Heterosexism is a term used to describe the presumption that everyone is heterosexual, and/or the belief that heterosexuals are naturally superior to homosexuals and bisexuals. Gail Dines describes heterosexism as heterosexual predisposition "encoded into and characteristic of the major social, cultural, and economic institutions of our society."^[1] Heterosexism may also be described as discrimination and prejudice in favor of heterosexual people over gay, lesbian, and bisexual people. Heterosexism is thus also the underlying beliefs and attitudes of such preference. Stemming from the essentialist cultural notion that maleness-masculinity and femaleness-femininity are complementary, heterosexism is not limited to heterosexuals; people of any sexual orientation, including gay men, lesbians or bisexuals, can hold heterosexist beliefs.

Etymology and usage

The term heterocentrism or heterosexualism may be equivalent to heterosexism ^[2]. Although the well-established term heterosexism is often explained as a coinage modeled on sexism, the derivation of its meaning points more to (1.) heterosexual + -ism than (2.) hetero- + sexism. It uses its similarity to the term "sexism" as part of a memetic engineering attempt to demean the beliefs of those who view homosexuality as abnormal or sexually deviant . In fact, the portmanteau word heterosexualism has been proposed as a near equivalent. ^[3]

Given this lack of semantic transparency, researchers, outreach workers, critical theorists and LGBT activists have proposed and use terms such as institutionalized homophobia, state(-sponsored) homophobia,^[4] sexual prejudice, anti-gay bigotry, straight privilege, heterosexual bias or the much lesser known terms heterocentrism, homonegativity, and from gender theory and queer theory heteronormativity. In everyday speech and writing, however, heterosexism is commonly confused with or eclipsed by the word homophobia, whose key meaning is antipathy towards gay men and lesbians.

Heterosexism as a set of beliefs and attitudes

See also: Religion and homosexuality, Homosexuality and psychology, Sexual orientation and medicine, and Social attitudes toward homosexuality

Heterosexism as a set of beliefs and attitudes relies on a core tenet according to which that homosexuality and bisexuality do not exist normally and, as such, constitute deviant behaviors. Within heterosexist mentality, the well-established concept of sexual orientation is rejected. A set of more nuanced heterosexist views, which some may consider faith, dogma, universal truths, appeals to authority, or popular beliefs, but others consider to be sociobiological knowledge can include, among others, the following:

• A person can choose his or her sexual “preference” and, as a result, homosexuality is a lifestyle choice or a current fad.
• Homosexuality being wrong, ungodly, and against nature, it is therefore a sin, evil or subhuman.
• Since they cannot reproduce among themselves, homosexuals must recruit the young; conversely, they can be converted back to heterosexuality through reparative therapy or religious conversion.
• Homosexuality is a mental disorder or social ill, therefore, it can be cured or stamped out. Similarly it was believed that homosexuality was a form of sexual deviance by many psychologists until fairly rece. If it is not eradicated, it will lead to social disintegration and societal collapse.
• Because of their lifestyle, homosexuals do not have families with children, so they undermine the survival of the human race. (natalism)

Heterosexism as discrimination

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Explicit or open discrimination

This type of heterosexism includes anti-gay laws, harassment based on sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; negative stereotyping, discriminatory language and discourse, and other forms of discrimination against gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals such as:

• Hate speech, terms of disparagement, hate mail, death threats, Murder Music
• Negative portrayals or stereotypes of gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals solely as villains, the butt of jokes, objects of curiosity. This can occur on television and in movies as well as in jokes between friends or among co-workers.
• Using the gay panic defense in assault or murder cases.
• Sodomy laws when enforced almost exclusively against consenting, adult, same-sex partners. See also: Bowers v. Hardwick and Lawrence v. Texas
• In some countries where homosexuality is criminalized, such as Sudan, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, offenders may receive the maximum sentence of capital punishment. See also: Paragraph 175
• Discrepancies in age of consent laws in which legal sexual activity between members of the same sex is set at a higher age than that for opposite-sex partners. See also: Morris v. The United Kingdom
• “marriage protection acts” or “defense of marriage acts” that Ban same-sex marriage;
• Adoption bans against either same-sex couples or gay, lesbian, or bisexual individuals. See also: LGBT adoption
• Creating parallel institutions to marriage, such civil unions, or opening them to gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals only as stopgap measures to avoid granting same-sex couples the privileges, protection, respect, and symbolism that only a legally and socially accepted marriage can confer.
• Proposals or legislation to prohibit equal rights protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation, particularly with regard to health care, housing, and employment.
• Banning gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals from serving in the armed forces or working in the education field; this can include policies such as the U.S. military’s “Don't ask, don't tell” policy or Lech Kaczyński and the Polish government’s stance to exclude gay men and lesbians from entering the teaching profession. See also: LGBT rights in Poland
• Organized opposition to equal rights for gay men, lesbians, bisexuals (LGBT rights) and same-sex couples
• Referring to a suspected criminal's homosexuality or bisexuality when in analogous situations there is no mention of a suspect's heterosexuality.

Implicit or hidden discrimination

This form of heterosexism operates through invisibility, underrepresentation, and . It includes:

• Lack of portraying LGBT people in advertising to the general public;
• Censorship of LGBT characters, themes, and issues in works of art, literature, entertainment;
• Exclusion of historical and political figures’ and celebrities’ homosexuality or bisexuality, on equal terms with homosexuality; their portrayal as heterosexuals;
• Complete avoidance of mentioning these people and their positive contributions particularly in news media;
• In the context of sex education or professional advice, referring only to opposite-sex partners when discussing female or male sexual attraction and activity;
• Total silence on at school or work or absence of their discussion in a positive light;
• Implementation and use of content-control software (censorware) to filter out information and websites that focus on LGBT topics and issues;
• Postal censorship and border control or customs seizure of publications deemed obscene solely on the basis of them containing LGBT-related material even when they contain no erotic or pornographic material; see also Little Sister's Book and Art Emporium
• Work environments that tacitly require gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals not to reveal their sexual orientation via discussion of their relationship status while heterosexuals can discuss their relationships and marital status freely;
• At public libraries or bookstores: rejection, removal or destruction of LGBT-themed books, films, and posters;
• Refusal to include LGBT parented families at school events or to represent such family diversity in school curricula; see also anti-bias curriculum;
• Coercive or forced sex reassignment surgery on gay men and lesbians. For example, many Iranian gay men and lesbians must turn to sex-reassignment surgery as a strategy to avoid persecution and a death sentence; transsexuality and being transgender are not outright forbidden in the Qu'ran. See also: LGBT rights in Iran

Effects of heterosexism

The main effect of heterosexism is the marginalization of gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals within society. Heterosexism has led to stigmatization and persecution of not only these people but also those of other sexual diversity such as transgender, and transsexual people. Along with violence against LGBT people, homophobia, lesbophobia, and internalized homophobia, heterosexism continues to be a significant social reality that compels people to conceal their homosexual or bisexual orientation, or metaphorically, to remain in the closet in an effort to pass for heterosexual.

References

See also

• Norm (sociology) | Heteronormativity | Compulsory heterosexuality
• Diversity training
• Harassment (categories and types)
• Homophobia
• Lesbophobia
• Human sexuality | Sociobiology
• LGBT stereotypes | AIDS/HIV stigma (against homosexuals and bisexuals) | Tokenism
• Second-class citizen | Jim Crow laws
• Gay rights opposition | Slogans of anti-gay ideology
• Supremacism