Heteronormativity and its Implications
Heteronormativity refers to the assumption that humankind falls into complementary and distinct genders with natural roles in life. It also refers to the belief that heterosexuality is the standard sexual orientation. The concept of heteronormative places heterosexual individuals into a privileged group. The members of heteronormative are male or female who perform distinct gender-based roles that are in line with their anatomical characteristics. Heteronormativity often seems to perpetuate the inaccurate male-female gender binary while marginalizing those who are intersex. Social divisions basing on sexuality are increasingly contested and reinforced in several organizational environments. Numerous studies have indicated that the workplace is an uncertain environment for queer-identifying, bisexual, gay, and lesbian employees. According to Willis (2012), young employees reported having experienced the exchange of homophobic expressions at the workplace. Heterosexual people usually enjoy a higher status than those who are bisexual, gay, and have a queer identity (Jackson 2006, p. 105).
The Centers and Margins of Sexual Groups
In any social groups, a center and a margin exist, where the center has more influence and power than the margin groups. Heteronormativity asserts that the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT), are the social groups at the margin natures sexuality. On the other hand, the straight people are the social groups that are at the center of sexuality according to Heteronormativity. The primary reason for the marginalization of LGBT social groups is that people do not understand this group. Moreover, another reason for the marginalization of homosexual groups is because people are always scared and uncertain of how to live with them. They need to confront both levels of governments to grant them the rights to equal opportunities as the heterosexual people. As a result of heteronormativity, LGBT individuals are often marginalized and treated as abnormal, confused, and inferior. When a person’s gender or sexual orientation does not conform to the dominant societal ideals, the person may be termed as “other” making them seem unfamiliar and different leading to transphobia and homophobia. Persons who are not in conformity to the heteronormative standards are usually denied many benefits and rights than the ones perceived as females or males. The notion that LGBT people are different from heterosexual persons not only results in transphobia or homophobia but to other forms of discrimination and prejudice. These sorts of discrimination can directly impact the emotional and mental well-being of LBGT individuals.
Exclusion of the LGBT Community
Furthermore, heteronormativity has been continually promoted through the exclusion of LGBT people in television, literature, and film. The LGBT individuals have been portrayed in stereotypical and negative ways. In most primetime television shows and movies, more heterosexuals are featured than the members of the LGBT. However, certain recent American television shows like “Modern Family” have made some progress in centering the marginalized groups, by portraying LGBT individuals as complex characters who do not experience distress caused by their orientation or since they do not conform to some heteronormative stereotypes.
Compulsory Heterosexuality and Marginalization
Compulsory heterosexuality is also a term used to describe the domination of culture and society by the people in heterosexual relationships and the social expectations related to the belief that heterosexuality is the norm, while other sexual orientations are deviant. Individuals whose gender identity differ from what it is termed or viewed as normal are neglected and placed behind closed doors. Compulsory heterosexuality has several examples that promote the center and margin concept in various sexuality groups. First, educational items and toys are meant to assume that kids will stick to their traditional gender roles, such as toy cars to teach boys to enjoy cars and dolls to teach young girls to be mothers. Second, sex education in schools and at homes discuses heterosexual sex relations exclusively and forgets the other social orientations. Besides, both secular and religious organizations tend to assume that all members are heterosexual and stigmatize individuals who are not heterosexual. Almost all people participate in compulsory heterosexuality in various ways, usually without realizing. Even words like “LGBT+ acceptance” and “non-heterosexual” imply that the members of LGBT are inferior and should be accepted by superior sexual oriented people. Therefore, compulsory heterosexuality contributes significantly to homophobia by marginalizing LGBT characters and centering straight people by treating heterosexuality as superior (Rich 2004, p. 9-11).
Marginalization of Bisexual and Transgender Individuals
Bisexual people are a group of individuals who are attracted to both male and female physically and emotionally. They are more likely to be marginalized than any other sexual groups since they could not be accepted either by gay people nor by straight people because they do not belong to any of these identities. Bisexual people are always considered as people who are gay or who want to get attention. This situation leads to the discrimination or marginalization of Bisexuals. Therefore, bisexuals are at the margin of the sexual, social groups (Yep 2003, p. 12).
Furthermore, transgender is a social group who are viewed as being marginalized. Transgender refers to an individual with genitals that are distinct from either gender and can be termed to be both male and female. People in this social group undergo surgical procedures to change their first physiological sex to be heterosexuals. The majority of people exclude transgender people, and this makes them feel rejected and neglected. This is the key reason why the transgender group feels marginalized. The marginalization of transgender people affects both physiology and psychology to a greater extent. Transgender people cannot change their sexual orientation through surgery to what they believe is their actual sex since their behavior is not accepted by their friends and family members (Willis 2012, p. 591).
The Role of Government and Criminalization Laws
The criminalization laws put in place by the governments in some countries also contribute to the marginalization of the LGBT community. Policies to protect the LGBT people from discrimination and violence lack in many parts of the world. The impunity of offenders who commit a crime against LGBT also legalizes the discrimination and stigma they face. As a result, very few incidents of LGBT abuses are treated with importance by law enforcers. Therefore, the government also plays a significant role in centering some sexual groups and marginalizing other sexual groups (Altman 2008, p. 26).
Parallels between McIntosh's Concept of Whiteness and Heteronormativity
McIntosh's concept of whiteness refers to a collection of benefits granted to white people in a society that is racially structured, and they are placed in the top of the racial hierarchy. The concept of whiteness claims that everything related to the white people is equated as being native and normal to the United States and should be presented by the media as being trusted (Hurtado and Stewart, 2004, p. 315). The Invisible Knapsack is a metaphor used to describe the privileges a social group has relative to other social groups. Numerous parallels exist between heteronormativity and the concept of whiteness by Peggy McIntosh as an invisible knapsack. First, McIntosh argues that white people should be considered as normal human beings. Similarly, in heteronormativity, heterosexuals are termed as normal beings with more privileges and rights. The concept of whiteness also asserts that wealthy white people worked hard and earned everything without receiving assistance from other people unlike the people of other racial groups. The concept of heteronormativity also believes that heterosexuals have natural roles in life unlike the other sexual groups like the transgender who must be guided on their roles. Moreover, the concept of whiteness also claims that white people can write and speak from a position of authority that is unchallenged. It is also true that in heteronormativity, heterosexuals are the only original group that is granted with the ability to speak and write from an unchallenged position of authority. The list of privileges in the concept of whiteness is not experienced or available to the people of color in the United States. People of color experience racial oppression that benefits the white people. This perception is also evident in heteronormativity where straight people have several opportunities over the LGBT sexual groups. For instance, it is difficult for members of LGBT to get jobs, to earn more money, and go to the best schools as compared to the people who are termed as being straight (Rich 2003, p. 34).
Conclusion
Heteronormativity often seems to perpetuate the inaccurate male-female gender binary while marginalizing those who are intersex. The straight people are the social groups that are at the center of sexuality according to Heteronormativity, while the LGBT individuals are at the margin. Numerous parallels exist between heteronormativity and the concept of whiteness by Peggy McIntosh as an invisible knapsack.
Bibliography
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Hurtado, A. and Stewart, A.J., 2004. Through the looking glass: Implications of studying whiteness for feminist methods. Off White: Readings on power, privilege, and resistance, 2, pp.315-330.
Jackson, S., 2006. Interchanges: Gender, sexuality and heterosexuality: The complexity (and limits) of heteronormativity. Feminist theory, 7(1), pp.105-121.
Rich, A.C., 2003. Compulsory heterosexuality and lesbian existence (1980). Journal of Women's History, 15(3), pp.11-48.
Rich, A.C., 2004. Reflections on" Compulsory Heterosexuality". Journal of Women's History, 16(1), pp.9-11.
Willis, P 2012, ‘Witnesses on the periphery: Young lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer employees witnessing homophobic exchanges in Australian workplaces’, Human Relations , vol. 65, no. 2, pp. 589–610.
Yep, G.A., 2003. The violence of heteronormativity in communication studies: Notes on injury, healing, and queer world-making. Journal of homosexuality, 45(2-4), pp.11-59.
