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‘Billy, the Sad Sperm with No Tail’: Representations of Sperm in Children’s Books

Lisa Jean Moore

College of Staten Island, USA, ljmoore{at}postbox.csi.cuny.edu

Books about human reproduction produced for English-speaking children both construct and perpetuate processes of social reproduction. This social reproduction takes place within the context of capitalist, patriarchal and heteronormative socio-cultural norms. Information about human reproduction is ‘processed’ and ‘distilled’ for the young - it is made sterile and perfected. For the purposes of this analysis, 18 children’s books were interpreted. It is within these sections that I build a theory about the transference that occurs between humans and cells. I also develop a nascent theory about the interconnectedness of disembodiment and anthropomorphism. Through the use of the constant comparative method, I conclude with a discussion of the process of sperm taking on the role of social reproducer of culture in secular books whereas God assumes this role in Christian books.

Key Words: children’s books • heteronormativity • human reproduction • representation • sperm

Sexualities, Vol. 6, No. 3-4, 277-300 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/136346070363002
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