidd was appointed as one of Team USA's tri-captains for the 2000 Olympics at Sydney. Kidd again led the team to an undefeated record of 8–0 which resulted in team USA winning the gold medal at the Olympic Games. Kidd had averages of 6.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and had team highs of 4.4 apg, and 1.1 spg. Kidd also had a FG% of 51.6 and shot 50 percent from three-point range.


title: Jason Kidd

text: In November 2002, Kidd was selected to participate in the 2002 USA Basketball Men's World Championship Team. However, he had to withdraw from the team due to an injury.


title: Jason Kidd

text: Kidd came back the next year and participated at the 2003 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico. Kidd again led the team to a record of 10–0, bringing home the gold medal and a berth at the 2004 Olympics. Kidd started all 10 games and had averages of 3.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 5.9 apg, and 1.2 spg.


title: Jason Kidd

text: In 2007, Kidd participated in the FIBA Americas Championship 2007. Kidd helped the team to a 10–0 record where he brought home another gold medal and a berth at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. Kidd had averages of 1.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.6 apg, and 1.3 spg. He also shot 60% from the field and 62.5% from three-point distance. Kidd led the entire tournament with assist-to-turnover ratio of 9.20. With Kidd's help team USA averaged 116.7 ppg, and defeated their opponents by a margin of 39.5 ppg.


title: Jason Kidd

text: In 2008, Kidd participated in the 2008 Olympics where the team yet again went undefeated in winning their first gold medal since the 2000 Olympics. The team, given the "Redeem team" moniker because of failures in the 2002 FIBA World Championship, 2004 Summer Olympics and 2006 FIBA World Championship, were once again crowned to be the best team in world basketball.


title: Jason Kidd

text: Overall, Kidd brought home five gold medals as member of the national team: three from Olympic qualifying tournaments, one from the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and one from the 2008 Beijing Olympics.


title: Jason Kidd

text: Kidd retired second all-time in NBA history in both assists and steals behind John Stockton. He led the NBA in assists five times. His 107 career triple-doubles are fourth all-time, trailing Russell Westbrook, and Hall of Famers Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson. Kidd finished his career with averages of 12.6 points, 8.7 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals in 1,391 regular season games. He impacted games with his accurate passes and by involving his teammates; scoring was not his focus. He is considered by many to be one of the best rebounding guards ever to play in the league, and ESPN called him "one of the best passing and rebounding point guards in NBA history."


title: Jason Kidd

text: Although Kidd was considered a poor outside shooter when he began his pro career, he retired ranked third all-time in the NBA in three-point field goals made. "The New York Times" called his improvement as a shooter "perhaps Kidd's biggest, and most surprising, transformation". He considered his NBA championship with Dallas and his two gold medals in the Olympics as tied for the top highlights of his career, followed by the co-Rookie of the Year he shared with Grant Hill.


title: Jason Kidd

text: Kidd married his first wife, Joumana, in 1997. In January 2001, he was arrested and pleaded guilty to a domestic abuse charge for assaulting her. As part of his plea, Kidd was ordered to attend anger management classes for six months. Kidd completed the mandatory counseling and continued to attend on his own. He and his wife were both active in their church and were thought to have completely reconciled. The incident, however, would be considered a catalyst for the Suns to trade Kidd to the Nets that year. On January 9, 2007, Kidd filed for divorce, citing "extreme cruelty" during their relationship. He contended intense jealousy, paranoia, and the threat of "false domestic abuse claims" to the police as reasons for the divorce. On February 15, 2007, Joumana Kidd filed a counterclaim for divorce, claiming that the NBA star—among countless instances of abuse—"broke her rib and damaged her hearing by smashing her head into the console of a car". The couple have three children.


title: Jason Kidd

text: On July 15, 2012, Kidd was arrested by Southampton Town police and charged with the misdemeanor of driving while intoxicated. According to police, around 2 a.m. Kidd's vehicle struck a telephone pole a few blocks away from his home and ended up in the woods, and he was determined to be under the influence by officers.


title: Human sexuality

text: Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied with historical contexts over time, it lacks a precise definition. The biological and physical aspects of sexuality largely concern the human reproductive functions, including the human sexual response cycle.


title: Human sexuality

text: Someone's sexual orientation is their pattern of sexual interest in the opposite or same sex. Physical and emotional aspects of sexuality include bonds between individuals that are expressed through profound feelings or physical manifestations of love, trust, and care. Social aspects deal with the effects of human society on one's sexuality, while spirituality concerns an individual's spiritual connection with others. Sexuality also affects and is affected by cultural, political, legal, philosophical, moral, ethical, and religious aspects of life.


title: Human sexuality

text: Interest in sexual activity typically increases when an individual reaches puberty. Although no single theory on the cause of sexual orientation has yet gained widespread support, there is considerably more evidence supporting nonsocial causes of sexual orientation than social ones, especially for males. Hypothesized social causes are supported by only weak evidence, distorted by numerous confounding factors. This is further supported by cross-cultural evidence, because cultures that are tolerant of homosexuality do not have significantly higher rates of it.


title: Human sexuality

text: Evolutionary perspectives on human coupling, reproduction and reproduction strategies, and social learning theory provide further views of sexuality. Sociocultural aspects of sexuality include historical developments and religious beliefs. Some cultures have been described as sexually repressive. The study of sexuality also includes human identity within social groups, sexually transmitted infections (STIs/STDs), and birth control methods.


title: Human sexuality

text: There is considerably more evidence supporting innate causes of sexual orientation than learned ones, especially for males. This evidence includes the cross-cultural correlation of homosexuality and childhood gender nonconformity, moderate genetic influences found in twin studies, evidence for prenatal hormonal effects on brain organization, the fraternal birth order effect, and the finding that in rare cases where infant males were raised as girls due to physical differences or deformity, they nevertheless turned out attracted to females. Hypothesized social causes are supported by only weak evidence, distorted by numerous confounding factors.


title: Human sexuality

text: Cross-cultural evidence also leans more toward non-social causes. Cultures that are very tolerant of homosexuality do not have significantly higher rates of it. Homosexual behavior is relatively common among boys in British single-sex boarding schools, but adult Britons who attended such schools are no more likely to engage in homosexual behavior than those who did not. In an extreme case, the Sambia people ritually require their boys to engage in homosexual behavior during adolescence before they have any access to females, yet most of these boys become heterosexual.


title: Human sexuality

text: It is not fully understood why genes causing homosexuality persist in the gene pool. One hypothesis involves kin selection, suggesting that homosexuals invest heavily enough in their relatives to offset the cost of not reproducing as much directly. This has not been supported by studies in Western cultures, but several studies in Samoa have found some support for this hypothesis. Another hypothesis involves sexually antagonistic genes, which cause homosexuality when expressed in males but increase reproduction when expressed in females. Studies in both Western and non-Western cultures have found support for this hypothesis.


title: Human sexuality

text: Psychological theories exist regarding the development and expression of gender differences in human sexuality. A number of them (including neo-analytic theories, sociobiological theories, social learning theory, social role theory, and script theory) agree in predicting that men should be more approving of casual sex (sex happening outside a stable, committed relationship such as marriage) and should also be more promiscuous (have a higher number of sexual partners) than women. These theories are mostly consistent with observed differences in males' and females' attitudes toward casual sex before marriage in the United States. Other aspects of human sexuality, such as sexual satisfaction, incidence of oral sex, and attitudes toward homosexuality and masturbation, show little to no observed difference between males and females. Observed gender differences regarding the number of sexual partners are modest, with males tending to have slightly more than females.


title: Human sexuality

text: The biological aspects of humans' sexuality deal with the reproductive system, the sexual response cycle, and the factors that affect these aspects. They also deal with the influence of biological factors on other aspects of sexuality, such as organic and neurological responses, heredity, hormonal issues, gender issues, and sexual dysfunction.


title: Human sexuality

text: Males and females are anatomically similar; this extends to some degree to the development of the reproductive system. As adults, they have different reproductive mechanisms that enable them to perform sexual acts and to reproduce. Men and women react to sexual stimuli in a similar fashion with minor differences. Women have a monthly reproductive cycle, whereas the male sperm production cycle is more continuous.


title: Human sexuality

text: The hypothalamus is the most important part of the brain for sexual functioning. This is a small area at the base of the brain consisting of several groups of nerve cell bodies that receives input from the limbic system. Studies have shown that within lab animals, the destruction of certain areas of the hypothalamus causes the elimination of sexual behavior. The hypothalamus is important because of its relationship to the pituitary gland, which lies beneath it. The pituitary gland secretes hormones that are produced in the hypothalamus and itself. The four important sexual hormones are oxytocin, prolactin, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone.


title: Human sexuality

text: Oxytocin, sometimes referred to as the "love hormone", is released in both sexes during sexual intercourse when an orgasm is achieved. Oxytocin has been suggested as critical to the thoughts and behaviors required to maintain close relationships. The hormone is also released in women when they give birth or are breastfeeding. Prolactin and oxytocin are responsible for inducing milk production in women. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is responsible for ovulation in women, which acts by triggering egg maturity; in men it stimulates sperm production. Luteinizing hormone (LH) triggers ovulation, which is the release of a mature egg.


title: Human sexuality

text: Males have both internal and external genitalia that are responsible for procreation and sexual intercourse. Production of spermatozoa (sperm) is also cyclic, but unlike the female ovulation cycle, the sperm production cycle is constantly producing millions of sperm daily.


title: Human sexuality

text: The male genitalia are the penis and the scrotum. The penis provides a passageway for sperm and urine. The penis consists of nerves, blood vessels, fibrous tissue, and three parallel cylinders of spongy tissue. Other components of the penis include the shaft, glans, root, cavernous bodies, and spongy body. The three cylindrical bodies of spongy tissue, which are filled with blood vessels, run along the length of the shaft. The two bodies that lie side by side in the upper portion of the penis are the corpora cavernosa (cavernous bodies). The third, called the corpus spongiosum (spongy body), is a tube that lies centrally beneath the others and expands at the end to form the tip of the penis (glans).


title: Human sexuality

text: The raised rim at the border of the shaft and glans is called the corona. The urethra connects the urinary bladder to the penis where urine exits the penis through the urethral meatus. The urethra eliminates urine and acts as a channel for semen and sperm to exit the body during sexual intercourse. The root consists of the expanded ends of the cavernous bodies, which fan out to form the crura and attach to the pubic bone and the expanded end of the spongy body. The bulb of the penis is surrounded by the bulbospongiosus muscle, while the corpora cavernosa are surrounded by the ischiocavernosus muscles. These aid urination and ejaculation. The penis has a foreskin that typically covers the glans; this is sometimes removed by circumcision for medical, religious or cultural reasons. In the scrotum, the testicles are held away from the body, one possible reason for this is so sperm can be produced in an environment slightly lower than normal body temperature.


title: Human sexuality

text: The penis has very little muscular tissue, and this exists in its root. The shaft and glans have no muscle fibers. Unlike most other primates, male humans lack a penile bone.


title: Human sexuality

text: Male internal reproductive structures are the testicles, the duct system, the prostate and seminal vesicles, and the Cowper's gland.


title: Human sexuality

text: The testicles (male gonads), are where sperm and male hormones are produced. Millions of sperm are produced daily in several hundred seminiferous tubules. Cells called the Leydig cells lie between the tubules; these produce hormones called androgens; these consist of testosterone and inhibin. The testicles are held by the spermatic cord, which is a tubelike structure containing blood vessels, nerves, the vas deferens, and a muscle that helps to raise and lower the testicles in response to temperature changes and sexual arousal, in which the testicles are drawn closer to the body.


title: Human sexuality

text: Sperm gets transported through a four-part duct system. The first part of this system is the epididymis. The testicles converge to form the seminiferous tubules, coiled tubes at the top and back of each testicle. The second part of the duct system is the vas deferens, a muscular tube that begins at the lower end of the epididymis. The vas deferens passes upward along the side of the testicles to become part of the spermatic cord. The expanded end is the ampulla, which stores sperm before ejaculation. The third part of the duct system is the ejaculatory ducts, which are -long paired tubes that pass through the prostate gland, where semen is produced. The prostate gland is a solid, chestnut-shaped organ that surrounds the first part of the urethra, which carries urine and semen. Similar to the female G-spot, the prostate provides sexual stimulation and can lead to orgasm through anal sex.


title: Human sexuality

text: The prostate gland and the seminal vesicles produce seminal fluid that is mixed with sperm to create semen. The prostate gland lies under the bladder and in front of the rectum. It consists of two main zones: the inner zone that produces secretions to keep the lining of the male urethra moist and the outer zone that produces seminal fluids to facilitate the passage of semen. The seminal vesicles secrete fructose for sperm activation and mobilization, prostaglandins to cause uterine contractions that aid movement through the uterus, and bases that help neutralize the acidity of the vagina. The Cowper's glands, or bulbourethral glands, are two pea-sized structures beneath the prostate.


title: Human sexuality

text: The mons veneris, also known as the Mound of Venus, is a soft layer of fatty tissue overlaying the pubic bone. Following puberty, this area grows in size. It has many nerve endings and is sensitive to stimulation.


title: Human sexuality

text: The labia minora and labia majora are collectively known as the lips. The labia majora are two elongated folds of skin extending from the mons to the perineum. Its outer surface becomes covered with hair after puberty. In between the labia majora are the labia minora, two hairless folds of skin that meet above the clitoris to form the clitoral hood, which is highly sensitive to touch. The labia minora become engorged with blood during sexual stimulation, causing them to swell and turn red.


title: Human sexuality

text: The labia minora are composed of connective tissues that are richly supplied with blood vessels which cause a pinkish appearance. Near the anus, the labia minora merge with the labia majora. In a sexually unstimulated state, the labia minora protects the vaginal and urethral opening by covering them. At the base of the labia minora are the Bartholin's glands, which add a few drops of an alkaline fluid to the vagina via ducts; this fluid helps to counteract the acidity of the outer vagina since sperm cannot live in an acidic environment.


title: Human sexuality

text: The clitoris is developed from the same embryonic tissue as the penis; it or its glans alone consists of as many (or more in some cases) nerve endings as the human penis or glans penis, making it extremely sensitive to touch. The clitoral glans, which is a small, elongated erectile structure, has only one known function—sexual sensations. It is the female's most sensitive erogenous zone and the main source of orgasm in women. Thick secretions called smegma collect around the clitoris.


title: Human sexuality

text: The vaginal opening and the urethral opening are only visible when the labia minora are parted. These openings have many nerve endings that make them sensitive to touch. They are surrounded by a ring of sphincter muscles called the bulbocavernosus muscle. Underneath this muscle and on opposite sides of the vaginal opening are the vestibular bulbs, which help the vagina grip the penis by swelling with blood during arousal. Within the vaginal opening is the hymen, a thin membrane that partially covers the opening in many virgins. Rupture of the hymen has been historically considered the loss of one's virginity, though, by modern standards, loss of virginity is considered to be the first sexual intercourse. The hymen can be ruptured by activities other than sexual intercourse. The urethral opening connects to the bladder with the urethra; it expels urine from the bladder. This is located below the clitoris and above the vaginal opening.


title: Human sexuality

text: The breasts are the subcutaneous tissues on the front thorax of the female body. Though they are not technically part of a woman's sexual anatomy, they do have roles in both sexual pleasure and reproduction. Breasts are modified sweat glands made up of fibrous tissues and fat that provide support and contain nerves, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels. Their main purpose is to provide milk to a developing infant. Breasts develop during puberty in response to an increase in estrogen. Each adult breast consists of 15 to 20 milk-producing mammary glands, irregularly shaped lobes that include alveolar glands and a lactiferous duct leading to the nipple. The lobes are separated by dense connective tissues that support the glands and attach them to the tissues on the underlying pectoral muscles. Other connective tissue, which forms dense strands called suspensory ligaments, extends inward from the skin of the breast to the pectoral tissue to support the weight of the breast. Heredity and the quantity of fatty tissue determine the size of the breasts.


title: Human sexuality

text: Men typically find female breasts attractive and this holds true for a variety of cultures. In women, stimulation of the nipple seems to result in activation of the brain's genital sensory cortex (the same region of the brain activated by stimulation of the clitoris, vagina, and cervix). This may be why many women find nipple stimulation arousing and why some women are able to orgasm by nipple stimulation alone.


title: Human sexuality

text: The female internal reproductive organs are the vagina, uterus, Fallopian tubes, and ovaries. The vagina is a sheath-like canal that extends from the vulva to the cervix. It receives the penis during intercourse and serves as a depository for sperm. The vagina is also the birth canal; it can expand to during labor and delivery. The vagina is located between the bladder and the rectum. The vagina is normally collapsed, but during sexual arousal it opens, lengthens, and produces lubrication to allow the insertion of the penis. The vagina has three layered walls; it is a self-cleaning organ with natural bacteria that suppress the production of yeast. The G-spot, named after the Ernst Gräfenberg who first reported it in 1950, may be located in the front wall of the vagina and may cause orgasms. This area may vary in size and location between women; in some it may be absent. Various researchers dispute its structure or existence, or regard it as an extension of the clitoris.


title: Human sexuality

text: The uterus or womb is a hollow, muscular organ where a fertilized egg (ovum) will implant itself and grow into a fetus. The uterus lies in the pelvic cavity between the bladder and the bowel, and above the vagina. It is usually positioned in a 90-degree angle tilting forward, although in about 20% of women it tilts backwards. The uterus has three layers; the innermost layer is the endometrium, where the egg is implanted. During ovulation, this thickens for implantation. If implantation does not occur, it is sloughed off during menstruation. The cervix is the narrow end of the uterus. The broad part of the uterus is the fundus.


title: Human sexuality

text: During ovulation, the ovum travels down the Fallopian tubes to the uterus. These extend about from both sides of the uterus. Finger-like projections at the ends of the tubes brush the ovaries and receive the ovum once it is released. The ovum then travels for three to four days to the uterus. After sexual intercourse, sperm swim up this funnel from the uterus. The lining of the tube and its secretions sustain the egg and the sperm, encouraging fertilization and nourishing the ovum until it reaches the uterus. If the ovum divides after fertilization, identical twins are produced. If separate eggs are fertilized by different sperm, the mother gives birth to non-identical or fraternal twins.


title: Human sexuality

text: The ovaries (female gonads), develop from the same embryonic tissue as the testicles. The ovaries are suspended by ligaments and are the source where ova are stored and developed before ovulation. The ovaries also produce female hormones progesterone and estrogen. Within the ovaries, each ovum is surrounded by other cells and contained within a capsule called a primary follicle. At puberty, one or more of these follicles are stimulated to mature on a monthly basis. Once matured, these are called Graafian follicles. The female reproductive system does not produce the ova; about 60,000 ova are present at birth, only 400 of which will mature during the woman's lifetime.


title: Human sexuality

text: Ovulation is based on a monthly cycle; the 14th day is the most fertile. On days one to four, menstruation and production of estrogen and progesterone decreases, and the endometrium starts thinning. The endometrium is sloughed off for the next three to six days. Once menstruation ends, the cycle begins again with an FSH surge from the pituitary gland. Days five to thirteen are known as the pre-ovulatory stage. During this stage, the pituitary gland secretes follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). A negative feedback loop is enacted when estrogen is secreted to inhibit the release of FSH. Estrogen thickens the endometrium of the uterus. A surge of Luteinizing Hormone (LH) triggers ovulation.


title: Human sexuality

text: On day 14, the LH surge causes a Graafian follicle to surface the ovary. The follicle ruptures and the ripe ovum is expelled into the abdominal cavity. The fallopian tubes pick up the ovum with the fimbria. The cervical mucus changes to aid the movement of sperm. On days 15 to 28—the post-ovulatory stage, the Graafian follicle—now called the corpus luteum—secretes estrogen. Production of progesterone increases, inhibiting LH release. The endometrium thickens to prepare for implantation, and the ovum travels down the Fallopian tubes to the uterus. If the ovum is not fertilized and does not implant, menstruation begins.


title: Human sexuality

text: The sexual response cycle is a model that describes the physiological responses that occur during sexual activity. This model was created by William Masters and Virginia Johnson. According to Masters and Johnson, the human sexual response cycle consists of four phases; excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution, also called the EPOR model. During the excitement phase of the EPOR model, one attains the intrinsic motivation to have sex. The plateau phase is the precursor to orgasm, which may be mostly biological for men and mostly psychological for women. Orgasm is the release of tension, and the resolution period is the unaroused state before the cycle begins again.


title: Human sexuality

text: The male sexual response cycle starts in the excitement phase; two centers in the spine are responsible for erections. Vasoconstriction in the penis begins, the heart rate increases, the scrotum thickens, the spermatic cord shortens, and the testicles become engorged with blood. In the plateau phase, the penis increases in diameter, the testicles become more engorged, and the Cowper's glands secrete pre-seminal fluid. The orgasm phase, during which rhythmic contractions occur every 0.8 seconds, consists of two phases; the emission phase, in which contractions of the vas deferens, prostate, and seminal vesicles encourage ejaculation, which is the second phase of orgasm. Ejaculation is called the expulsion phase; it cannot be reached without an orgasm. In the resolution phase, the male is now in an unaroused state consisting of a refractory (rest) period before the cycle can begin. This rest period may increase with age.


title: Human sexuality

text: The female sexual response begins with the excitement phase, which can last from several minutes to several hours. Characteristics of this phase include increased heart and respiratory rate, and an elevation of blood pressure. Flushed skin or blotches of redness may occur on the chest and back; breasts increase slightly in size and nipples may become hardened and erect. The onset of vasocongestion results in swelling of the clitoris, labia minora, and vagina. The muscle that surrounds the vaginal opening tightens and the uterus elevates and grows in size. The vaginal walls begin to produce a lubricating liquid. The second phase, called the plateau phase, is characterized primarily by the intensification of the changes begun during the excitement phase. The plateau phase extends to the brink of orgasm, which initiates the resolution stage; the reversal of the changes begun during the excitement phase. During the orgasm stage the heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, and breathing rates peak. The pelvic muscle near the vagina, the anal sphincter, and the uterus contract. Muscle contractions in the vaginal area create a high level of pleasure, though all orgasms are centered in the clitoris.


title: Human sexuality

text: Sexual disorders, according to the DSM-IV-TR, are disturbances in sexual desire and psycho-physiological changes that characterize the sexual response cycle and cause marked distress and interpersonal difficulty. The sexual dysfunctions is a result of physical or psychological disorders. The physical causes include hormonal imbalance, diabetes, heart disease and more. The psychological causes includes but are not limited to stress, anxiety, and depression. The sexual dysfunction affects men and women. There are four major categories of sexual problems for women: desire disorders, arousal disorders, orgasmic disorders, and sexual pain disorders. The sexual desire disorder occurs when an individual lacks the sexual desire because of hormonal changes, depression, and pregnancy. The arousal disorder is a female sexual dysfunction. Arousal disorder means lack of vaginal lubrication. In addition, blood flow problems may affect arousal disorder. Lack of orgasm, also known as, anorgasmia is another sexual dysfunction in women. The anorgasmia occurs in women with psychological disorders such as guilt and anxiety that was caused by sexual assault. The last sexual disorder is the painful intercourse. The sexual disorder can be result of pelvic mass, scar tissue, sexually transmitted disease and more.


title: Human sexuality

text: There are also three common sexual disorders for men including, sexual desire, ejaculation disorder, and erectile dysfunction. The lack of sexual desire in men is because of loss of libido, low testosterone. There are also psychological factors such as anxiety, and depression.


title: Human sexuality

text: The ejaculation disorder has three types: retrograde ejaculation, retarded ejaculation, premature ejaculation. The erectile dysfunction is a disability to have and maintain an erection during intercourse.


title: Human sexuality

text: As one form of behavior, the psychological aspects of sexual expression have been studied in the context of emotional involvement, gender identity, intersubjective intimacy, and Darwinian reproductive efficacy. Sexuality in humans generates profound emotional and psychological responses. Some theorists identify sexuality as the central source of human personality. Psychological studies of sexuality focus on psychological influences that affect sexual behavior and experiences. Early psychological analyses were carried out by Sigmund Freud, who believed in a psychoanalytic approach. He also proposed the concepts of psychosexual development and the Oedipus complex, among other theories.


title: Human sexuality

text: Gender identity is a person's sense of their own gender, whether male, female, or non-binary. Gender identity can correlate with assigned sex at birth or can differ from it. All societies have a set of gender categories that can serve as the basis of the formation of a person's social identity in relation to other members of society.


title: Human sexuality

text: Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex, same sex, or both sexes. Heterosexual people are romantically/sexually attracted to the members of the opposite sex, gay and lesbian people are romantically/sexually attracted to people of the same sex, and those who are bisexual are romantically/sexually attracted to both sexes.


title: Human sexuality

text: The idea that homosexuality results from reversed gender roles is reinforced by the media's portrayal of male homosexuals as effeminate and female homosexuals as masculine. However, a person's conformity or non-conformity to gender stereotypes does not always predict sexual orientation. Society believes that if a man is masculine he is heterosexual, and if a man is feminine he is homosexual. There is no strong evidence that a homosexual or bisexual orientation must be associated with atypical gender roles. By the early 21st century, homosexuality was no longer considered to be a pathology. Theories have linked many factors, including genetic, anatomical, birth order, and hormones in the prenatal environment, to homosexuality.


title: Human sexuality

text: Other than the need to procreate, there are many other reasons people have sex. According to one study conducted on college students (Meston & Buss, 2007), the four main reasons for sexual activities are; physical attraction, as a means to an end, to increase emotional connection, and to alleviate insecurity.


title: Human sexuality

text: Until Sigmund Freud published his "Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality" in 1905, children were often regarded as asexual, having no sexuality until later development. Sigmund Freud was one of the first researchers to take child sexuality seriously. His ideas, such as psychosexual development and the Oedipus conflict, have been much debated but acknowledging the existence of child sexuality was an important development.


title: Human sexuality

text: Freud gave sexual drives an importance and centrality in human life, actions, and behavior; he said sexual drives exist and can be discerned in children from birth. He explains this in his theory of infantile sexuality, and says sexual energy (libido) is the most important motivating force in adult life. Freud wrote about the importance of interpersonal relationships to one's sexual and emotional development. From birth, the mother's connection to the infant affects the infant's later capacity for pleasure and attachment. Freud described two currents of emotional life; an affectionate current, including our bonds with the important people in our lives; and a sensual current, including our wish to gratify sexual impulses. During adolescence, a young person tries to integrate these two emotional currents.


title: Human sexuality

text: Alfred Kinsey also examined child sexuality in his Kinsey Reports. Children are naturally curious about their bodies and sexual functions. For example, they wonder where babies come from, they notice the differences between males and females, and many engage in genital play, which is often mistaken for masturbation. Child sex play, also known as playing doctor, includes exhibiting or inspecting the genitals. Many children take part in some sex play, typically with siblings or friends. Sex play with others usually decreases as children grow, but they may later possess romantic interest in their peers. Curiosity levels remain high during these years, but the main surge in sexual interest occurs in adolescence.


title: Human sexuality

text: Adult sexuality originates in childhood. However, like many other human capacities, sexuality is not fixed, but matures and develops. A common stereotype associated with old people is that they tend to lose interest and the ability to engage in sexual acts once they reach late adulthood. This misconception is reinforced by Western popular culture, which often ridicules older adults who try to engage in sexual activities. Age does not necessarily change the need or desire to be sexually expressive or active. A couple in a long-term relationship may find that the frequency of their sexual activity decreases over time and the type of sexual expression may change, but many couples experience increased intimacy and love.


title: Human sexuality

text: Human sexuality can be understood as part of the social life of humans, which is governed by implied rules of behavior and the status quo. This narrows the view to groups within a society. The socio-cultural context of society, including the effects of politics and the mass media, influences and forms social norms. Throughout history, social norms have been changing and continue to change as a result of movements such as the sexual revolution and the rise of feminism.


title: Human sexuality

text: The age and manner in which children are informed of issues of sexuality is a matter of sex education. The school systems in almost all developed countries have some form of sex education, but the nature of the issues covered varies widely. In some countries, such as Australia and much of Europe, age-appropriate sex education often begins in pre-school, whereas other countries leave sex education to the pre-teenage and teenage years. Sex education covers a range of topics, including the physical, mental, and social aspects of sexual behavior. Communities have differing opinions on the appropriate age for children to learn about sexuality. According to "Time" magazine and CNN, 74% of teenagers in the United States reported that their major sources of sexual information were their peers and the media, compared to 10% who named their parents or a sex education course.


title: Human sexuality

text: In the United States, some sex education programs encourage abstinence-only, the choice to restrain oneself from sexual activity. In contrast, comprehensive sex education aims to encourage students to take charge of their own sexuality and know how to have safe, healthy, and pleasurable sex if and when they choose to do so.


title: Human sexuality

text: Proponents for an abstinence-only education believe that teaching a comprehensive curriculum would encourage teenagers to have sex, while proponents for comprehensive sex education argue that many teenagers will have sex regardless and should be equipped with knowledge of how to have sex responsibly. According to data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, many teens who intend to be abstinent fail to do so, and when these teenagers do have sex, many do not use safe sex practices such as contraceptives.


title: Human sexuality

text: Sexuality has been an important, vital part of human existence throughout history. All civilizations have managed sexuality through sexual standards, representations, and behavior.


title: Human sexuality

text: Before the rise of agriculture, groups of hunter-gatherers and nomadic groups inhabited the world. These groups had less restrictive sexual standards that emphasized sexual pleasure and enjoyment, but with definite rules and constraints. Some underlying continuities or key regulatory standards contended with the tension between recognition of pleasure, interest, and the need to procreate for the sake of social order and economic survival. Hunter-gatherers also placed high value on certain types of sexual symbolism.


title: Human sexuality

text: A common tension in hunter-gatherer societies is expressed in their art, which emphasized male sexuality and prowess, but also blurred gender lines in sexual matters. One example of these male-dominated portrayals is the Egyptian creation myth, in which the sun god Atum masturbates in the water, creating the Nile River. In Sumerian myth, the gods' semen filled the Tigris.


title: Human sexuality

text: Once agricultural societies emerged, the sexual framework shifted in ways that persisted for many millennia in much of Asia, Africa, Europe, and parts of the Americas. One common characteristic new to these societies was the collective supervision of sexual behavior due to urbanization and the growth of population and population density. Children would commonly witness parents having sex because many families shared the same sleeping quarters. Due to land ownership, determination of children's paternity became important, and society and family life became patriarchal. These changes in sexual ideology were used to control female sexuality and to differentiate standards by gender. With these ideologies, sexual possessiveness and increases in jealousy emerged.


title: Human sexuality

text: While retaining the precedents of earlier civilizations, each classical civilization established a somewhat distinctive approach to gender, artistic expression of sexual beauty, and to behaviors such as homosexuality. Some of these distinctions are portrayed in sex manuals, which were also common among civilizations in China, Greece, Rome, Persia, and India; each has its own sexual history.


title: Human sexuality

text: Before the High Middle Ages, homosexual acts appear to have been ignored or tolerated by the Christian church. During the 12th century, hostility toward homosexuality began to spread throughout religious and secular institutions. By the end of the 19th century, it was viewed as a pathology.


title: Human sexuality

text: During the beginning of the industrial revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries, many changes in sexual standards occurred. New artificial birth control devices such as the condom and diaphragm were introduced. Doctors started claiming a new role in sexual matters, urging that their advice was crucial to sexual morality and health. New pornographic industries grew and Japan adopted its first laws against homosexuality. In Western societies, the definition of homosexuality was constantly changing; Western influence on other cultures became more prevalent. New contacts created serious issues around sexuality and sexual traditions. There were also major shifts in sexual behavior. During this period, puberty began occurring at younger ages, so a new focus on adolescence as a time of sexual confusion and danger emerged. There was a new focus on the purpose of marriage; it was increasing regarded as being for love rather than only for economics and reproduction.


title: Human sexuality

text: Havelock Ellis and Sigmund Freud adopted more accepting stances toward homosexuality; Ellis said homosexuality was inborn and therefore not immoral, not a disease, and that many homosexuals made significant contributions to society. Freud wrote that all human beings as capable of becoming either heterosexual or homosexual; neither orientation was assumed to be innate. According to Freud, a person's orientation depended on the resolution of the Oedipus complex. He said male homosexuality resulted when a young boy had an authoritarian, rejecting mother and turned to his father for love and affection, and later to men in general. He said female homosexuality developed when a girl loved her mother and identified with her father, and became fixated at that stage.


title: Human sexuality

text: Alfred Kinsey initiated the modern era of sex research. He collected data from questionnaires given to his students at Indiana University, but then switched to personal interviews about sexual behaviors. Kinsey and his colleagues sampled 5,300 men and 5,940 women. He found that most people masturbated, that many engaged in oral sex, that women are capable of having multiple orgasms, and that many men had had some type of homosexual experience in their lifetimes.


title: Human sexuality

text: Before William Masters, a physician, and Virginia Johnson, a behavioral scientist, the study of anatomy and physiological studies of sex was still limited to experiments with laboratory animals. Masters and Johnson started to directly observe and record the physical responses in humans that are engaged in sexual activity under laboratory settings. They observed 10,000 episodes of sexual acts between 312 men and 382 women. This led to methods of treating clinical problems and abnormalities. Masters and Johnson opened the first sex therapy clinic in 1965. In 1970, they described their therapeutic techniques in their book, "Human Sexual Inadequacy".


title: Human sexuality

text: The first edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association, classified homosexuality as a mental illness, and more specifically, a "sociopathic personality disturbance". This definition remained the professional understanding of homosexuality until 1973 when the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from their list of diagnoses for mental disorders. Through her research of heterosexual and homosexual men, Evelyn Hooker revealed that there was no correlation between homosexuality and psychological maladjustment, and her findings played a pivotal role in shifting the scientific community away from the perspective that homosexuality was something that needed to be treated or cured.


title: Human sexuality

text: European conquerors/colonists found sexuality out of their norm about 1516 when Vasco Núñez de Balboa, a Spanish explorer, discovered indigenous people in Central America with different sexual practices. Balboa found some indigenous men resulting in him feeding forty of these men to his dogs for having different sexual practices. In North America and the United States, Europeans have used claims of sexual immorality to justify discrimination against racial and ethnic minorities.


title: Human sexuality

text: Scholars also study the ways in which colonialism has affected sexuality today and argue that due to racism and slavery it has been dramatically changed from the way it had previously been understood.


title: Human sexuality

text: In her book, "Carnal Knowledge and Imperial Power: Gender, Race, and Morality in Colonial Asia", Laura Stoler investigates how the Dutch used sexual control and gender-specific sexual sanctions to distinguish between the rulers from the ruled and enforce colonial domination onto the people of Indonesia.


title: Human sexuality

text: In America, there are 155 native tribes that are recorded to have embraced two-spirit people within their tribes, but the total number of tribes could be greater than what is documented. Two-spirit people were and still are members of communities who do not fall under Western gender categories of male and female, but rather under a "third gender" category. This system of gender contradicts both the gender binary and the assertion that sex and gender are the same. Instead of conforming to traditional roles of men and women, two-spirit fill a special niche in their communities.


title: Human sexuality

text: For example, two-spirited people are commonly revered for possessing special wisdom and spiritual powers. Two-spirited people also can take part in marriages, either monogamous and polygamous ones. Historically, European colonizers perceived relationships involving two-spirited people as homosexuality, and therefore believed in the moral inferiority of native people. In reaction, colonizers began to impose their own religious and social norms on indigenous communities, diminishing the role of two-spirit people in native cultures. Within reservations, the Religious Crime Code of the 1880s explicitly aimed to "aggressively attack Native sexual and marriage practices". The goal of colonizers was for native peoples to assimilate into Euro-American ideals of family, sexuality, gender expression, and more.


title: Human sexuality

text: The link between constructed sexual meanings and racial ideologies has been studied. According to Joane Nagel, sexual meanings are constructed to maintain racial-ethnic-national boundaries by the denigration of "others" and regulation of sexual behavior within the group. She writes, "both adherence to and deviation from such approved behaviors, define and reinforce racial, ethnic, and nationalist regimes". In the United States people of color face the effects of colonialism in different ways with stereotypes such as the Mammy and Jezebel for Black women; lotus blossom and dragon lady for Asian women; and the spicy Latina. These stereotypes contrast with standards of sexual conservatism, creating a dichotomy that dehumanizes and demonizes the stereotyped groups. An example of a stereotype that lies at the intersection of racism, classism, and misogyny is the archetype of the welfare queen. Cathy Cohen describes how the welfare queen stereotype demonizes poor black single mothers for deviating from conventions surrounding family structure.


title: Human sexuality

text: Reproductive and sexual rights encompass the concept of applying human rights to issues related to reproduction and sexuality. This concept is a modern one, and remains controversial since it deals, directly and indirectly, with issues such as contraception, LGBT rights, abortion, sex education, freedom to choose a partner, freedom to decide whether to be sexually active or not, right to bodily integrity, freedom to decide whether or not, and when, to have children. These are all global issues that exist in all cultures to some extent, but manifest differently depending on the specific contexts.


title: Human sexuality

text: According to the Swedish government, "sexual rights include the right of all people to decide over their own bodies and sexuality" and "reproductive rights comprise the right of individuals to decide on the number of children they have and the intervals at which they are born." Such rights are not accepted in all cultures, with practices such criminalization of consensual sexual activities (such as those related to homosexual acts and sexual acts outside marriage), acceptance of forced marriage and child marriage, failure to criminalize all non-consensual sexual encounters (such as marital rape), female genital mutilation, or restricted availability of contraception, being common around the world.


title: Human sexuality

text: In 1915, Emma Goldman and Margaret Sanger, leaders of the birth control movement, began to spread information regarding contraception in opposition to the laws, such as the Comstock Law, that demonized it. One of their main purposes was to assert that the birth control movement was about empowering women with personal reproductive and economic freedom for those who could not afford to parent a child or simply did not want one. Goldman and Sanger saw it necessary to educate people as contraceptives were quickly being stigmatized as a population control tactic due to being a policy limiting births, disregarding that this limitation did not target ecological, political, or large economic conditions. This stigma targeted lower-class women who had the most need of access to contraception.


title: Human sexuality

text: Birth control finally began to lose stigma in 1936 when the ruling of U.S. v. One Package declared that prescribing contraception to save a person's life or well-being was no longer illegal under the Comstock Law. Although opinions varied on when birth control should be available to women, by 1938, there were 347 birth control clinics in the United States but advertising their services remained illegal.


title: Human sexuality

text: The stigma continued to lose credibility as First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt publicly showed her support for birth control through the four terms her husband served (1933–1945). However, it was not until 1966 that the Federal Government began to fund family planning and subsidized birth control services for lower-class women and families at the order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. This funding continued after 1970 under the Family Planning Services and Population Research Act. Today, all Health Insurance Marketplace plans are required to cover all forms of contraception, including sterilization procedures, as a result of The Affordable Care Act signed by President Barack Obama in 2010.


title: Human sexuality

text: In 1981, doctors diagnosed the first reported cases of AIDS in America. The disease disproportionately affected and continues to affect gay and bisexual men, especially black and Latino men. The Reagan administration is criticized for its apathy towards the AIDS epidemic, and audio recordings reveal that Ronald Reagan's press secretary Larry Speakes viewed the epidemic as a joke, mocking AIDS by calling it the "gay plague". The epidemic also carried stigma coming from religious influences. For example, Cardinal Krol voiced that AIDS was "an act of vengeance against the sin of homosexuality", which clarifies the specific meaning behind the pope's mention of "the moral source of AIDS."


title: Human sexuality

text: Activism during the AIDS crisis focused on promoting safe sex practices to raise awareness that the disease could be prevented. The "Safe Sex is Hot Sex" campaign, for example, aimed to promote the use of condoms. Campaigns by the U.S. government, however, diverged from advocacy of safe sex. In 1987, Congress even denied federal funding from awareness campaigns that "[promoted] or [encouraged], directly or indirectly, homosexual activities". Instead, campaigns by the government primarily relied on scare tactics in order to instill fear in men who had sex with other men.


title: Human sexuality

text: In addition to prevention campaigns, activists also sought to counteract narratives that led to the "social death" for people living with AIDS. Gay men from San Francisco and New York City created the Denver Principles, a foundational document that demanded the rights, agency, and dignity of people living with AIDS.


title: Human sexuality

text: In his article "Emergence of Gay Identity and Gay Social Movements in Developing Countries", Matthew Roberts discusses how international AIDS prevention campaigns created opportunities for gay men to interact with other openly gay men from other countries. These interactions allowed western gay "culture" to be introduced to gay men in countries where homosexuality wasn't an important identifier. Thus, group organizers self-identified as gay more and more, creating the basis for further development of gay consciousness in different countries.


title: Human sexuality

text: In humans, sexual intercourse and sexual activity in general have been shown to have health benefits, such as an improved sense of smell, reduction in stress and blood pressure, increased immunity, and decreased risk of prostate cancer. Sexual intimacy and orgasms increase levels of oxytocin, which helps people bond and build trust.


title: Human sexuality

text: A long-term study of 3,500 people between ages 30 and 101 by clinical neuropsychologist David Weeks, MD, head of old-age psychology at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital in Scotland, said he found that "sex helps you look between four and seven years younger", according to impartial ratings of the subjects' photographs. Exclusive causation, however, is unclear, and the benefits may be indirectly related to sex and directly related to significant reductions in stress, greater contentment, and better sleep that sex promotes.


title: Human sexuality

text: Sexual intercourse can also be a disease vector. There are 19 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) every year in the U.S., and worldwide there are over 340 million sexually transmitted infections each year. More than half of these occur in adolescents and young adults aged 15–24 years. At least one in four US teenage girls has a sexually transmitted disease. In the U.S., about 30% of 15- to 17-year-olds have had sexual intercourse, but only about 80% of 15- to 19-year-olds report using condoms for their first sexual intercourse. In one study, more than 75% of young women age 18–25 years felt they were at low risk of acquiring an STD.


title: Human sexuality

text: People both consciously and subconsciously seek to attract others with whom they can form deep relationships. This may be for companionship, procreation, or an intimate relationship. This involves interactive processes whereby people find and attract potential partners and maintain a relationship. These processes, which involve attracting one or more partners and maintaining sexual interest, can include: