Gender And Sexuality And Social Science

These socialized gender types make it hard for people who don’... ... middle of paper ... ...“male” and label those that deviate from the social norm as homosexual. Fag Discourse is less about sexuality and more about maintaining gender inequality and the boundaries of masculinity. Gender is implicated in Fag Discourse in the way that the hetero-normative nature dictates what makes and what doesn’t make a faggot. Attributed gender roles tell one how to behave appropriately. Gender roles and sexuality are always being constructed and reconstructed.

Using the work and writing of Lord, Ingraham and Concannon this paper will explore the relationship between citizenship, sexual identity and social exclusion. “The Silencing of Sexuality” by author Cassandra Lord focuses on the negative response society places on homosexuality. The concept of living a... ... middle of paper ... ...owards heteronormativity. What people refer to, as normal human behavior doesn’t necessarily apply to everyone. However, due to conservative traditional and religious beliefs, the integration of homosexuals in society is often met with resistance.

Gender and sexuality can be comprehended through social science. Social science is “the study of human society and of individual relationships in and to society” (free dictionary, 2009). The study of social science deals with different aspects of society such as politics, economics, and the social aspects of society. Gender identity is closely interlinked with social science as it is based on an identity of an individual in the society. Sexuality is “the condition of being characterized and distinguished by sex” (free dictionary, 2009).

Normalization is the process of bringing or returning something to a normal condition or state. With the recurrence of queer characters in media, society may feel that it has become normalized or more accepting. But there is a difference between being tolerant and accepting, since the media is depicted through heterosexual normative eyes, there is an extent to which homosexuality is displayed. The homosexuality displayed is the reinforcement of heterosexual normalization. By strongly defining homosexuality as being secretive and effeminate then you are defining heterosexuality as masculine and out because they are defined by what the other one is not.

In all, many view lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender lifestyles as deviant and immoral. Gender theorists believe that heteronormative views remain dominant, because sexuality is socially constructed and supports heterosexuality as the only natural sexual orientation. This makes heteronormative views unquestionable and oppresses efforts to prove otherwise. That is discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals is encouraged through heteronormative views of what is morally acceptable, rather than conclusive research that proves these individuals are a threat to the institutions of marriage and family.

The labeling process involves two groups “the person who is labeled as deviant and the person who has the authority or the right to invoke the label” (Cuzzort and King, 2002, p. 63). Growing up in society we act on the rules that are given to us in society. Heterosexual values are to be with and love the opposite sex but because people are oppressed or homophobic we believe that anyone who does the total opposite should be considered outsiders.

When attempting to understand the people in our environment, the sociological approach towards gender and sexuality is more informative when describing individuals compared to the traditional view of sex as being linked to gender and sexuality. As stated by McLennan, McManus & Spoonley (2009) the difference between sex and gender are not completely apparent to society, as ‘sex’ states the physical characteristics of men and women and ‘gender’ is the social attributes of women as feminine and men as masculine. In the individual, the term of ‘sexuality’ is described to be the sexual practices, identities and desires. The physical characteristic that showcase the differences between men and women is the reproductive system defining their ‘sex’, while an attribute of being maternal would be assigned to femininity which defines an individual’s ‘gender’. An example of one’s... ... middle of paper ... ...egarded to be biologically attached to forming an individual’s gender and sexuality in the western world, if multiple sociologists, cultures and individuals prove this to be false?

They were seen as a violation of marriage bonds, the law and with these a violation of what was naturally determined. (Foucault, 1990, p. 38) The modern concept of homosexuality comes from a desire to see sexuality as a fundamental aspect of who we are. But is this desire correct? And more importantly: Is sexuality a part of identity within the terms of Foucault’s theory? To be able to answer this question it is first noted to make clear what is meant with the terms of “sexuality” and “identity”.

At a lesser note, women are described too as sterotypes in masculine terms and are judged lesbian than women described in stereotypically feminine terms In some gender-based judgments of gay people reflect the belief that male homosexuals are similar to female heterosexuals and that female homosexuals are similar to male heterosexuals (e.g., Kite & Deaux, 1987; Storms, Stivers, Lambers, & Hill, 1981). As Kite (1994) has argued, separating gender-role beliefs from attitudes toward homose... ... middle of paper ... ...not want their tough side invaded they way I see it. This was a tought subject to write about, but I felt that the issue of gender with being Gay and Lesbian needed to be written. Works Cited Batson & Burris, 1994; Herek, 1988 Esses, Haddock, & Zanna, 1993 http://www.cpa.ca/cjbsnew/1996/ful_esses.html Herek, 1986b http://en.web-blaster.org/www.lds-mormon.com/hldsss.shtml Kite & Deaux, 1987; Storms, Stivers, Lambers, & Hill, 1981 http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/lablouin/psych200/project_fall01/stereotyping.htm http://www.womenandsociety.buffalo.edu/bibliog/articles/bib/sj-sz.htm Louderback & Whitley, 1997 http://www.highbeam.com/library/doc0.asp?docid=1G1:112247853&refid=ink_puballmags&skeyword=&teaser= Kite and Whitley psychology.ucdavis.edu/Rainbow/ html/poq_2002.pdf Millham, San Miguel, & Kellogg, 1976; Plasek & Allard, 1984 http://www.lesbianinformationservice.org/attrl.htm Whitley, 1987

Gender and sexuality can be comprehended through social science. Social science is “the study of human society and of individual relationships in and to society” (free dictionary, 2009). The study of social science deals with different aspects of society such as politics, economics, and the social aspects of society. Gender identity is closely interlinked with social science as it is based on an identity of an individual in the society. Sexuality is “the condition of being characterized and distinguished by sex” (free dictionary, 2009).