Heterosexuality

Heteronormativity

Heteronormativity refers to enforced cultural assumptions that heterosexuality is normal and natural for all people. Researchers and activists have extended the term to acknowledge and criticize the systemic accommodation and privileging of heterosexual people. For instance, marriage is largely seen (and frequently institutionally restricted) as a heterosexual institution in which only people of opposite sexes may exchange vows. Marriage is a readily apparent example of heteronormativity; sometimes heteronormativity is more subtle. For example, fictive movie and television programs often feature male-female couplings with a clearly masculine man pursuing a clearly feminine woman. Such pairings confirm viewers' expectations that romantic and idealized heterosexual couples feature strong masculine and highly feminine figures.

Heteronormativity's dominance is evident in the ease with which many people transport the lens outside the world of human interaction into other domains. Social scientific research has demonstrated that people will often impose a heteronormative frame upon situations that do not support it. For example, in one study, researchers asked people to view films of animals at play. When researchers asked participants to describe what they saw, people—regardless of age or sex—frequently assigned sex and gender roles to the animals based upon the way the animals behaved while at play. These sex and gender roles extended to heterosexual assumptions: The participants frequently identified pairs of animals as couples, with one labeled the male love interest and the other female love interest. The animals depicted in the films were all of the same sex. Sex and gender expectations— particularly expectations of heterosexuality—shaped how the viewers saw the film.

Heterosexuality is automatically assumed for most humans as well. Unless a person comes out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or another nonstraight sexual orientation, then he or she will usually be perceived as heterosexual. This is especially true when opposite sex persons are seen together. If male and female teenagers are shopping together in the mall, others assume heterosexual identity and that the two have a romantic attraction—even if the couple denies an interest in each other. Only age differences and physical resemblance (suggesting kin relationships) undermine the assumption of heterosexual coupling placed on two opposite sex individuals. Even then, people may wonder whether or not the couple is romantically linked or if they form a different type of relationship.

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