In the US and western culture heterosexism has existed and to some extent still exists.

Heterosexism,
being discrimination against homosexuals and thinking that heterosexuality is the normal and only way to be,
is troubling for queer youth. Many argue that this idea has come about because heterosexual couples can
produce children while homosexual couples, although they can raise children, cannot produce children
themselves without help from a member of the opposite sex. There are many other ideas out there that
provide a reason for heterosexism. Religion is often brought into this argument in which religious followers
argue that the bible says that homosexuality is wrong and God will condemn it as a sin.
Although, as shown in Chapter 1 of Finding Out: An Introduction to LGBT Studies by Michelle A.
Gibson, Jonathan Alexander, and Deborah T. Meem, Heterosexism wasnt always part of society. The Greeks
and Romans in ancient times often practiced what would now be seen as homosexual acts. The ancient
Greeks developed ways of recognizing and even honoring same-sex desires. These acts often included sexual
interactions between a younger and older man as a sense of teaching and protection from the older man to
the younger boy.
Heterosexism has been a more current issue at hand. It is one that is still being dealt with currently and
has been dealt with in the past. The stonewall riots helped to knock down some of the heterosexism while
paving the way towards equality and away from oppression. These riots happened on June 27
th
and 28
th
1969
and paved the way toward liberation through protest and riots. As mentioned in ch. 4, the Stonewall riots
have served as an important symbol of the fight for greater queer visibility and political power.
In many movies, especially Disney movies, if a couple is featured they are usually heterosexual. This
media representation gives way to the socially constructed idea that heterosexuality is normal. Media plays
a huge role in the way we think because its around us nearly every day. Shows such as Will & Grace and
Modern Family attempt to deconstruct these socially built ideas around what is normal. Each of the shows
features a gay couple, which is out of the norm, showing them in a positive light in order to gain more
acceptance. The movie, The Kids Are Alright attempts to deconstruct this norm as well by showing a family
that has two lesbian mothers with kids that they had with a sperm donor. This family is not normal but is still
a family. Allowing these films and shows to air paves the way to greater acceptance for the queer community.
These representations attempt to break the norm by showing that while different from what is normal, they
are still acceptable ways of living.
According to Google definitions, gender is defined as the state of being male or female (typically used
with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones). Gender is a socially constructed
idea meaning, in a sense, it doesnt exist. There are ideas all around about how each gender should act but if
gender doesnt exist, why is there so much pressure placed on it? To be a gendered human means to follow in
these gender roles, some of which we dont always follow. Presently not all men are the breadwinners of the
family and not all women are stay at home moms, but we are expected to fit into these socially constructed
gender roles some way or another. Without realizing it, biases are placed on these genders. Often it is
preferred that we have a male mechanic, because they probably know more about cars or we might prefer a
female nurse because they are more gentle with the patient. However, throughout my experiences, I have
learned that there are great mechanics that are women, and there are amazing nurses that are men and as I
learned that, my biases evolved to becoming less bias against gender specific roles. Being a women, there are
many roles in which society gives me less privilege. The top positions in a company are often given to men
because they are more often seen as leaders. In order for the US to become a more acceptable multicultural
society, we must learn to set aside our biases and allow the person to speak for themselves rather than their
gender speaking for them. A gender does not dictate whether or not a person will succeed so we shouldnt
allow it to.
Doing research for my paper and especially my presentation I found that my whole project couldnt be
based solely on facts. There werent always hard facts in these situations for a couple reasons: the situations
(gay marriage and transitioning to a different gender) are different from what is deemed the norm, and many
aspects depend on personal preference rather than one solution working best for everyone. What works for
one person, may not work for another. As shown in the presentation, sometimes coming out to family
members and friends about who you are is easy and sometimes it isnt.
I have learned that everyone is different and should have their chance to be accepted. There should
not be a normal because there are so many varieties in every aspect of our lives, personalities, and who we
are. There will never be one perfect way because there are infinite combinations and multiple solutions to any
given issue. Each person has their place in this world and it is up to each and every one of us to accept that
persons place and allow them to belong somewhere. Choosing to think critically will allow us to make the best
possible choice in any given situation.