Heterosexism Heterosexism is the belief that all people are heterosexual, and that heterosexuality is superior and more desirable than homosexuality or bisexuality. Throughout history the term homosexuality has always been associated with negative connotations, such as uncleanliness, criminal behavior, sin or a mental disorder. In fact, homosexuality was included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Associations and was not removed as a specific mental illness until 1973. This is a great example of how individuals with authority and prestige label and stigmatize individuals and behaviors that differ from their established norms.
In society, there is often an invisible privilege associated with heterosexuality (Adams, 2010). For an example, heterosexual couples can walk down the street with their partner without fear of being verbally or physically attacked. This is a right that most heterosexual people don’t consider because they have never been forced to question their attraction, or love for the opposite gender, since this behavior is viewed by society as “natural” or a “normal” part being part of being a women or a man. However, the opposite is true for LGB individuals, these feelings of love or attraction for members of the same sex are often questioned by family, friends, religious and government organizations and societal norms. Like all other forms of oppression, heterosexism operates on multiple levels.
A heterosexist is someone that discriminates in favour of heterosexual and against homosexual people. An example of people showing heterosexist beliefs in the public services is how people associate men in The Royal Navy as being gay when in fact according to The Navy Times in 2010 there are around 66,000 homosexuals serving in military which make up just 2.2%.
From the moment a child is born, the society in which they are born into begins to teach the child what is normal, and what is not. If the aforementioned child has a vagina, they will be labeled a girl and assumed to be heterosexual, and the same principle applies if the child has a penis. Yet the human world is not as simple as this established gender binary. For example, there are people who identify with a gender other than the sex assigned at birth.1 There are also people who are not sexually attracted strictly to the opposite gender, or at all. Such diversions from societal normality are more often than not greeted with opposition, as what is considered normal is also deemed right. The LGBT community has had to deal with fierce societal
One of the most basic human desires is the desire for love. No matter how different we are, almost every person in the world wants to be loved. Justin T. Weller addresses this issue in his article “Gays Are Different & It’s A Good Thing,” which was published by The Huffington Post in March of 2017. Weller wrote his article to explain certain differences between the LGBT community and people that are not in the community. He also detailed differences within the community. In addition, he clarified that differences between all people can be not necessarily put aside, but respected. As a member of the LGBT community, and as an LGBT rights activist, Weller wishes to give insight on why it is okay to be different, particularly as a part
Americans live in a society that seems constantly plagued by various types of discrimination. For instance, ableism, classism, and sizeism are a few examples of the sorts of systematic discriminations that Americans face every day. However, as of late, one of the most prevalent forms that targets homosexual minorities is Heterosexist discrimination. Heterosexism is defined as the discrimination or prejudice against homosexuals (“Heterosexism”). In addition to being prejudiced and discriminatory, Heterosexism is more often than not paired with the idea that heterosexuality is the normal sexual orientation, and therefore superior.
This reminded me a lot about ‘Doing Gender’ because we learned that we view ‘doing gender’ as an accomplishment. This is similar to heteronormativity because in society we do gender and learn gender based off of these heteronormativity ideals and ‘norms’. These are examples of how heterosexuality can be viewed as normative through culture.
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).
A heterosexist is someone who has an attitude, bias, or discrimination in partiality of opposite-sex sexuality and relationships. It can also include people who have the presumption that every person that they meet is heterosexual or that the only conventional sexuality is that of opposite-sex attractions and relationships, which is therefore superior in the mind of a heterosexist. This is similar to homophobia, a partisanship against homosexual people,
Every day as a society, we come across some kind of discrimination or prejudice against others or towards us. One specific discrimination we come across is heterosexism. Although there are laws and rights that protect us from these kinds of discriminations/prejudices, it still occurs on a daily basis. The definitions of heterosexism vary from text to text, but we find it true that people in heterosexual relationships have more privileges than people who are in same sex relationships. In comparison to two other definitions of heterosexism, my textbook definition says, “Heterosexism describes an ideological system that denies, denigrates, and stigmatizes any nonheterosexual form of behavior, identity, relationship, or community” (Whitley
Homosextual people (someone who is attracted to the same gender as their own eg. gay or lesbian) have constantly faced discrimination by both the state and society. Through the movement to equality, more recent generations have strived to create an environment where homosexual people have more rights than they have had previously. Although globally homosexuality has become relatively accepted, there are still many ways in which discrimination and intolerance negatively impact gay and lesbian lives.
Throughout history, there have been many cases of injustice and discrimination both around the world and in the United States specifically. There has been oppression of and discrimination against differing ethnic groups, women, and now, individuals with a different sexual orientation than what can be seen as normal. While the rights of these groups have improved significantly, discrimination still occurs. However, discrimination against them is still less rampant than the discrimination against people who identify as homosexuals and other similar sexual orientations. Since we, as a society, have made extensive leaps and bounds regarding similar social issues, we can and must make similar strides regarding societal views of sexual orientation.
Heteronormativity is the idea that heterosexuality and male and female gender binaries are the default. It has an emphasis on strict gender roles that feed into the idea that males are supposed to be strong protectors, sole providers, and reject anything deemed “feminine”. These ideas are further advanced by the notion of courtly love, which see the males as a dotting servant to women, the objects of their affection, but in reality is a tool of narcissism.
Normally, it has been discovered that heteros who accept sexual minority status is naturally decided and unchanging hold more great mentalities toward sexual minorities, than the individuals who see it as uninhibitedly picked or learnt (e.g., Aguero, Block, and Byrne, 1984; Haslam and Levy, 2006; Haslam, Rothschild and Ernst, 2002; Hegarty and Pratto, 2001; Jayaratne et al., 2006; Whitley, 1990). Given the inescapable ness of homophobic disgrace and segregation, and the ensuing battles numerous LGB individuals confront in tolerating their sexuality, sexual introduction convictions may hold profound individual criticalness for some LGB people. Many additionally hold hostile to essentialist convictions, keeping up that sexual introduction is
Chapter 11, of the textbook “Understanding Social Problems,” by Linda M. Mooney, David Knox, and Caroline Schacht jockeys issues related to sexual orientation. This chapter openly deliberates the struggle for equality for non-heterosexuals and their fight for equal rights and recognition. This paper will briefly summarize this chapter.
“I don't know how I'd live with you if you were gay, you'd be gross." This blunt statement caught my attention as I exited a local ice cream parlor the summer prior to entering high school. This remark, while radical, was not abnormal for the old fashioned and rural town I had grown up in. At first, I told myself not to let it get to me and that this mother had every right to believe what she wanted. After all, I didn't want to overthink what could have been the misinterpretation of a crude joke. When I saw the look of pure disgust at the simple thought of being gay on her daughter's face however, I felt weak and without dignity. As a lesbian myself, my esteem seemed to deteriorate like paper thrown into a fire. Nevertheless, I was inspired by this experience to analyze the state of society and to search for justice in situations where it is lacking.
Before reading this week’s readings, I understood heteronormativity as the idea that being heterosexual is normal and how many believe that is the only way to live even if you are not heterosexual. I realized how sexuality is much more complicated than I originally thought. Sexuality is not just one-dimensional but there are so many parts to it that people are not aware of.