Compulsory Heteronormativity

This book explores the reader to rethink their opinions on social and physical normality. The title suggests that normality shouldn’t be defined so critically and that those of diversity and marginalization should be included. In this instance, the focus is upon the normalcy of those who are transgender. “One image of us that went viral showed us standing in our bathing suits with the caption: ”Does this couple look normal? Because they are.” The intention of the caption may have been good, but what did it even mean by normal? That we passed as cisgender? Were heterosexual?? White? Able-bodied? Attractive? If one of us hadn’t been any of those things, would they still have called us normal?” pg

We are socialized to assumed heterosexuality is normal because it is all around us. Most of us are born into a heterosexual, mom and dad relationship. As we grow up looking up to them it becomes normal to see heterosexuality. Throughout my upbringing, my parents did not talk about homosexuality much. All of my family members throughout at least the first two generations identify as straight, so it was not something I grew up being around. Therefore it was never talked about in a positive or negative way. In biology class and church we are taught that we are on this earth to reproduce and contribute to the renewal of civilization. To do this the ‘normal’ way you would get married and heterosexually reproduce. It is taught that the only natural way to have sex is inserting a penis into a vagina. Institutions reinforce this by continuing to teach children throughout their education that man and woman are the normal thing. This belief came from the fact that a female egg cannot turn into a fetus unless it is fertilized by a male sperm. The cycle of heterosexual socialization promotes heterosexism because it is promoted as the ‘right’ thing to do throughout all forms of media and teachings. When all you see as a positive thing growing up is heterosexual, married couples with biological kids you are conformed to think that is the only way to find happiness. Heteronormative socialization excludes many different types of people such as couples who cannot conceive their own

In, “The interSexion: A Vision for a Queer Progressive Agenda” by Deepoli Gokhale, she writes about queer oppression. She defines heterosexism as the “belief that there are only two genders, and that a sexual relationship between a man and a

Historically, societies have divided the sexes into male and female and assigned specific gender roles for each group to ‘perform’. Alternative sexual practices outside of the norm were considered unacceptable and abnormal. These ideologies of heteronormativity have been reinforced throughout various social institutions including media where heteronormative portrayals have been considered standards. Furthermore, as Rogers mentioned, “Commonly intertwined with such heterocentrism are values celebrating heterosexuality as normal and natural while condemning or at least rejecting lesbigay sexualities.” (Rogers 72). Heteronormativity is largely depicted in the media and reinforce dominant norms of society, which portray heterosexual romantic relationships

·         What is the most accurate way to define bisexuality?  (Page 222) Having romantic or sexual

The most common sexual orientation, regardless of culture, is heterosexuality. This is defined as a sexual orientation in which an individual is generally sexually attracted to members of the opposite sex. A Centers for Disease Control national survey “reported that the percentage of Americans who identify themselves as heterosexual was 90 percent for men and women” (King, 2011, p. 363). This orientation is also considered by many people, cultures and religion throughout history and into the present as being the “normal” and “natural” orientation, with the idea that any deviation from heterosexuality is unnatural, a choice, and a thing that needs to be corrected. This belief,

Homosexuality is defined or characterized as attraction towards the same gender either male or female. It came from the Greek language, where “homo” means the same or similar, hence referring to the attraction between two beings of the same sex. Homosexuality is also referred as a clinical term. Most male homosexuals generally prefer to be called "gay men" and most homosexual women generally prefer to be called "lesbians." Homosexuality is one of the three main categories of sexual orientation, alongside bisexual and heterosexual. The longstanding consensus of the behavioral and social sciences and the health and mental health professions is that homosexuality is an example of normal and positive variation in human sexual

Ever since I discovered I was not normal, people started to ask questions about my personal feelings because mine weren’t the same as theirs. What do I mean by normal? The word normal means guys who are attracted to women and women who are attracted to men. My mind spun for several years. It was difficult to figure out what I want in life. Soon I learned that there are labels for liking the opposite gender or the same gender. I realized my feelings and desires towards a guy were normal for me.

In my college years, I started to realize that my perception of normality was not the same as everyone else. I’ve learn that people have their own way of lifestyle. Also, that the word “normal” is defined in several ways and not everyone has the same definition for it. Normative is a wide factor that includes many different variables to different people. What made me become more aware of homosexuality was the time I began to expand my social surroundings. In the environment I grew up in, there was a strict stigma towards homosexuals. I felt the pressure to believe in what everyone else around me believed in because I did not want to be considered as an outsider. Inclusion was important to me because feeling a part of a social group was crucial. It wasn’t until I began to stop caring about what my friends and family’s ideology about heterosexual marriage was when I broke free from my chain. The time I started my higher education career was time I met new people that changed my perception on diversity. I had the pleasure to met many people from different culture, religion, color, and sexual orientation. Acceptance for myself to be who I want to be became clear. My view of the world was changing. I was bided to the chain of ignorance because I lacked motivation to seek for the truth in the world around me. Through my college education, I met many homosexual individuals that influence my life. Majority of the time I discovered many commonalties I had with these individuals regardless of our sexual orientation. Although, the stereotype of homosexual does persist, it did not stop me from being open minded. I was ignorant before because I lack perception of homosexuals as normal individuals. I judge them as a whole because of what I have learned through my family’s cultural values, beliefs and

According to Eve Sedgwick,the definition of heterosexism is a series of assumptions that lead to the conclusion that all aspects of a person’s sexuality can be deduced by their biological sex alone. These assumptions relate to what sexualities are considered “normal”. In the text “Making Gay Meaning” Sedgwick lists several of these assumptions including that a person’s gender presentation and identities are “supposed” to match their biological sex, a person’s sexual partner’s perception as gay or straight is supposed to match their own, and that a person’s perception as gay or straight is supposed to correspond with the biological sex of that person and their sexual partner(s).

This article addresses the way people view homosexuality. It mentions how society has had to “add on” identities in order to satisfy the different labels that have been added to acknowledge the unique features of those within the realm of homosexuality. It expresses the many different ways people define homosexuality before stating the author’s stance on the issue. The author goes more in depth when she mentions the Civil Rights movement and how we had to give people equal opportunities based on race. She ties that into treating homosexuals as equals because regardless of their sexual orientation, they, too, are humans.

In the first sentence of "The Invention of the Heterosexuality" it was made clear that heterosexuality was not something that just began. That term has been around since the historic days of Adam and Eve. Back during The Victorian True Love from 1820-1860 sex was more like something that you were obligated to do verses pleasure. To be considered a true woman you were measured by your distance from lust. To be considered a true male you were in less control of your lust for women. During The Late Victorian Sex-Love time period that ranges from the 1860 to 1892 heterosexuality and homosexuality were in the making in America and Germany. More doctors began to study the new medical model of normal love which was once considered the medical

Throughout time and cultures we have seen homosexual acts take place. According to Kovic, ancient Greece idealized same sex relationships between men and boys. This is about more than desire, these acts usually focused in socialization and the education of gender roles (2015). Similarly, some Native American tribes held same sex behaviors of some individuals sacred. Even in places like South America and the Middle East same sex relationships are highly regarded (2015).

In all aspects of the lives we live, normal can not ever be defined as a single idea. If normal is such a thing at all, it is a subjective opinion and can only be defined on an individual level. Everything we interpret is relative to our upbringing and our environment. Not one person had the same upbringing or lived in the same environment as another person for even siblings who have lived together their whole lives have different nurturing experiences. The differentiation between normal and abnormal is a topic of much debate. The meaning of normality varies in many ways such as by person, time, place, situation, culture and set of values. Normality is usually seen as good and desirable by society and what society thinks while abnormality may be seen as bad or undesirable (Boundless).

Homosexuality is defined as a predominant sexual attraction to persons of the same gender. For example, men being sexually attracted to other men and women being sexually attracted to other women (Exodus Global Alliance, 2017). Heterosexuality however, is the opposite of homosexuality. A heterosexual person has a sexual attraction to a person of the opposite sex, as opposed to an individual of the same sex. In Western society, heterosexuality has been constructed to be viewed as the norm, this however was not always the case. Sociologist Michel Foucault coined the term ‘homosexuality’ arguing that homosexuality was not discovered but produced. “Homosexuality appeared as one of the forms of sexuality when it was transposed from the practice of sodomy onto a kind of interior androgyny, a hermaphrodism of the soul.” Following on from the invention of the term known as homosexuality, medical doctors invented a counter-position, heterosexuality. Although same-sex relationships existed prior to the invention of this terminology, it encouraged people to identify themselves and others differently (Angel Daniel Matos, 2013). As a result, the judgment of gender and