Heterosexism Sociology

The United States of America was founded as a secular sanctuary for ideals like freedom, equality, and tolerance – few will argue against that. Over its history American culture has radically evolved as it strived to meet the ideals its nation was based upon, making changes like ending slavery and providing legal equality for women and minorities, changes that at the time seemed absurd but today are unquestionable merits that define what an “American” is. The quest to reach the ultimate utopian society continues today as true Americans fight the evils of ignorance, stubborn bigotry and the fear to change that still manifest themselves in a large portion of U.S. citizens, preventing this nation from moving forward. One of the outstanding minorities still left to be granted the ideals of freedom, equality, and tolerance are homosexuals trying to obtain the right to marry the person they want to spend the rest of their life with, regardless of gender. Same-sex marriages should be recognized in the eyes of the U.S. government in accordance with its responsibility to provide all American citizens equal freedoms.

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

The massive amount of people who believe and support LGBT should have the same human rights and equality say, “it's only fair they receive the same liberty to love who they love.” (Texas, Democratic Party, 1) Throughout the years, same sex marriage supporters have been increasing; “81% of adults under 30 now support marriage equality.”(Texas Democratic Party, 1). People have been making an effort to fight this case even since the beginning of the gay rights movement in the 1960s-1970s. Even before that though, homosexuals have tried to be seen equal, and of course, have an aspiration to be able to obtain the same rights as everyone else, which is to win over the Defense of Marriage Act, which was signed in 1996 by Presidential Clinton to be able to marry the person they love regardless of what their gender

In Pepper Schwartz article titled “ The Social Construction of Heterosexuality”, Schwartz writes about what she believe Americans define as Heterosexuality. Schwartz writes about the so-called body standard that movies and television show set for us about how we should look and dress. Schwartz writes about what she believes straight men have to look like in order to define their masculinity. Schwartz’s main argument is about all the gender stereotypes we have in our society. Stereotypes like in order to be straight or even gay you have to look, dress, and talk a certain way. Schwartz is trying to say that you do not have to meet the so-called standards we have set for sexuality. Schwartz does make some valid

Because of this many of them arrive to work in fear of rejection or being ‘outed’ causing them to lose their job. As discovered by expert Cosby Burns “Discrimination and unequal treatment on the job inflicts significant economic harm on gay and transgender public-sector employees and their families.” (http://www.americanprogress.org) Many open homosexuals will be turned down for employment just because of their sexual orientation despite qualifications, even though it is completely irrelevant to their skills and no one’s business but their own.

Heterosexism, is a system of attitudes, bias, and discrimination in favor of opposite-sex sexuality and relationships. The United States

According to the Center for American Progress, “studies show that anywhere from 15% to 43% of gay people have experienced some form of discrimination and harassment at the workplace. Moreover, a staggering 90 percent of transgender workers report some form of harassment or mistreatment on the job.” (Burns & Krehely, 2011) This doesn’t just affect the individual, it affects the worker’s productivity and confidence on the job, in some cases it may affect the pay which ultimately throws off the individual’s income for stability within their responsibilities, this can affect the business in a negative way. The list can go on and on of the consequences brought on by employment discrimination. According to USA Today’s Jennifer Calfas, “it is legal to fire someone based on his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. While there is some federal recourse through civil rights and equal employment claims, there's no national anti-discrimination law to protect LGBT workers from state whims. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits job discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion and nation of origin, but does not extend those protections to LGBT people.” (Calfas, 2015) Luckily, USA Today’s Jennifer Calfas also states that “Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia have laws prohibiting employers from firing employees due to just their sexual orientation or gender

     A debate is raging in America about who people have a right to marry. In response to lesbians and gays asking for the right to marry, many legislators are writing laws to ban same-sex marriage in their respective states. Even President Bush supports a Constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage (prez.bush.marriage/). Opponents of such legislation do not want discrimination passed into law and are protesting at every opportunity. One must understand the reasons that people want to ban same-sex

Advocates, prove their counter-argument by saying such denial is the violation of human rights for civil and religious freedom, which the United States commonly stands by. Additionally, they state the social status of homosexual couples being unmarried does not entitle them to receive several medical benefits, such as joint ownership or medical and insurance decision-making capabilities. Nowadays after getting married in Texas, the LGBT community faces numerous challenges linked to social integration. Normally, each individual is aimed to being recognized and respected by the rest of society, but due to the bias judgments and prejudice against homosexuals, they are often treated as outcasts such as a lack in the above mentioned benefits and opportunities. On the other hand, homosexuals claim the legalization of their relationships with the help of marriage is the only way to fight discrimination held against sexual

Over the years in our country’s history it has been apparent that the idea of same sex marriages is becoming much more popular, however in most states there is still one thing stopping them. That one thing stopping two people from the pursuit of happiness which they desire is a social injustice. Social injustices are situations where a person or group of people is treated unfairly due to certain factors for example discrimination, prejudice, racism, heterosexism, sexism, and so forth. In the case of same sex marriages, the factor playing a major role in this social injustice is where most people believe that opposite sexes attract, but in the case of a same sex couple wanting to be married, this brings about many topics to be discussed by

even though sexuality can be considered universal, the sexual behaviors affiliated with it offer different attitudes in various communities. Sexuality is aligned to sexual attraction where individuals can identify themselves with a broad range of sexuality that is bisexual, gay or being lesbian. Sexuality can change over time in a person depending on the circumstances surrounding him or her. It may be affected by the social circle and emotional imbalances that may occur in an individual. Interestingly there exists sexual inequality among many societies in the world. As observed, many societies encourage men to have multiple sex partners but forbid it in women. Moreover, pre-marital sex is promoted in men, but women are flaunted if they participate in pre-marital sex. Across the globe, Western Europe has embraced certain norms in sexuality such as homosexuality whereas African society embraces a negative attitude towards the same.

Most people believe that they deserve the rights they are granted by the government. An upstanding citizen who pays their taxes, serves their community and abides by the law should be afforded the rights of an American. However, not all citizens are afforded equal rights. Gay and lesbians are consistently denied rights that are typically taken for granted by the average American. Specifically, gay and lesbians couples are denied the right to marry even if they are upstanding citizens. They are held at an unfair disadvantage solely because of their sexual orientation. This discrimination must stop because gay and lesbian couples are law-abiding citizens too, who should be afforded the same rights as heterosexual couples.

Homosexuals want to have the same rights as heterosexuals in dealing with marriage, legal rights, and the acceptance of society (Wedgewood 63). It is a known fact that insurance rates are lowered for married couples. This is something that homosexuals want to have just as well as heterosexuals. Homosexuals want to get married so that they can commit to their partner. “Rights such as the right to spousal support and (in the event of divorce or separation) to alimony and an equitable division of property reinforce the generally shared expectation that marriage involves a serious mutual commitment to long term economic and domestic partnership” (Wedgewood 63). Same sex marriage would not keep anyone from getting married normally; neither would it change what the definition of marriage is either. The argument over gay marriage is not some small subject. “either we win—or we lose the central meaning of marriage” (Gallagher 69).

For years and years, homosexuals have fought for the right to marry their loved one. It has been looked down upon, called immoral, sinful, and deeds of the devil, but that is not the way it is seen by those who support or engage in it. Supporters view marriage as the union of two individuals who love each other. They no longer see it as the concept of "traditional marriage". They believe traditional marriage has changed over time, and that the definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman is historically inaccurate (should

The concept of marriage is in danger of being misunderstood due to same-sex couples wanting to be married and acquire the same benefits as heterosexual marriages. The fundamental purpose of marriage is uniting a man and a woman in a worthy cause to preserve human civilization. If everyone was homosexual, then how could our species be repeatedly produced? This problem could end human existence. Besides, even those who are not homosexual have restrictions on marriage so they can not assume they are being discriminated upon. Restrictions are created to keep the balance and concept of the idea from being muddled. Their sexual orientation has nothing to do with why these rules were put into place. As a result, homosexual individuals have the right to marry along with everyone else as long as the restrictions are not crossed. All rights are equal among the people even when dealing with marriage. Just because somebody has different