Intercrural sex

Intercrural intercourse was a common manifestation of pederasty in ancient Greece.[1] Dover has suggested that it was the preferred activity and was done to pervent "breaching whatever protocols happened to be in force concerning same-sex actions".[7][8] Alexander the Great reportedly had intercrural sex with Hephaestion.[9] By the early AD eta, however, it fell out of fashion as relations between men and women become more favoured.[1] It was depicted on artworks such as vases, where they were called "courting scenes", and heavily discussed by writers.[1][10][lower-alpha 1] Joan Roughgarden refers to standing, face-to-face intercrural intercourse as the "gay male missionary position" of Ancient Greece.[12]

It had been subject to various historical sodomy laws and religious restrictions enacted mostly by Christianity.[13] Medieval penitentials often highlighted intercrural sex as sinful and gave instructions on how to repent.[7]

A 19th-century erotic artwork depicting intercrural sex between a man and a woman.

In early modern english, writers referred to intercrural sex by "rubbing” or “frigging”.[7] Literary works like The School of Venus, The Choise of Valentines and The Lady of Pleasure depicted intercrural sex, with the first two speculated, by Will Fisher, to have encouraged people to perform the act.[7] Works of satire at the time also discussed the act, specifically male-on-male intercrural sex.[7] Cases of sodomy at this time, such as the trial of the Mervyn Tuchet in 1631, occasionally mentioned intercrural sex.[7] Tuchert's case took on significant cultural prominence at the time and informed many of male-on-male sexual habits and likely created a perception of intercrural sex being the main method.[7]

In Africa, intercrural sex was one of many forms of sexual socialisation amongst young people that was critiqued by Christianity.[14] In Japan it is known as sumata.[15] In Zulu it is referred to as okusoma. It has a long history as an accepted practice for young people in southern Africa and was often practiced to prevent population growth.[16][17]

Hickson et al. (1994) found that in 5 of 219 cases of male sexual assault reviewed, intercrural sex took place.[18] In Sri Lanka, 2014, 270 instances of sexual assault were medically examined; 18 occurrences of intercrural intercourse were reported.[19] No physical injuries occurred to the victims.[19] They were reported between the age of 4 and 19 years with the average being 14 years old.[19]

Ripley et al. 1971, demostrated that only 3 out of every 10 boys and 4 of every 10 girls in the 14-year-old age group, surveyed, were under the impression that intercrural intercourse could not result in pregnancy.[20][lower-alpha 2] In southern Africa it has been seen as a method of preventing acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), with 12.5% of girls responding with it when asked how to not acquire AIDS.[21] In Nigeria, only 13 of 298, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive respondents knew that the disease could be transmitted through intercrural sex, while a further 30 said "no" and the remaining 255 responded with "[didn't know]".[22]

Shere Hite's 1976 and 1981 research on female sexuality found that some adult women reported being able to achieve orgasm via intercrural contact to stimulate the clitoris.[5] Intercrural sex is popular in Sri Lanka with 4.2% of women, surveyed, reported to have engaged in it while 20.7% of men said to have had homosexual intercrural sex.[23] A 1997 report on the sexual health needs of males who have sex with males in the Calcutta suburbs found that 73% of men, asked, engaged in intercrural sex, though the frequency varied based on demographic factors: only 54% of sex workers, 50% of lower income men and 40% of Muslims reported intercrural sex, while 82% of Hindus and 88% of middle income men reported engaging in it.[24]