Re 4: What is heterosexism?

From: Martin Badke (martinb@connect.ab.ca)
Date: Thu Sep 30 1999 - 13:25:04 EDT


I recall on this list a few weeks ago a test applied to a commercial. It
was asked if it was sexist and the responder did a substitution for race
and suddenly it sounded REALLY bad. Heterosexism is much the same as
euroentrism. It is almost never seem until challenged. For how many years
has history in schools only shown the actions of the rich white men??
Heterosexism presents the world as all straight.

An interesting word change here is to take normal and change it to common
or typical. Heteroseuxality is not normal, only common. And in a
interesting twist of looking at the sexual habit research, this can easily
be said to be true.

I do want to comment further on the word normal versus healthy. There are
some severely damaging strsight relationships. This is not to say all Gay
and Lesbian realtionships are healthy. I recall on a trip to San Francisco
several years ago posters for a distress line if a same-sex partner is
abusing you. I guess that city has achieved institutional completeness.
Did not surprise me, but did not make my day either.

Well, my 3 cents.
Martin
martinb@connect.ab.ca



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