Lars Gustaf Adolf Ullerstam, born April 22, 1935,
in
Vanersborg, Sweden, is a psychiatrist, sexologist, and author best known for his 1964 book, ''De erotiska minoritertena'' (released in the United States in 1966 under the title, ''The Erotic Minorities.'')
In Sweden, Ullerstam was one of the most influential figures arguing for sexual liberation of the 1960s. The book, as of 2015, had been translated into 8 languages.
The Erotic Minorities
''The Erotic Minorities'' argued against the concept of perversion as a category.
While he defended
homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...
, most of the content of his book centered around other sexual practices and desires, such as
pedophilia
Pedophilia ( alternatively spelled paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of pube ...
,
zoophilia
Zoophilia is a paraphilia in which a person experiences a sexual fixation on non-human animals. Bestiality instead refers to cross-species sexual activity between humans and non-human animals. Due to the lack of research on the subject, it is ...
,
prostitution
Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...
,
necrophilia
Necrophilia, also known as necrophilism, necrolagnia, necrocoitus, necrochlesis, and thanatophilia, is sexual attraction or acts involving corpses. It is classified as a paraphilia by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its ''International ...
, and
BDSM
BDSM is a variety of often Eroticism, erotic practices or Sexual roleplay, roleplaying involving Bondage (BDSM), bondage, Discipline (BDSM), discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given ...
.
Ullerstam argued for state-backed
brothel
A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...
s as mental health care, claiming that framing prostitution in this way would create "sexual Samaritans" who would staff the brothels.
He accepted the criminalization of pedophilia, but did not believe that it was possible for pedophiles to repress their desires and believed that it was only conditioning that made pedophilia wrong.
Ullerstam also argued against the restriction of
pornography
Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ullerstam, Lars
1935 births
Living people
Swedish writers
Swedish physicians
Sexuality activists
People from Vänersborg