There is a lot that we all take for granted about gender, sexuality, and the way culture defines these aspects of our lives. Pre-conceived beliefs of how we are supposed to act in order to meet the expectations placed on us to adhere to these norms should be considered and challenged.
It's time to open your eyes to other ways of thinking about these issues and challenge your own beliefs and consider why we think about gender and sexuality in the way that we do. We've curated a collection of interesting factual series and specials that explore these issues from around the world:
Sex in Japan: Dying For Company
Almost half of single Japanese millennials are virgins. Marc Fennell travels to Tokyo to meet a generation of undersexed and overworked young people.
My 100,000 Lovers
This documentary follows three sex addicts: a middle-aged man who never leaves his small town in Wales but manages to entice countless women over the internet to visit him there; an Australian glamour model who writes about her sex life in a British men's magazine; a former prostitute in a stable relationship who can't stop herself from going out and having mindless sex, much to her and her partner's anguish. Kim, the former prostitute has had over 100,000 lovers and she is close to despair about it. The Australian girl's life unravels during the making of the film as she realises she really does have a problem.
Meet The Polygamists
Founded in the 1980s as a Fundamentalist Mormon community, Centennial Park is a town where everyone shares a religion and a polygamous lifestyle. Today, there are less than 1,500 men, women and children building a town for themselves and their future families. This community is different from Warren Jeffs' Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Here, marriages aren't performed until girls reach 18, and marriages are determined by divine inspiration. A world largely unknown and unseen to the general public, for the first time, the people of Centennial Park have allowed cameras unprecedented access to their rites, rituals and lives.
The Last Lesbian Bars
San Francisco, New York, Washington DC, and New Orleans are four of the biggest gay party meccas in America, yet the cities' lesbian bars keep shutting down. Why are lesbian bars dying while clubs for gay men continue to thrive?
Rupert Everett: 50 Shades Of Gay
In this documentary, to mark the 50th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK, Rupert Everett charts the changes in gay life and culture over the last five decades. Since 1967 much has been achieved in terms of openness and acceptance, but have some of the things that Rupert most wants to celebrate about gay culture – its rebelliousness and outsiderness, for example – faded in the process of assimilation into the mainstream?
Lady Wankers
This is a whimsical, slightly risque, but also serious exploration of the taboo subject of female masturbation. See interviews from women of all ages about their own personal stories and practices. It also looks at the history of female sexuality, along with the marketing of the vibrator to women in the 20th century, as well as the tragic issue of genital mutilation and its disastrous consequences.
Should I Marry My Cousin?
Eighteen-year-old Bradford-born Hiba explores the controversial but legal custom of first-cousin marriage. It's a practice that has gone on within her own family for generations. This documentary takes a look at the devastating health impact that first-cousin marriage can have, and the arguments for and against it. Hiba finds out if it is possible to fancy and desire such a close relative.
Sex in The World's Cities - Ho Chi Minh City
In Ho Chi Minh City, formerly named Saigon, people waver between Confucius and bandwidth. On the one hand, Nam Magazine, the Vietnamese Playboy must rise to the challenge of publishing sexy photos without revealing any nipple. On the other hand, the gay community freely surfs dating sites, using the Tap Me app.
Marry Me Marry My Family
Sri Lankan Hindu Lalith has gone against his parents' wishes for an arranged marriage and chosen Chinese Australian, Louise. His parents refuse to speak to her and they won't be attending the wedding. Lalith has a tough job on his hands trying to persuade his parents to acknowledge his bride-to-be before the big day. Childhood sweethearts Derian and Jye are planning an extravagant, three day, 500-guest affair. Derian is a Muslim Gypsy and has agreed to adopt many wedding traditions to keep her family happy. Derian's father, Izzy, has instructed easy-going Maltese-Aussie Jye that his daughter must be a virgin until she's married. Izzy will find out whether Jye and Derian have kept their promise on the wedding night, when the sheets will be inspected for blood. If she is, they'll celebrate with an ancient blood ceremony called a Blaga Rikija. If not, he will disown his daughter.
