# Event Details - **Event Name**: Fierce Desires: Variation, Conflict, and Pleasure in the History of America - **Event Start and End Date**: Tue, 24 Feb, 2026 at 07:00 pm – Tue, 24 Feb, 2026 at 08:30 pm - **Event Description**: From puritans to polyamory, Professor Rebecca Davis explores the story of America’s sexual past.About this EventIn the United States today, we have government decrees that there are only two sexes, debates about “trad wives” and polyamory, and frequent references to the nation’s “puritan” past. But in her latest book—and in this talk—Professor Rebecca L. Davis argues that seventeenth-century Puritans are a weak precedent for how the history of sexuality has unfolded in the United States. Into the 1800s, the United States was far more welcoming of gender nonconformity and same-sex/queer desires than we might presume. Instead, a significant shift occurred in the late nineteenth century, when anti-obscenity and anti-immigration legislation vastly expanded the federal government’s investment in shaping sexual morality. The history that unfolds is far less about prudish puritans than shifting sexual values. Our contemporary conflicts over sex and gender highlight the power of this surprising history.Rebecca L. Davis is the Miller Family Early Career Professor of History and an associate professor of Women and Gender Studies at the University of Delaware. She is a historian of marriage, religion, sexuality, and politics in the United States. In addition to Fierce Desires: A New History of Sex and Sexuality in America, she is author of Public Confessions: The Religious Conversions that Changed American Politics and More Perfect Unions: The American Search for Marital Bliss, and the co-editor of Heterosexual Histories. She is also a podcast host and producer and writes the newsletter Carnal Knowledge, which explains the history behind today’s headlines about gender, sexuality, and American politics.Penn State Great Valley strives to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals in our community to engage fully. The campus includes accessible and gender neutral restroom, dedicated parking spaces, elevators, lactation room, step-free access, and a complimentary wheelchair. If you require any accommodation not listed above, or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Becky Stanko at or call 610-648-3236. - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/malvern/fierce-desires-variation-conflict-and-pleasure-in-the-history-of-america/100001481449809259 - **Event Categories**: art, literary-art, nonprofit - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 0, currency: USD ## Event venue details - **city**: Malvern - **state**: PA - **country**: United States - **location**: The Conference Center at Penn State Great Valley - **lat**: 40.0522918 - **long**: -75.52221500000001 - **full address**: The Conference Center at Penn State Great Valley, 30 East Swedesford Road, Malvern, United States ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: Fierce Desires: Variation, Conflict, and Pleasure in the History of America - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events7/banners/4da451e5c1ff2a7cb24a30778d8e685cfe2ae788b7945ec3ac87904ebacd77ff-rimg-w1200-h600-dcfdf8e4-gmir.jpg?v=1753167071 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is Fierce Desires: Variation, Conflict, and Pleasure in the History of America being held? - **A:** Fierce Desires: Variation, Conflict, and Pleasure in the History of America takes place on Tue, 24 Feb, 2026 at 07:00 pm to Tue, 24 Feb, 2026 at 08:30 pm at The Conference Center at Penn State Great Valley, 30 East Swedesford Road, Malvern, United States. - **Q**: Who is organizing Fierce Desires: Variation, Conflict, and Pleasure in the History of America? - **A:** Fierce Desires: Variation, Conflict, and Pleasure in the History of America is organized by Penn State Great Valley. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": "Fierce Desires: Variation, Conflict, and Pleasure in the History of America", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events7/banners/4da451e5c1ff2a7cb24a30778d8e685cfe2ae788b7945ec3ac87904ebacd77ff-rimg-w1200-h600-dcfdf8e4-gmir.jpg?v=1753167071", "startDate": "2026-02-24", "endDate": "2026-02-24", "url": "https://allevents.in/malvern/fierce-desires-variation-conflict-and-pleasure-in-the-history-of-america/100001481449809259", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "The Conference Center at Penn State Great Valley", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "30 East Swedesford Road", "postalCode": "19355", "addressLocality": "Malvern", "addressRegion": "PA", "addressCountry": "US" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "40.0522918", "longitude": "-75.52221500000001" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "From puritans to polyamory, Professor Rebecca Davis explores the story of America’s sexual past.", "offers": [ { "@type": "AggregateOffer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-04-08", "availabilityEnds": "2026-02-24", "validFrom": "2026-04-08", "lowPrice": "0.00", "highPrice": "0.00", "price": "0.00", "url": "https://allevents.in/malvern/fierce-desires-variation-conflict-and-pleasure-in-the-history-of-america/100001481449809259" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-04-08", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-04-08", "url": "https://allevents.in/malvern/fierce-desires-variation-conflict-and-pleasure-in-the-history-of-america/100001481449809259", "price": 0, "name": "General Admission" } ], "organizer": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Penn State Great Valley", "url": "https://allevents.in/org/penn-state-great-valley/25650799", "description": "Penn State's School of Graduate Professional Studies extends the resources and reputation of one of the nation’s leading research universities to the greater Philadelphia area. We offer part-time and online graduate degrees and certificate for working adults in business, big data, engineering, finance, healthcare, leadership, and technology. A variety of non-credit professional development programs such as Lean Six Sigma, project management, leadership development, and agile business analysis are also available. Our evening and hybrid courses are offered in a flexible, step-in step-out format to meet the demands of work, family, and life in general." } ] } ] ```