ABSTRACT
Many couples enter therapy and describe sexual difficulties centered on “erectile dysfunction” or, at the very least, inconsistent (or, by their perception, inadequate) relationships to erections. This chapter features three case studies with heterosexual married couples in sex therapy where erections formed a central role in their perceived distress. I look at how the erection functions as a symbol of masculinity, power, and sexual success, and how reducing the importance of the erection had positive outcomes for the couple. I conclude with implications of de-centralizing the erection and re-scripting their sexual lives to allow for more diverse expressions of sex beyond “compulsory penetration.” I also carefully consider the problems of how penile-vaginal penetration—and sexuality itself—have become compulsory (that is, required or mandated) aspects of heterosex rather than options with more diverse sexual expression.
