Kai Myers

Special Topics: Women's Studies

Professor Soyoung Park

11-20-13

Homosexuality and Heterosexuality

      According to Jagose's Theorising Same-Sex Desire, there have been conflicts in defining homosexuality. Essentialists see homosexuality "as natural, fixed, and innate" while constructionists "assume identity is fluid, the effect of social conditioning and available cultural models for understanding oneself". (Jagose, 1). Most scholars use a combination of ideas of supposed sexual abnormality. But is it really helpful to dissect orientation?

      For organizational purposes, the division of sexual orientation between homosexual and heterosexual is beneficial; however, groups have taken into account negative connotations. Homosexuality (although scientifically defined earlier) is considered abnormal while heterosexuality is the consistent norm. This ideal is to benefit and keep those, of our patriarchal society, in power. For example, Jagose clearly links the relation between feminism and lesbianism as seeming like uncharacteristic aspects of women that threatened the authority of the nation."Hence, the sexologists' theories frightened, or attempted to frighten women away from feminism and from loving other women by demonstrating that bother were abnormal and were generally linked together".

      It is perplexing to think that heterosexuality is not taken into consideration as heavily as homosexuality given both are just as prevalent.