Editing Human sexual activity (section)

===Heterosexuality===
{{Main|Heterosexuality}}
[[File:Slapende vrouw-Rijksmuseum RP-P-1997-21.jpeg|thumb|A Japanese ''[[shunga]]'' depicting a male and a female in sexual activity]]
Heterosexuality is the romantic or sexual attraction to the opposite sex. Heterosexual practices are institutionally privileged in most countries.<ref name="TRRCGS">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_e0yDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA64|title=The Routledge Research Companion to Geographies of Sex and Sexualities |isbn=978-1317043331|first1=Gavin|last1=Brown|first2=Kath|last2=Browne|date=2016|page=64|publisher=Routledge }}</ref> In some countries, mostly those where religion has a strong influence on [[social policy]], marriage laws serve the purpose of encouraging people to have sex only within marriage. [[Sodomy laws]] have been used to discourage same-sex sexual practices, but they may also affect opposite-sex sexual practices. Laws also ban adults from committing [[sexual abuse]], committing sexual acts with anyone under an [[age of consent]], performing sexual activities in public, and engaging in sexual activities for money (prostitution). Though these laws cover both same-sex and opposite-sex sexual activities, they may differ in regard to punishment, and may be more frequently (or exclusively) enforced on those who engage in same-sex sexual activities.<ref>[http://criminal.findlaw.com/crimes/more-criminal-topics/sex-offenders/sex-offenses-overview.html Sex Offenders and Sex Offenses: Overview. From FindLaw.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110119155906/http://criminal.findlaw.com/crimes/more-criminal-topics/sex-offenders/sex-offenses-overview.html |date=19 January 2011 }} Retrieved 13 October 2009.</ref>

Different-sex sexual practices may be [[monogamy|monogamous]], serially monogamous, or [[Polyamory|polyamorous]], and, depending on the definition of sexual practice, [[abstinence|abstinent]] or [[Autosexuality|autoerotic]] (including [[masturbation]]). Additionally, different religious and political movements have tried to influence or control changes in sexual practices including courting and marriage, though in most countries changes occur at a slow rate.