The Museum of Sex, also known as MoSex, is a sex museum located at 233

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major and prominent thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is one of the most expensive shopping ...

at the corner of East 27th Street in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. It opened on October 5, 2002.

History

Founder Daniel Gluck wanted to start a museum dedicated to "the history, evolution and cultural significance of

human sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

."Museum of Sex
official website The official mission of the Museum of Sex is "to preserve and present the history, evolution, and cultural significance of human sexuality. In its exhibitions, programs and publications, The Museum of Sex is committed to open discourse and exchange, and to bringing to the public the best in current scholarship." The museum focuses on a variety of sexual preferences and subcultures, including

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

and

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

history and erotica,

BDSM BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged ...

pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

, and

sex work Sex work is "the exchange of sexual services, performances, or products for material compensation. It includes activities of direct physical contact between buyers and sellers as well as indirect sexual stimulation". Sex work only refers to volun ...

. Although the museum's exhibits are presented in an educational format, they sometimes feature explicit content. Because of this, visitors must be 18 years old or older. While Gluck was planning the museum, the

New York State Board of Regents The Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York is responsible for the general supervision of all educational activities within New York State, presiding over University of the State of New York and the New York State Education Depa ...

rejected its application for non-profit status, objecting that the idea of a "museum of sex" made "a mockery" of the concept of

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make th ...

s. Because of this, and because Gluck opted not to accept funding from the pornography industry, the admission fee was initially $17. Unlike restrictions placed on adult entertainment venues, New York City authorities have allowed the museum to locate itself within 500 feet of a church or school. Before the Museum opened to the public,

William Donohue William Anthony Donohue (born July 18, 1947) is an American Roman Catholic who has been president of the Catholic League in the United States since 1993. Life and career Donohue was born in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New Yo ...

of the

Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, often shortened to the Catholic League, is an American Catholic organization whose stated purpose is to "defend the right of Catholics – lay and clergy alike – to participate in Ame ...

called it a "museum of smut", writing "If the museum's officials were honest, they would include a

death chamber An execution chamber, or death chamber, is a room or chamber in which capital punishment is carried out. Execution chambers are almost always inside the walls of a maximum-security prison, although not always at the same prison where the death r ...

that would acknowledge all the wretched diseases that promiscuity has caused. And they would give due recognition to the role that promiscuity has played in creating

poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse

. But instead we can look for the museum to celebrate public sex." However, since it opened in 2002, the Museum has faced no opposition from religious officials and even hosted an event entitled "Faith in Latex" which brought together leaders from the Catholic, Pentecostal, Episcopalian, Buddhist, and Jewish faiths. The inaugural exhibit, ''NYC Sex: How New York City Transformed Sex in America'', focused on the museum's home city, but later exhibits focused on sexuality in other cultures and time periods. Other exhibitions have included ''Sex Among the Lotus: 2500 Years of Chinese Erotic Obsession''; ''GET OFF: Exploring the Pleasure Principles''; ''Vamps & Virgins: The Evolution of American

Pinup A pin-up model (known as a pin-up girl for a female and less commonly male pin-up for a male) is a model whose mass-produced pictures see widespread appeal as part of popular culture. Pin-up models were variously glamour models, fashion models ...

Photography 1860-1960''; ''Men Without Suits: Objectifying the American Male Body''; and an online exhibition ''US Patent Office Sex Inventions.'' In 2009, the Museum began an expansion project moving its entrance from 27th Street to Fifth Avenue. The Museum also doubled the square footage of their store and increased the size of the museum by one floor, as well as adding another gallery. They expanded even further with an aphrodisiac-themed cafe and additional gallery space."Our Mission and History"
on the Museum of Sex website

References

Bibliography

*Blementhal, Ralph
"Sex Museum Says It Is Here to Educate"
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' (September 19, 2002) *Chancellor, Alexander
"The opposite of sex"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'' (September 27, 2002) * Steinberg, David
"New York's Thoughtful Museum of Sex"
''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''Th ...

'' (October 18, 2002)

External links

Museum of Sex
{{Authority control Museums established in 2002 Museums in Manhattan Sex museums in the United States History museums in New York City Museum of Sex

Museum of Sex The Museum of Sex, also known as MoSex, is a sex museum located at 233 Fifth Avenue at the corner of East 27th Street in Manhattan, New York City. It opened on October 5, 2002. History Founder Daniel Gluck wanted to start a museum dedicated t ...

History

See also

References

Bibliography

External links