Spring Break
All your homosexuality questions answered
Kathy Greaves
Issue date: 5/13/09 Section: Forum
Dear Readers:
In recognition of Queer Pride Week, today's questions are related to homosexuality.
Dear Dr. Sex:
Why is there one week on campus dedicated to homosexuality? When do heterosexuals get their week?
Signed, Feeling Left Out
Dear Feeling Left Out,
While you may not recognize it, we live in what is called a heterosexist society. Heterosexism is the biased and discriminatory assumption that people are attracted to members of the opposite sex. This culturally condoned heterosexism fosters anti-homosexual attitudes by providing a system of values and stereotypes that seem to justify prejudice and discrimination. Such an atmosphere assumes everyone is and should be heterosexual and, as a result, everything around us is heterosexual in nature.
For example, the vast majority of movies and television shows are about heterosexuals and their relationships, advertisements illustrate heterosexuals using products, heterosexual workers can put photographs of their loved ones on their desk at work, heterosexuals can publicly display affection, etc.
As a result, homosexuals many times do not feel like they fit in, neither do they feel like their lives are adequately represented. In fact, many times their lives and experiences are very much misrepresented using stereotypical homosexual behavior.
Therefore, they have one week out of the year where their lives and relationships can be adequately and properly represented on campus. In essence, heterosexuals have the other 51 weeks out of the year to illustrate their lives.
Dear Dr. Sex:
A part of me believes that homosexuality is abnormal, but I also feel that it could be a psychological disorder. I was wondering what you might think of this.
Signed, Straight
Dear Straight:
We have a tendency to associate the word "normal" with healthy and "abnormal" with unhealthy. Yet if we look in the dictionary, the term "normal" can be defined as "conforming to a standard or regular pattern" and "abnormal" can be defined as "deviating from the normal or average."
In recognition of Queer Pride Week, today's questions are related to homosexuality.
Dear Dr. Sex:
Why is there one week on campus dedicated to homosexuality? When do heterosexuals get their week?
Signed, Feeling Left Out
Dear Feeling Left Out,
While you may not recognize it, we live in what is called a heterosexist society. Heterosexism is the biased and discriminatory assumption that people are attracted to members of the opposite sex. This culturally condoned heterosexism fosters anti-homosexual attitudes by providing a system of values and stereotypes that seem to justify prejudice and discrimination. Such an atmosphere assumes everyone is and should be heterosexual and, as a result, everything around us is heterosexual in nature.
For example, the vast majority of movies and television shows are about heterosexuals and their relationships, advertisements illustrate heterosexuals using products, heterosexual workers can put photographs of their loved ones on their desk at work, heterosexuals can publicly display affection, etc.
As a result, homosexuals many times do not feel like they fit in, neither do they feel like their lives are adequately represented. In fact, many times their lives and experiences are very much misrepresented using stereotypical homosexual behavior.
Therefore, they have one week out of the year where their lives and relationships can be adequately and properly represented on campus. In essence, heterosexuals have the other 51 weeks out of the year to illustrate their lives.
Dear Dr. Sex:
A part of me believes that homosexuality is abnormal, but I also feel that it could be a psychological disorder. I was wondering what you might think of this.
Signed, Straight
Dear Straight:
We have a tendency to associate the word "normal" with healthy and "abnormal" with unhealthy. Yet if we look in the dictionary, the term "normal" can be defined as "conforming to a standard or regular pattern" and "abnormal" can be defined as "deviating from the normal or average."
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