My last essay discussed anal eroticism through an artistic and philosophical lens. That analysis was universal, unmoored from identity markers like sex, gender, and sexual orientation. Everyone has an anus, after all; any serious attempt at anal philosophy should apply universally. Having laid this broad framework, however, we can begin to narrow our focus. The purpose of this essay is to acknowledge the fact that the anus is strongly associated with queerness—male queerness, in particular. And, given our current political climate, this makes the anus a profound source of anxiety and moral panic.

We’ve witnessed an explosion in the popularity of anal eroticism over the last few decades. Anal sex has become a mainstay in heterosexual pornography, and is increasingly popular in the heterosexual bedroom as well. Implied anal scenes have even found their way into a handful of popular films and TV shows. The mainstreaming of anal play has been accompanied by a flurry of think pieces, ranging from gleeful celebration all the way to moral panic. Strangely, there seems to be very little writing on the meaning of anal eroticism through an artistic and philosophical lens. This essay is the first in a series—my own effort to fill in that gap.