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[HOMOSEXUALITY, MASTURBATION, AND ADULTERY IN THE SOVIET YOUTH] Polovaya zhizn sovremennoy molodezhi [i.e. Sexual Life of Contemporary Youth]

Gelman, I.

Item #2016

Moscow; Leningrad: Gos. izd., 1925. 150 pp.: tables. 23.2x15.4 cm. In original publisher’s printed wrappers. Tear of the front wrapper, edges worn, previous owner’s pencil inscription on the titlepage, Soviet bookshop stamp on the rear wrapper, but otherwise in a very good condition.

Scarce. Second enlarged edition. First edition published in 1923.
A pioneering Soviet sexbook addressing the formation of a new sexual culture in the USSR and covering the subjects of homosexuality, masturbation, adultery, etc.
This second edition of the Sexual Life of Contemporary Youth was written by the Soviet physician Izrail Gelman (1881-1937) and published by the People’s Commissariat of Public Health in 1925. The publication stems from an anonymous questionnaire on sexual practices distributed among 1,600 students at a Moscow university. Analyzing 1,522 forms, primarily completed by men (1,214) and women (338), aged 16 and above, it also includes questionnaire samples for both genders. The surveys cover approximately 40 questions for men and 60 for women, addressing topics such as masturbation, venereal diseases, first sexual experiences, and intimate preferences. Most questions focus on masturbation. Examples of questions include:
Have you ever masturbated? (out of 1,213 interviewed men 52.8% have masturbated; out of 338 interviewed women 14.8% have masturbated); It is rather interesting that the author refers to the questionnaire participants as ‘the army of masturbators’.
At what age did you start masturbating? (out of 625 interviewed men 59.9% have started masturbating between 15 and 24 years or above; out of 57 interviewed women 39% have started masturbating between 11 and 14 years); Who was your first sexual partner: a prostitute or another woman? (out of 1,145 interviewed men most (65.9%) had their first sexual intercourse with ‘other women’, 28.4% - with an obvious prostitute; 2% - with little girls or schoolgirls; 1 participant answered the question with the ‘sister’); How did the Great Revolution affect the power of your sexual feelings? (out of 932 interviewed men most (53%) answered ‘weakened’; out of 228 interviewed women 59% answered ‘left unchanged’); Have there been extramarital sexual encounters? (out 241 interviewed men most (62.25%) have been engaged in adultery). This question was only asked to the male participants of the questionnaire.

Interestingly, two respondents, aged twenty-three and twentyfive, identified themselves as lesbians. After her divorce, the first woman lost interest in men and found attraction to women at 22, longing for a sex change. The second woman’s first sexual encounter was with a beloved female friend, and she continued seeking intimacy with women, considering her relationships akin to marriage. The author’s commentary on these cases asserts: “Science now unequivocally confirms that homosexuality is not a matter of ill will or criminal behavior, but rather a form of illness.”
From the 1930s, the Soviet regime underwent a significant shift in its approach to sexual life and homosexuality. With Stalin’s rise to power, libertinism waned, and practices such as abortion, masturbation, and premarital sex faced widespread criticism. In 1933, men engaging in same-sex intercourse were labeled as “spies” and persecuted by the state.
Overall, a curious edition about the sexual life of the Soviet youth printed just a couple of years before the end of sexual liberation.

Worldcat locates the first edition in Harvard University, Columbia University, New York Public Library, University of Illinois, and Los Angeles Public Library. No copies of the second edition
found in Worldcat.

Status: On Hold