Q&A with Evasive Anthropologist

Spunky and attractive, Suzanne Lafont is not only an anthropologist, but also a professor, researcher, author, among other things.

The editor of three books, Lafont took various essays relevant to her book title and incorporated them into smooth flowing books with great self written (nice length) introductions which she uses as the first chapter in her books. Along with those books she also wrote a monograph titled Help Wanted: Sex Workers in Katutura, Namibia (2008) and an additional book called “The Emergence of an Afro-Caribbean Legal Tradition – Gender relations and family court use in Kingston, Jamaica” (1996).
Her other titles include “Unravelling Taboos: Gender and Sexuality in Namibia” (2007), “Constructing Sexualities: Readings in Sexuality, Gender, and Culture” (2002) and “Women in Transition: Voices from Lithuania” (1998).

She also served as a Family Court Counselor in Kingston, Jamaica. Sweden seems to be the country of choice for Lafont, she spends part of the year living there in her cottage, where this interview took place (through e-mail, of course).

In person, Lafont seems to be more open, less reserved, talkative, opinionated and willing to supply more information.

Lafont takes a lot of value in being credible and is not scared to say when something is just her opinion over researched. She always refers back to research and backs up her information with facts.

Sex Edge: Tell me a little about yourself.

Suzanne Lafont: I am a Professor at Kingsborough Community College. My field is Cultural Anthropology with a specialization in gender, sexuality, and human rights. I have taught at many institutions, including the University of Kaunas in Lithuania and the University of Sophia in Bulgaria.
My fourth book Unravelling Taboos: Gender and Sexuality in Namibia was published spring 2007. I have also published articles on homophobia in the Caribbean and gender in Eastern Europe and the Caribbean. My next book is on the life story of an amazing woman I met in Jamaica 19 years ago while living in a shantytown in Kingston.
I was born in Detroit and attended the University of Michigan as an undergraduate (dance/psych). I moved to NYC many years ago tried my hand at different endeavors. Disillusioned, I left NY and backpacked around the world by myself. When I returned, I signed up for anthropology courses at Hunter College. I've never looked back. I went on to earn my doctorate at Yale and kicked around a lot before finding a home at KCC.

Sex Edge: How did you become interested in this field?

Lafont: As a woman, I have always been interested in the female experience (I joined NOW – the National Organization for women when I was 16). I quickly realized that you cannot study women without studying men. So I began researching gender and gender relations. This led me to the study of sexuality – how can you understand gender relations without first understanding the dynamics of sexuality?

Sex Edge: What do you mean by "I quickly realized that you cannot study women without studying men"? It sounds a bit sexist.

Lafont: You need to study gender wholistically - femaleness and maleness create, shape, and reflect gender. If you study only men or only women you miss out on the bigger picture.

Sex Edge: That much I understood. The statement implies that you had an “aha” moment of something like “Oh yea, men are important too; I guess I have no choice but to research them” type of thing.

Lafont: Not really, it was really more of an evolution of thought. Colleges all over the world morphed from having Women's Studies Departments into having Gender Studies Departments.

Sex Edge: What do you think the most misunderstood topics in sexuality are? Why?

Lafont: Female sexuality – phallocentism has, until recently, prevented informed dialogue about female sexuality. In many ways, women’s liberation of the 1970’s became connected to sexual liberation and translated into the idea that women were supposed to be easily aroused and multi-orgasmic. While this was better than the idea that women viewed sex as a marital chore, it still left women with only two sexual identities, nymphomaniac or sexually repressed prude.
Gender diversity: intersexuality, transgenderism, and transexuality – most people do not understand the complexity of gender diversity and sexual diversity. They collapse many different behaviors into a simplistic concept of “queer.”

Sex Edge: What three countries do you think have the most negative view and why?

Lafont: This is just opinion – I have not done any research on exactly the order but I would guess that it would be Afghanistan Iran, and Saudi Arabia. These countries do not have a separation between religion and civil law. Fundamentalist interpretations of religion have led to gender and sexual repression which sometimes translates into law. For example, homosexual acts are punishable by death in Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Sex Edge: What steps do you think the U.S. needs to take in order for our society to have healthier views on sex and sexuality?

Lafont: Sex education – we need to implement an age-appropriate sex ed starting in early grade school and continuing through 12th grade. It should be comprehensive – teaching about the positive AND negative aspects of sex and sexuality – not just the negative.

Sex Edge: If we implemented age-appropriate sex ed classes here in the US, what specific positive aspects should be taught in said classes?

Lafont: That sex and sexuality have benefits. If we feel good about our sexuality, we feel good about ourselves. Young people should be taught that having sexual feelings is normal; that masturbation is normal, etc

Sex Edge: In general, how does your approach to sexuality compare to that of other researchers?

Lafont: My approach is not radical and scientists usually agree with each other. However, much of what get presented to the public is based on morality instead of science and I disagree with a many of those messages.

Sex Edge: In your research, have you come across any disappointments? What were they?
Lafont: Alas, none of the books based on my research have made it to the New York Times Best Seller List.
Sex Edge: Is there anything else I forgot to ask or anything you’d like to share?

Lafont: No.

Sex Edge: Ok, thanks for your time.