Is oral sex really sex?

This question actually made me think a good amount.  When I initially read the topic, my mind was made up. No; oral sex is not really sex.  This is because I was only seeing things through one side of the argument.  In Chapter 9 of the “Human Sexuality” book, on page 280, there is a ‘Think About It!’ section which discusses several studies taken to poll both genders from a large age range about what constitutes sex.  The sides are pretty cut and dry:

A) It counts as sex because someone touched someone else in a sexual manner and as a result somebody ejaculated, just like what happens during penile-vaginal intercourse.

B) No it is not sex because there was no actual penetration in a sexually reproductive manner.

I initially agreed with B.  The study provided examples of why some people tend to agree with B like saying it’s to ‘preserve their virginity’ or to claim they did not cheat on their partner.  I just agreed with it because oral sex is not in the vein of the most primal function of sex; to reproduce.  Sadly enough, there are no such things as mouth babies (to my knowledge).  And the statistics provided in the book were comforting to my stance.  The majority of the participants in the study agreed that penile-vaginal and penile-anal encounters, even in brevity, counted as “sex”, while the number of participants who felt the same way about oral dropped way down.  So there, I was not the only one who felt that way.  Although it is possible to be aroused, pleasured, and ejaculate from oral, all things equally possible through intercourse, it is not considered sex.

But wait…

I feel like my decision was too rash, simple, and biased.  I had to take a step back and understand what made up my personal ability and experience.  I have a penis and can experience either fellatio via oral stimulation, or intercourse via penetration.  Since my sexual preference is hetero, I can choose to penetrate my female partner or perform cunnilingus on her (with her permission and approval of course).  However I don’t have these rights and abilities as a matter of being backed by popular demand with a poll, but rather thanks to my anatomy.  So how would that initial constitution of oral that I made apply to those of the lesbian and gay community?  Sure, gay men statistically do participate in anal intercourse involving anal penetration which the mentioned consensus claims to be sex.  But I will not rule out the possibility and probability of gay partners who decide to only perform oral on one another and exclude penetration; who am I to strip them of their right to say they enjoy sex with their partner?  Furthermore, what about lesbians who anatomically have no sexual reproductive organs to penetrate each other in the first place?  It would be close-minded and selfish of me to negate their opportunities to claim they enjoy sex with their partners just because they use their mouths, toys, and scissor mechanics instead of actual penetration with a sexual reproductive organ.

As a result of this enlightening revelation I had, I would have to change my initial response.  In regards to the question at hand, I do believe that oral sex really counts as sex.