The Concept Of Heteronormativity Is The Belief That It Is Only

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

In society, heterosexuality is a principal method of organizing institutions and regulating individual behavior. A culture based on ideas of heterosexuality values relationships that are between men and women; as a result, sexual contact occurring between same sex individuals is seen as deviant and labeled as homosexual. In her book, Ward explains how straight white men can have sex with other white men while retaining their heterosexuality in addition to gaining a masculine appeal. Ingraham and Namaste’s discussion of heteronormativity, heterogenders, and supplementarity aids in understanding why straight white men are not labeled as homosexual and how this functions to reproduce inequalities based on race, gender, and sexuality.

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.

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).

Sexual orientationism is best described as discrimination or prejudice against homosexuals on the assumption that heterosexuality is the dominant, or normal, sexual orientation. Within society there are many barriers, assumptions, and stigmas placed upon the queer community, numerous of which steam from this heterosexist stance that has become the dominant ideology. This stance has historical significance in trauma, and oppression of those within the sexual minority, and how this can play on representation.

Heteronormality, where heterosexuality is the assumed norm regulating social policy and

These expectations are passed on by parents and parents’ parents in a viscous cycle. When a person’s parent fits the vision of perfect masculinity or femininity the children are quite likely to mimic their acts. Proof of the cultural impact on gender; some backgrounds have more than the two genders typically associated with western societies. They are born either male or female but how they choose to identify themselves is their gender. In Samoa, the Fa’afafine are born males who choose to be raised as girls and are encouraged by their families and communities to act as such (Schmidt 1). Many occidental cultures, especially America, do not see it as such, this would classify as transvestism. Carmen Vázquez’s “Appearances” discusses, in depth, the effects of gender deviation in America, “At the simplest level, looking or behaving like a stereotypical gay man or lesbian is reason enough to provoke a homophobic assault…I call it gender betrayal…[one man] said, ‘We hate homosexuals. They degrade our manhood’ (Vázquez 474). American culture is so opposed to divergence from what is standard; men and women who even show an inkling of being akin to the opposite sex are automatically homosexuals because they cannot possibly be otherwise. It also leads to child rearing in a way that attempts to prevent these results at all costs.

Gender identity display people’s understanding of themselves according to cultural definitions of female and male. In this essay I will attempt to enhance our understanding by exploring different aspects of gender identity, gender roles & sexual identity issues. Relying mostly on my research that is conducted in the U.S.

In society, children are taught expectations as to what is sociably acceptable: who to like, what to wear, and where to live, based on of the environment they grew up in. As children grow up, and go on through life, they then begin to impose these expectations onto the people around them. More often than not these societal expectations conform with that of a heteronormative mindset1. In a modern western context, heteronormativity is the notion that people fall into distinct genders, male and female, and lead natural roles in life all while conforming to the ideology of traditional binary gender roles. Such heteronormative bias asserts that traditional binary gender

Sexual normativity does not only create social rules for society to follow but it also creates systems of inequality, where each system of inequality builds on each other. The power of sexuality normativity favors heteronormativity because heteronormative culture has interpreted itself in society as what is natural. Both heteronormativity and homonormativity favor upper and middle classes of white youth. While they are guided and accepted in society those who are of a different race or ethnicity are rejected (Garcia 2012:60). Power is unevenly distributed among these systems, and the ones with most power are tightly linked to male heteronormativity. The white masculine male is privileged and rewarded in society, where as women suffer the good-girl

Sexuality correlates with terms like: Hetero- (Opposite), Bi-(Both) and Homo-(Same) sexuality, which refers to an identification or preference an individual prefer to be acknowledged. These terms verify how different these three terms are; furthermore, these three words separate individual into different categories and dictate certain roles that the individuals play. Nanda also states that, “Every culture recognizes distinctions between male and female, but cultures differ in the meaning attached to these categories, the supposed sources of the differences between them, and the relationship of these categories to other cultural and social facts” (Nanda 240). This simply states that this world has numerous cultures with different perspectives on life and roles within their society. These varies culture participate in events to influence or determine the knowledge in the roles of sex, gender, and sexuality. These words with their terms should be reinforced in society for proper understanding of sex, gender, and sexuality because with proper knowledge people could possibly think outside the box and live in

The author states, “heterosexism, or ‘the view that heterosexuality is the “norm” for all social/sexual relationships and...certainly permeates many discussions of sexism” (Dahl, 2015). This shows that there is an expectation that the female gender is automatically presumed to be interested only in the male gender, and this correlates to sexism. Heterosexuality is considered the norm in today’s society; however, that is stereotyping against the gender, which leads to sexism. This also leads to the assumption that females must behave like the stereotypical girl. The author states, “femininity [and] the restrictions it placed on me, was a learned role” (Dahl, 2015). This explains ever since she was young, expectations and gender roles were given to her such as learning to only be interested in the opposite gender and acting lady like. It it also stated that sexism “is rooted in the presumption that female and male are rigid, mutually exclusive, ‘opposite’ sexes” (Dahl, 2015). This tells the reader opposite sexes should only be attracted to one another and not the same sex, creating an unrealistic expectation since people cannot control their brain’s sexual interest. The researcher agrees with all of the statements above because they are clearly portrayed through everyday events. The article covers the stereotyping of relationship requirements in a thorough manner.

Heteronormativity. When you announce that word to a group of people, you will most likely be met with blank stares. It may be a bit of a mouthful, but it is a topic becoming more of an issue in our society, and one I wish to acknowledge. To put it simply, heteronormativity is the belief that everyone falls into complementary genders (man and woman to you and me) with roles in life, and within these roles heterosexuality is the only acceptable sexual orientation. This pigeonholing exists in all parts of life, but let us turn our attention to school; that blissful utopia where opinions about what is acceptable begin to form. Allow me, then, to take you back through time to your first day of school: trembling and quivering you sit on a colourful carpet and your teacher begins to read...

When you go on with your daily lives and norms, you tend to not give much attention to what kind of roles certain genders play or how we perceive certain gender to perform said roles. Lorber mentions in the early part of her argument that we seem to treat sex, gender, and sexuality and the norms that come with them like fish and water (Lorber, 1994) . We have almost become numb to the norms and expectations that come along with certain genders and roles. However, when we see something out of the norm or missing, we notice it. Whether we keep it to ourselves or point it out, that is up to the individual.

In the United States, our concept of gender, and the differences between men and women, have deep traditional roots. Men are supposed to be strong individuals, who support and defend their families. Women are seen as nurturing, and motherly, more gentle and tame. We believe so strongly that the two genders are entirely separate, with such completely different traits, that it almost seems that men and women are just born with different qualities.