Summary
The article “Sex and the Social Construction of STD’s” by Schneider and Jenness (1995) , focuses on public responses that have “consequences for the expansion of social control mechanisms and the potential denial of civil liberties.” Schneider and Jenness look at how those mechanisms of social control are used to manage the crisis of AIDS and how it has been constructed as a social problem. The problems that associate with HIV have been thought of as “moral panics.” Throughout the epidemic, there has been mandatory testing and usually they focus on gay men, intravenous drug users, prisoners, immigrants, pregnant women, and sex workers. Prostituion and AIDS education make it clear that the states policies control female sexuality through laws. “Research has shown that female prostates are a serious “avenue of transmission.” This article also talks about AIDS education and how there has not been an agreement that it is needed at schools.
There are many gender differences included in this problem. Many focused on the “good girl” vs. the “bad girl.”
Discussion Questions
Why do you think they focus on testing the specific groups of people mentioned on pg. 391?
Why do you think male prostitutes are more likely to be infected more so than females?
Do you believe it would be beneficial to the children’s future if there was AIDS education programs in schools?
