"One hundred years ago, people had a very different idea of what it means to be heterosexual. Understanding that shift in thinking can tell us a lot about fluid sexual identities today, argues Brandon Ambrosino."
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170315-the-invention-of-heterosexuality
I came across this BBC article that, through the exploration of the creation of heterosexuality, indirectly illuminates the construction of homosexuality. The article covers material from around the world and in terms of time, covers 1800s all the way up till the modern-day. Albert Kinsey and David Halperin, authors who we have read for class, are also mentioned.
The writer of this article argues that before heterosexuality was invented and normalized, it was considered abnormal. The writer then discusses the role of language in the 'invention of heterosexuality'. According to the writer, this invention also corresponded with the rise of the middle class in America (incidentally featuring a quick discussion of New York City and the migration of the masses to the city) with the author saying that the middle class saw "sexual misconduct" as a thing of the working class and the poor. The writer ends off the article speculating on the history of heterosexuality and how it seems to be losing its 'high ground'.
Overall, this intellectually provocative article covers many of themes that our class addresses (what defines homosexuality [e.g. gender inversion, acts...], capitalism and LGBT, creation of norms and normality/abnormality,... ) and, in my view, makes for a comprehensive and enlightening read.
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ReplyDeleteLove, love, love this article, great find! I found it particularly interesting how the article talks about how heterosexuality was brought into existence. We learned that homosexuality did, in fact, come into existence at a specific point in human history, yet we never really think to talk about how the same can be said of heterosexuality. I also like how the article opened up by looking at how the definition of heterosexuality has evolved. I wonder how it will continue to evolve and who's to say that it will always be a "thing," considering "it’s an invention, a myth, and an outdated one."
ReplyDeleteWhat's great about this article is it touches on a lot of different class topics. For example, in the 19th century, it hadn't occurred to people that they might be “differentiated from one another by the kinds of love or sexual desire they experienced.” Instead, sexual behaviors were often forbidden, but the emphasis was always on the act, not the agent. The article then goes on to say what really changed was the language.