Heterosexism

Are you a man or a woman ? No .
The transgenial CSD on a question that poses a false dilemma for transgender people .

Heterosexism evaluates homosexuals , bisexuals and intersex people as well as transgender people as "un normal " and contrasts them with heterosexuality as the superior or the only natural form.

Straight sexism is as a defensive form of heteronormativity understood and much of the change in sexual ethics affected, which, for example, the ratio of homosexuality and religion can be proven.

Demarcation

Heterosexism is a form of defense that denies, vilifies and stigmatizes any non-heterosexual form of identity, behavior, relationship or community . It is to be understood as a social setting based on heteronormativity and not questioned about heterosexual lifestyles and ways of life as sexual "normality" and superior to other forms of sexual orientation , for example gay and lesbian existences as a marginal phenomenon or less natural phenomenon than mere "sexual preference “Treats.

Homophobia describes on the one hand an irrational fear of homosexuality and on the other hand the hatred, disgust and prejudice, which in turn produce fear and, as a result, aggression and violence. The term "homophobia" was coined by the psychologist George Weinberg (1972).

The lesbians and gays who organized themselves in civil rights movements soon added the term heterosexism to the term homophobia in order to indicate - in parallel to terms such as racism and sexism - an exclusive social and cultural ideology and the institutional oppression of non-heterosexual people. The term heterosexism is more likely to refer to arrogance or chauvinism as the cause of negative behavior.

Regardless of whether it is referred to as heterosexism or homophobia, the various forms of heterosexist and homophobic violence (on the part of society, groups or individuals, etc.) must be referred to as disordered behaviors, which in turn are lesbians, gays and all people who do not conform to the heteronormative pattern in their own Partly massively impair development, and under which secondary psychological disorders can develop.

The gender roles are closely related to this, as any deviating behavior is perceived as inconsistent with gender roles and this plays a decisive role in the following terms. The feminism aims equality, human dignity and freedom of women to achieve self-determination over their lives and their bodies. The Maskulismus contrast, sees itself as a social movement for the correction of certain political developments for which he makes feminism responsible, and to strengthen the position of women in society.

Forms of hatred must not only be analyzed from an individual psychological perspective; often they are social. The misogyny , misogyny , hits especially those women who do not fall under the “current cultural acceptance categories” of the social role of femininity . This often applies to transgender and lesbian people as well. The Misandrie than men hate can from the feminism out that fighting patriarchy and arise against a masculinism. Gender-role-inconsistent behavior rarely plays a role here. Misogyny and misandry are considered sexism.

In the extreme form of the queer theory and also rarely with bisexual and homosexual women and men who are not consciously arrested in this theory, everything that corresponds to heteronormativity is in principle questioned, sometimes the other is shown as absolutely superior. Then one can speak of heterophobia , but this rarely occurs in a pronounced form. Even a lack of understanding and an aversion from bad experience towards people who live firmly in the social norm and who do not understand you can be perceived as heterophobia, but need not correspond to it.

Overview of forms of defense against sub-areas of sexual identity
Ideology worldview	Defense form		Aversion to hostility towards	Identity form
Heteronormativity	Heterosexism not heteronormatives			Social norm ( hetero )
		Biphobia homophobia transphobia	Bi- & homosexual transgender people	Sexual orientation Gender identity Gender role
Feminism masculism	Sexism : misogyny / misandry		Women / men
Queer theory	Heterophobia		Heteronormativity

See also: androcentrism , gynocentrism | Gender bias

Expressions

Depending on its form, heterosexism ranges from prejudice (e.g. gays are physically inferior to heterosexuals) to pronounced aversion and support for discrimination or state repression (see laws on homosexuality ) against people who do not conform to the heterosexual norm to extreme hatred and physical violence against this. There are also known cases in which homosexuals were murdered only because of their sexual orientation (e.g. the murder of Matthew Shepard , according to the prevailing belief , the perpetrators defended themselves in their trial with a “ gay panic defense ”) or transgender people, because their gender did not match their biological gender (e.g. the death of Brandon Teena ).

Another heterosexist phenomenon is the ex-gay movement , which, with its endeavor to change homosexual people into heterosexuals, causes them psychological damage.

Institutional Discrimination

Germany

A special form of heterosexism is the privileged state promotion of heterosexual marriage . So far, Article 6 of the German Basic Law has been interpreted to mean that only heterosexual marriage must be protected . This interpretation has not been given up with the introduction of the Civil Partnership Act . Uwe Keßler writes about this development in his "Handbook" on the development of basic rights :

“The most recent cautious opening of the legal institution marriage / family can be seen as a thoroughly successful model case of a democratically ordered legal development, through which same-sex partnerships in the legal forecourt of the constitutionally 'specially protected' family residences and hereditary estates at least initially built a watertight hut: For almost 200 years a 'pillar of social life' with correspondingly dense privileges, but also equally sharp delimitations, the legal institution 'family' no longer satisfies the differentiating habits of a growing number of emancipated legal subjects; It is problematized in a swelling public discourse, confronted with competing counter-concepts, formally questioned about suitable individual cases by the judicature, which participated in the public discourse under the rule of the GG, finally opened gradually by the legislature after an appropriately polarized parliamentary debate, which finally the differentiated blessing of the BverfG. Constitutional law is not formally affected by the new law; In fact, however, the monopoly of heterosexual marriage as the legal form for civil partnerships has been broken, and it will only be a question of further development until it loses its previously secured privileges over competing forms of partnership that are now legalized. "

The EinszuEins campaign calls for full equality between civil partnerships and heterosexual marriages in Germany. According to a guiding principle of the Federal Constitutional Court from the judgment of July 17, 2002 on the constitutionality of the "Law to End Discrimination against Same-Sex Communities: Civil Partnerships", this equality is within the discretion of the legislature. It is not to be derived from Art. 6 GG as absolutely necessary: “The registered civil partnership is not a marriage within the meaning of Art. 6 Abs. 1 GG. It recognizes rights for same-sex couples. Legislators thus contributes to Art. 2 para. 1 and Art. 3 , para. 1 and 3 GG bill by helping these people to a better development of their personality and degrades discrimination. "Nevertheless contained Art. 6 GG other hand, no indemnity rule , the would prohibit such equality. The fact that the legislature does not make use of the leeway granted to it and that it is granted this option by the Federal Constitutional Court is an example of institutionalized heterosexism, as is the fact that Article 6 GG provides an institutional guarantee only for heterosexual marriages gives.

Other countries

Most other countries also have many laws that strengthen heterosexism, mostly in connection with marriage legislation, e.g. B. in the United States the Defense of Marriage Act . The difference in the age of consent for sexual contacts in Austria , which was only abolished in 2002, was an example of institutional heterosexism ( for details, see here ). In many countries around the world, only heterosexuals are legally allowed to have sex. (See: Laws on Homosexuality )

Survey results

In a survey of a representative cross-section of the population in all countries of the European Union on various forms of discrimination in 2008, it emerged that "discrimination on the basis of homosexuality" is rated by the respondents as the second most common form of discrimination (after the Discrimination based on ethnic origin ). More than half of Europeans (51 percent) see heterosexism as a common phenomenon in their country. The highest values were measured in Cyprus , Greece (both 73 percent) and Italy (72 percent). Other countries bordering the Mediterranean also achieve above-average values. The lowest values were found in Bulgaria (20 percent) and the Czech Republic (27 percent).

In Germany (40 percent) and Austria (43 percent), although only a minority stated that discrimination on the basis of homosexuality was widespread, in Germany the value rose from 32 percent to 40 percent between 2006 and 2008, while it was in Slovenia, for example, fell from 60 to 46 percent over the same period.

Across Europe, 1 percent of respondents stated that they were personally discriminated against because of their homosexuality (Italy: 5 percent). If only gay men and lesbian women are taken into account as the reference group, it is noticeable that, according to their own statements, 10 percent of this group in Austria have experienced heterosexist discrimination themselves in the last 12 months (European average: 6 percent).

When asked how comfortable they felt at the thought of a homosexual neighbor (scale from 1 to 10), the European average was 7.9. The highest value (9.5) is recorded in Sweden, the lowest (5.3) in Bulgaria, although supposedly heterosexism is said to be hardly widespread there (see above).

literature

Adrienne Rich , Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence (1980), first in: Signs 5: 631-660. Ger. Forced heterosexuality and lesbian existence in: Dagmar Schulz (Ed) Power and Sensuality. Selected texts by Audre Lorde and Adrienne Rich . Berlin: Orlanda Frauenverlag 1993, pp. 138–168
Dieter Haller (ed.) "Heteronormativity", special edition by KEA, German Anthropological Journal 2001 (14), pp. 1–28

Individual evidence

^ Heterosexism: "What is heterosexism?" ( Memento from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) - FAQ of the "Essex Police Internet Unit", UK .

↑ ^a ^b Wiesendanger, Kurt: Heterosexism and homophobia. In: Psychoscope , 2002, issue 2. Psychoscope is the journal of the Federation of Swiss Psychologists. Article also available online (see Introduction | Exaggerated Hetero Values | Fear and Defense).

↑ ^a ^b "Victims, perpetrators, offers - violence against gays and lesbians" - Page 32/3 : PDF file ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Senate Department for Education, Youth and Sport, Berlin (2002)@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.berlin.de

↑ Matthias Reisaus, diploma thesis - "Normality, integration or exclusion of same-sex-oriented people in the workplace" (2003)
- "3.2 Homophobia", page 22 (24) - according to Duden, Foreign Dictionary 2001 still "pathological" - PDF file ( Memento of the original dated October 4, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2
^ "Homophobia : the fear of being with homosexuals" (G. Weinberg, "Society and the Healthy Homosexual", New York, 1972).
↑ Herek, GM: The context of anti-gay violence. Notes on cultural and psychological heterosexism. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 5 , 1990, 316-333.
↑ BT-Drs. 16/8022 Bundestag: Statement by the Federal Government on anti- homosexual seminars and pseudo-scientific therapy offers by religious fundamentalists (PDF file; 108 kB)

↑ Uwe Keßler: Concise dictionary of the political system of the Federal Republic. Fundamental rights - defense and participation rights Fundamental rights . Bonn. Federal Agency for Civic Education. 2003

↑ BVerfG, judgment of July 17, 2002 ( Memento of the original of September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Az. 1 BvF 1/01, 1 BvF 2/01, full text.

↑ Special Eurobarometer 296: Discrimination in the European Union: Perceptions, experiences and attitudes pp. 54–60

Web links

Definitions of sexism from various dictionaries and feminist publications

[1] Heterosexism: "What is heterosexism?" ( Memento from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) - FAQ of the "Essex Police Internet Unit", UK .

[PsychologischeAspekte-2] Wiesendanger, Kurt: Heterosexism and homophobia. In: Psychoscope , 2002, issue 2. Psychoscope is the journal of the Federation of Swiss Psychologists. Article also available online (see Introduction | Exaggerated Hetero Values | Fear and Defense).