Defining the Moral Panics of Sexuality
According to sociologist Stanley Cohen, a moral panic is a social movement against an exaggerated or fabricated threat from individuals or groups believed to undermine the safety and security of society (2011). Moral panics follow similar trajectories across history, with genres that vary according to important topics. These topics include traditional identities like race, ethnicity, religion, class, sexuality, gender, and nationality. Participants in moral panics appeal to traditional “values” against what they believe is an existential threat to specific groups, communities, or society at large. Primary responses to moral panics include social and political mobilization, strong moral regulation, legal and economic strictures, public shaming, and physical violence.
Moral panics of sexuality specifically focus on fear and anxiety around certain sexual practices and identities that go against social norms and accepted moral belief. These sexual...
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Karger, M. (2022). Moral Panics of Sexuality. In: The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Sexuality Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95352-2_5-1
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