“My G-spot is Not a Myth!”: Unpacking the (Controversial) Vaginal Orgasm Debate in Recent Medical Journals Diana Pearson Abstract: Some medical researchers say the G-spot does exist, but many insist it does not. The question as to its valid existence is being hotly debated in recent medical journals. This is no surprise, since the clitoris was marginalized in modern medical documents until 1971 when the Boston Women’s Collective finally took it upon themselves to produce new knowledges about women’s orgasms with self-examination as a method. In a scientific search for the “true” G-spot, medical researchers use approaches that inadvertently obscure the complexity and variability of sexual pleasure. In addition, many of their findings are steeped in the cultural baggage that prioritizes the Victorian ideal of feminine sexuality. This paper argues that self-examination and testimony (feminist approaches to knowledgebuilding) are an effective way to push back against “epistemologies of ignorance” about sexual pleasure. It is organized in three parts: part one is a short genealogy of 20th century literature on the G-spot and the clitoris; part two is an analysis of three recently published medical studies, all of which seek to definitively prove or disprove the G-spot; and part three discusses the problem that the search for Objective Truth can impose on research subjects, particularly subjects who have historically been excluded from practicing medicine. Keywords: G-spot, vaginal orgasm, sexuality, clitoris, women and gender, medical research “Our bodies, ourselves: bodies are maps of power and identity.” —Donna Haraway, A Cyborg Manifesto Introduction Some medical researchers say the G-spot does exist, but many insist it does not. This is no surprise; women’s bodies have been a controversial space since modern medicine practices began in North America. As modern medicine became professionalized in the late 1800s, doctors often confused moral and religious judgments with medical practice. 1 A few examples include the harsh protocols developed for cis-gendered women and hysteria, PMS and menopause,2 sexuality, abortions, and birth control,3 and
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