Heterosexism

Examples of Heterosexism in the following topics:

• The Feminist Perspective

  • The feminist perspective also criticizes exclusive understandings of sexuality, such as heterosexism.
  • Heterosexism is a system of attitudes, bias, and discrimination that favor male-female sexuality and relationships.
  • However, heterosexism can extend far beyond government validation, as it describes a set of paradigms and institutionalized beliefs that systematically disadvantage anyone who does not fit into a normative mold.
  • Like racism, heterosexism can operate on an institutional level (e.g., through government) and at an individual level (i.e., in face-to-face interactions).
  • Feminist critiques of heterosexism thus align with queer theory and the ideas of Michel Foucault, who studied the relationship between power and sexuality.

• Sexual Orientation

  • Speakers should be aware of the bias in the audience and in Western society in general toward hetreonomativity and heterosexism.
  • Heterosexism is a system of attitudes, bias, and discrimination in favor of opposite-sex sexuality and relationships.
  • Nonetheless, heterosexism as discrimination ranks gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and other sexual minorities as second-class citizens with regard to various legal and civil rights, economic opportunities, and social equality in the majority of the world's jurisdictions and societies.

• Sexual Orientation

  • Open identification of one's sexual orientation may be hindered by homophobia and heterosexism.

• Feminist Theory

  • Many of these individiauls were disenfranchised, ignored, and/or silenced by the scientific communities of their time due to racism, sexism, and heterosexism.