Sexuality and space

The origins of the term "Sexuality and Space" can be traced back to the early 1990s where usage of the phrase was popularized by two publications.

[7] In 1992 Beatriz Colomina's Sexuality and Space (Princeton Papers on Architecture) was released; in which the term is used to elaborate on the symbolism of towers and other structures as Phallic icons.

Arguably, the most influential book-publication to position sexuality as an accepted part of geography was Mapping Desire, an edited collection by David Bell and Gill Valentine.

Bell and Valentine provide a critical review of the history of geographical works on sexuality and set an agenda for further research.

Ever since the rise of attention to geographies of LGBT in the late 1970s and 1980s, more research has been focused on the relationship between place, space and sexuality.

New phenomena and issues are being explored; for example, in Dereka Rushbrook's research, he points out that some of the secondary cities in the US like Portland, Oregon, and Austin, Texas, had seen the gay village in their cities as something that represents the modernness and diversity of their cites;[11] furthermore, transsexual and third gender, so called the Kathoey in Thailand are worldwide famous for their dance performances and considered a must-see while visiting Thailand.

[16] Members of non-heterosexual communities may lose the ability to worship or practice religion within the most widespread religious organizations because they are not accepted as a consequence of their sexuality.

This kind of behavior leads to the general population believing that LGBTQI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex) communities are largely atheist or agnostic, but instead some are just adopting non-Abrahamic faiths with pre-Christian traditions and customs, that are based on aspirational encouragement and personal well-being.

Pioneering – if controversial – in this area was Symanski's (1988) Immoral Landscape;[20] subsequent studies have considered the socio-legal regulation of spaces of prostitution, adult entertainment, sex shops and hostess bars, and sought to place such issues in a wider theoretical context relating to the reproduction of heteronormality.

Studies of sexuality and space has been criticized for universalizing a Western-centric position that has minimal relevance beyond the urbanized Western world.

Institutions meant to create non-heteronormative spaces, such as the Gay Games, are only accessible to those who are able to afford registration fees, airfare and training, and remain predominantly white.

[26] Thus, while progress is made on challenging heteronormativity, queer studies have been criticized for potentially reinforcing other forms of marginalization.

Assimilationists are against the creation of a "gay ghetto" in Toronto, advocating instead for the integration of LGBT people into suburbs, to show that they are just like everybody else.