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PollyParakul
Ms.Gardner
English10H/Per.6
29October2015

TheTyrannyofHeteronormativity
ThinkingStraight

Genderedpublicrestrooms,socialacceptance,nothavingtoworryaboutcomingout:
theseare,tonameafew,someoftheprivilegesthatcomealongwithbeingcisgenderedand
heterosexualinourmodernsociety.Heteronormativityisthesocietalexpectationthatallpeople
fallintoeitheroftwogendersandthatheterosexualityistheonlysexualorientationornorm.
Cisgenderreferstosomeonewhosegenderidentityandbiologicalsexalign.Aheteronormative
societypromotesanenvironmentwheretheLGBTQcommunityareoppressedanddiscriminated
againstinschool,employment,andoverallsocialstance.Idliketohighlighttheaspectsofones
expectationsinaheteronormativesociety,heteroprivilegeanditsoppressiononthosewhodo
notreceiveit,andaplantoendthisunfairnormativity.

Inthepast,heteronormativehierarchyhasbeenknowntoaffectthelgbtcommunityin
theworkplace,educationsystems,anddaytodayobstaclesoflivingunderasocialexpectation.
Becausesocietyhasalwaysexpectedpeopletobestraight,whenseen,orevenperceived,asgay,
LGBTpeoplehavebeenthrowninprisonandhadtheirsexualitydiagnosedasamental


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disorder.
AccordingtoanarticlewrittenbyKarlBecksonfromtheLiteratureResourceCenter,
writerOscarWildewassenttoprisonfortwoyearssimplybecausehedisplayedhomosexual
actsinhislife.
Inaddition,partoftheheteronormativeexpectationisheterosexualmarriage.
Socialfactorsdictateadultsfromyouthtohaveastraightmarriagewithbiologicalkids.Gender
rolescanstemfromthisexpectationaswell.
Perhapsheteronormativityexistsbecausemost
peoplearestraight,orperhapsmostpeoplearestraightbecauseheteronormativityexistseither
way,thistyrannyhasgoneonlongenoughandwithitcameoppressiononanyonewhois
LGBT.

PartofthefactorsofbeingLGBTinaheteronormativesocietyisthefactthatyoudonot
receiveheteroprivilege,asetofrightsstraightpeoplereceivesincebirth.
Thislistof
privileges,constructedbysocialjusticewriterSamKillermann,canincludethingssuchasnever
havingtocomeoutofthecloset,whichiscreatedbyheteronormativityinthefirstplace,or
neverhavingtoexplainyoursexuality,orgrowingupwithstraightrolemodels,oroverall,
havingyoursexualitypraisedandunoppressedyourwholelife.
Furthermore,oppressionon
noncisgenderedpeoplecanincludenothavingclothes,publicrestroomsorlockerroomsfor
theirgender,notbeingcalledbytheirpreferredpronounotherthanhe/she,nothavingaboxon
aformwiththeirgenderonit,orbeingaskedinvasivequestionsregardingtheirprivatepartsor
sexualhistory.
Theseprivilegesandtheoppressionthatcomeswithitcreatesboxinsocietythat
pushesanyonewhoisntcisandstraightintoit,forcingthemtolivewithlimitedrightsand
freedomtobewhotheyareopenlyandcomfortably.


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Whetheracisstraightmaleoranonbinarypansexualtransgender,Ibelievethatanyone
andeveryone,canworktogethertofinallyshatterthisunfairnormativityandbreakdown
outdatedexpectations.
WecanstartbybeingmoreacceptingtowardstheLGBTcommunitythis
willmakecomingouteasier.Acceptancetothiscommunitywillcreateanenvironmentwhere
peopledon'tneedto"comeout"anymore.Theheteronormativeviewcanoftenbelinkedto
homophobiatherefore,ifwestarthavingmoreLGBTrepresentationinpopcultureornewsand
introduceittopeoplefromanearlyage,thenormofwhoyoushouldorshouldntbeisopento
morethanjustbeingstraight.Thiscaninfluencethenewgenerationtoberaisedinawaythat
preventslesshomophobiaaswell.Somepeoplemaynotrealizetheirprivilegeinoursocietyand
mayarguethatgettingridofheteronormativitycanaffectthecurrentandfuturegenerations
badlyinasensethatitmayinfluencemorehomosexualrelationshipsinpeople,causingless
biologicalsexandchildrentohappen.However,developmentalpsychologistMichaelLamb
reportsthatinfact,parentalsexualorientationdoesntnegativelyaffectchildhood
developmentanditwillnotaffectfuturefamiliesraisedbygayparents.

Heteronormativityisanormthatshouldbenolonger.
AsIpresentedtheexpectations,
privilege,andoppressionthatcomeswithit,
Ihopethatyouallwillacknowledge
andreflect
deeperonthistyrannyandbecomeopenmindedaboutwhatprivilegeyoumayormaynothave.
Sostart,notonlytorealizeyourprivileges,buttoalsouseittohelpthosewhodonthaveit.
Starttouseyourvoiceandknowledgetohelpothersbecomeawareoftheirownprivilegesand
bringdownheteronormativity.Startstoppingthestupidity
andignoranceofthisnorm,andstart
bringingthistoanend.Thankyou.


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WorksCited

Beckson,Karl."OscarWilde:Overview."
Gay&LesbianLiterature
.Vol.1.Detroit:Gale,1994.
LiteratureResourceCenter
.Web.25Oct.2015.

Killermann,Sam."30+ExamplesofHeterosexualPrivilegeintheU.S.

Itspronouncedmetrosexual.
IPM,n.dWeb.15Nov.2015.

Polikoff,Nancy."Beyond(StraightandGay)Marriage."
:RenownedPsychologistMichael
LambPublishesDefinitiveArticleonChildAdjustment
.N.p.,15May2012.Web.15
Nov.2015.