So, what is sexuality-based prejudice?
Sexuality-based prejudice refers to negative attitudes and behaviours directed at people based on aspects of their sexual identity. Like most forms of prejudice it has three main features:
• It is an attitude i.e. an evaluation or judgment.
• It is directed at a social group and its members.
• It is negative, involving hostility or dislike.
Sexuality-based prejudice has been described as the policing of sexual identity. This control is used to define and enforce rigid norms about what is "normal" and "natural".
Most of us are familiar with gender stereotyping which enforces rigid norms for femininity and masculinity and we are becoming more aware of how this is linked to rigid norms for sexual orientation.
Gender and orientation are interrelated and interdependent. What this means is that sexual prejudice can be based on gender or orientation but it usually involves both. For example, dominant masculinity is defined as essentially heterosexual and defined against or in opposition to homosexuality, as well as in opposition to femininity. Anyone who dares to act outside these norms is perceived as a threat and is subjected to harassment and bullying in an attempt to make them conform. This can range from verbal taunts such as "Don't be such a girl." and "What are you, a fag?" to actual physical violence. Bullying and harassment can occur in any combination - male to female, male to male, female to male, female to female - although overwhelmingly more often, males are the perpetrators.
There is currently a lot of debate about the language used to describe the various forms of sexual prejudice. This is because our understanding of the issues is evolving.
Homophobia is a good example. Initially the term was used to describe fear of and hostility towards homosexuality in others and in oneself. However, over time people began to recognise that the issue is much bigger than individual prejudice, that it exists at all levels of society, including the law. So the term heterosexism was used in the same way that sexism and racism are used to describe other forms of societal prejudice.
More recently, people are realising that this term also has limitations in that it only refers to prejudice by heterosexuals against non-heterosexuals. It doesn't acknowledge other forms of prejudice such as transphobia (fear of transgender) and biphobia (fear of bisexuality) and the fact that prejudice exists within non-heterosexual communities (eg. "I may be transgender, but I'm not gay!")
All of this can be quite confusing so the term sexual prejudice is now being used to describe all forms of discrimination, harassment and bullying based around sexuality.
The main thing to remember is that sexual prejudice affects everyone. It is a constraint on human behaviour that diminishes individual potential as well as diversity in our community.
Challenging prejudice in all its forms is everyone's business!
"I get really annoyed when I hear guys calling each other a "girl" when one of them shows some emotion or does something kind....as if, somehow, there's something wrong with that, and especially because it implies that there is something "wrong" with being a girl."
"I always get called 'fag' and 'gay' but I'm not that way inclined at all...in fact I have had a girlfriend for the last 10 months. What's up with the world?"
"Sexual orientation shouldn't even be an issue with people anymore. It just shouldn't matter. I mean we don't go around whispering 'Do you think he's straight?', now do we?"
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