Innovation and Impact of Sex as Leisure in Research and Practice: Introduction to the Special Issue

Abstract

This special issue responds to the need to investigate the complex links between sex and leisure and their implications for research and practice. The focus is on analyzing the complexity of sex as leisure in various socio-cultural and geographical contexts while focusing on pressing sexual issues and vulnerable populations. The articles address the implementation of a positive sexuality framework for guiding leisure research; sexual play and sex toys based on consumer experience perspectives; using the leisure lens to analyze sex and pornography addiction; quadriplegic sexuality and leisure; rejection and resilience on a gay cruise; relational dynamics of aging, exploitation, and deceit in sex tourism; sexual harassment of solo female travelers; and the complexity of consent in the sexualized leisure space of a pornography expo. This issue will be of general interest to the audience interested in interdisciplinary scholarship as it critically broadens the bio-psycho-socio-cultural perspective of sex as leisure.

Keywords:

• bio-psycho-socio-cultural perspective
• new directions in sex as leisure scholarship
• pressing issues in leisure and sexuality scholarship
• sex as leisure
• vulnerable sexual populations

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to express their appreciation to the scholars who have contributed their important work to this special issue and to Dr. Corey Johnson for his helpful feedback on this paper.