The growing gap between academia and activism?

As sexualities enters adulthood it seems appropriate to think about the connections between academia and activism. In his introduction to the founding issue Ken Plummer wrote that: 'Human sexualities have to be socially produced, socially organized, socially maintained and socially transformed. And as cultures change, so do sexualities' (1998: 5). It's worth going back to that statement at a time when most homosexuals seem to believe that we were 'born that way', and when many trans people insist that they are enacting their authentic gender. It's also worth thinking about the political implications of Ken's words in a world which is experiencing bitter disputes globally around sexuality, with authoritarian religious and political leaders targeting expressions of sexual non-conformity.