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Heterosexism
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 Stigma
and Sexual Orientation : Understanding Prejudice Against Lesbians,
Gay Men, and Bisexuals (Psychological Perspectives on
Lesbian and Gay issues) by
Gregory
M. Herek (Editor)
How does prejudice affect lesbians, gay men, and
bisexuals? What can psychology and science do to confront bigotry
based on sexual orientation? "Stigma and Sexual
Orientation" brings together theory and empirical data from a
variety of disciplines — including psychology, sociology, and
political science — to illuminate the phenomenon variously
referred to as homophobia, heterosexism, or simply prejudice.
Its chapters consider the sources and impact of
homophobic attitudes and conduct in the laboratory, the courtroom,
the voting booth, and the streets. With a firm grounding in
scientific theory and empirical methods, "Stigma and Sexual
Orientation" represents the cutting edge of behavioral
research on this serious social problem.
Contents Include: Antigay Assailants (Franklin);
Homophobia and Jurors (Sherrod & Nardi); Sex Differences In
Heterosexuals' Attitudes Toward Homosexuality (Kite &
Whitley); Stereotypes (Simon); Authoritarianism, Values, and
Anti-Gay Attitudes (Haddock & Zanna); Voter Attitudes and
Behavior in Gay Rights Disputes (Strand); Minority Stress (DiPlacido);
Internalized Homophobia and Sexual Behavior (Meyer & Dean);
Developmental Implications Of Victimization (D'Augelli); Gay and
Lesbian Parenting (McLeod & Crawford); A Critique of the
Cameron Studies (Herek).
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Allies is a student organization at UNL
dedicated to advancing and supporting issues concerning sexual
orientation.
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From the University of Toronto, Sexual Education
and Peer Counseling Centre
Excerpt:
Heterosexism is a term used to describe a bias
exhibited by a society or community that is often ssubtle but
nonetheless pervasive, whereby cultural institutions and
individuals are conditioned to expect others to live and behave as
if everyone were heterosexual. Heterosexism, like sexism, is
firmly entrenched in the prevailing customs and traditions of
society. Also, it seeks to fragment society into different
categories of people and it attempts to judge those
disenfranchised groups to make them appear weak, impotent or
inferior, thereby seeming to justify their "lower"
status. Heterosexism serves to silence and erase the lives of
lesbians, gays, and bisexuals (LGB's), creating a dearth of
positive cultural images. Living in such a climate where your
sexual orientation is consistently devalued and frequently
maligned as abnormal, pathological or "just not
appropriate" for any setting, just serves to further isolate
LGB's and make it that much harder for them to meet, live and love
each other.
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Essay by Jennifer Pen
Excerpt:
The relationship between the Women's Liberation
Movement and the Lesbian and Gay Liberation Movement of the past
30 years has been historically crucial, as they sparked mutually
new developments in each other. At the same time, the reliance of
much of the organized Left on Engels' The Origin of the Family,
Private Property and the State as the primary Marxist text on
gender issues proved to be theoretically inadequate not only to
the immediacy and totality of the Women's Liberation Movement, but
in Engels's heterosexism as well. The determinism of much
post-Marx Marxism, combined with the prudery and heterosexism of
most Leftist organizations, provoked many gay and lesbian
activists to eschew Marxism entirely (see review of With Friends
Like These, in N&L, March 1997)...
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The Heterosexism Enquirer began
as an online research project, getting the scoop on heterosexism
in Newfoundland & Labrador. In order to work towards the
elimination of heterosexism beyond Canada, this group has returned
as an online magazine -- now giving the scoop on a global level,
from sources all over the world.
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We can all work to combat heterosexism. Many
others besides lesbians and gay men will benefit from this, as
heterosexism is part of a wider ideology which seeks to undermine
and disempower other minority groups. People with disabilities,
travellers, women, immigrants, people of colour, other ethnic
minorities.
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The Organization For Antisexualism is a
non-profit organization working to educate, promote, and work
toward a better understanding of antisexualism.
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This web page is an outgrowth of the
award-winning Overcoming
Heterosexism and Homophobia: Strategies That Work, edited
by James T. Sears and Walter L. Williams (New York: Columbia
University Press, 1997). Because most of the essays in this book
are based on experience of the authors in the United States, this
webpage is designed to emphasize international perspectives on
reducing heterosexism.
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Prejudice against lesbians and gay men remains
widespread in US society, although the public appears to be
increasingly opposed to discrimination based on sexual
orientation. The links on this page provide a brief introduction
to sexual prejudice, the phenomenon that is often labeled homophobia
or heterosexism.
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