Heterosexism

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Heterosexism is a predisposition towards heterosexual people, which some see as biased against lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, transgender or intersexed people, among others. A related term is Sexual Prejudice, a negative attitude toward someone because of her or his sexual orientation. ^[1] This bias is not the same as Homophobia, but rather is the discrimination towards or against non-heterosexual behavior due to a cultural or sociobiological bias. Heterosexism suggests that the basis for this bias is not found in the individual per se but rather has a broader cultural or biological basis that results in weighted attitudes towards heterosexuality over other sexual orientations. Heterosexism is one form of structural violence.

An earlier definition of this term is: Heterosexism is a belief or argument that male-female sexuality is the only natural, normal, or moral mode of sexual behavior, and is also used to refer to the effects of that instinct. The word 'heterosexualism' has also been proposed to mean essentially the same thing. ^[2] This word has been suggested as an alternative to homophobia ^[3], in part because it uses a parallel structure to sexism or racism. The intent of heterosexism is the examination of the cultural bias towards non-heterosexuals rather than individual bias, which is the focus of homophobia.

Heterosexism should not be confused with heterocentrism, which is an (often subconscious) assumption that everyone is heterosexual, and the attitudes associated with that assumption. Heterocentrism often shows up in unintentional ways in every day life. For instance, when a woman says she is going on a date, many people will ask, "What's his name?" or "Is he cute?" assuming it is a heterosexual date. Nevertheless, these people may not have anything against same-sex dating. In queer theory, the term heterocentrism is closely related to heteronormativity.^{[citation needed]}

Since heterosexist pyschologies help reinforce heterosexual behavior ^[4], the prevalence of heterosexism can be explained in cultural and, perhaps, evolutionary terms as the idea that heterosexist individuals are more likely to engage in heterosexual behavior and produce offspring than homosexual individuals. As such, heterosexism may be viewed as an evolutionarily advantageous trait which promotes behavior more likely to propagate and ensure the existence of the population in which it exists.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Sources

^ Matlin, Margaret W.,Ph.D., "The Psychology of Women", (2004)
^ Corsini, Raymond J., The Dictionary of Psychology (2001), ISBN 1-58391-328-9
^ Herek, Gregory M., Ph.D., " Beyond 'Homophobia': Thinking About Sexual Prejudice and Stigma in the Twenty-First Century." Sexuality Research & Social Policy (April, 2004)
^ Fish, J. Heterosexism in Health & Social Care. Basingstoke: Palgrave. (2006)