Heterosexism is basically an act of discrimination or having a biased attitude towards people who have been perceived to be lesbians and gays in terms of sexual orientation. Some of the countries are greatly acquiring the strategy of heterosexism against the same sex bonding because according to them same sex bonding cannot be accepted as it is a deviant or a psychological disease. Such views which have been propagated by the heterosexism agenda holders are widely making vast differences in the lives of heterosexual people. In a broader context it could be stated that heterosexism has been institutionalized because there are numerous facets of United States of America that had went against the opposite sex bonding. Let us now discuss how heterosexism had been institutionalized.
It is the biased attitude of believers of heterosexism that had greatly affected the lives of heterosexual people because the implementation of heterosexism had given rise to economical and social problems of lesbians and gays. Opposite sex bonding or more primitively lesbians and gays have been deprived of many political, social and economical opportunities in Unites States that had lead to constant application and implementation of their theories and agendas against such people (Cooper). Thus leading the elements and factors of heterosexism in particular has turned into institutionalized phenomenon, in particular United States.
Social Structures and Values Inequalities
The society itself does not let the heterosexual people attain prominent opportunities and are constantly using different means and purposes of discriminating opposite sex bonding. Several ways of inhibiting such discrimination is due to the fact that they are constantly sent hate mails, they are recognized widely in hate speeches. There have been several incidents that took place in United States due to the gay panic defense that puts lesbians and gays in crisis (Cooper).
Formal and Informal political and legal policies and practices leading Inequalities
It is a political agenda of most of the political parties and policies in United States that had been forward against gays and lesbians that they are not allowed to public their sexual status otherwise they are unable to achieve space in corporate and political institution. It is this issue and regulation that had sustained the heterosexism which is now regarded to be institutionalized. Legislative authorities continue to prohibit the involvement of gays and lesbians in informal political polling thus letting go of their right to vote and putting this perspective ahead (U.S. Supreme Court).
Culture and cultural Values Inequalities
Gays and lesbians are strictly not allowed to join some of the most prominent cultural groups for its promotion in Unites States. In this way gays and lesbians lag behind in terms of achieving providing equal opportunities to excel in the group association and in society consecutively (Antinora). It is totally against the norms and notions of most of the countries to excel and comprehend the social equity to gays and lesbians.
Through the above analysis of the context of heterosexism and its changing attributes to an institution, it could be stated that more and more countries, their cultural values, norms notions, formal and informal policies continue to turn heterosexism into an institutionalized phenomenon and act of biasness that continues to suppress the equal opportunities of gays and lesbians. Such policies and notions of formal and informal political and informal political notions have restricted the rights and thus took the dimension of heterosexism as an institution in United States.
Works Cited
- Antinora, Sarah. “It’s Still a Long Way Coming: The Importance of Humanizing the Same-Sex Marriage Discussion.” 2009. Web.
- Cooper, Davina. Challenging Diversity: Rethinking Equality and the Value of Difference. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
- U.S. Supreme Court. ROMER, GOVERNOR OF COLORADO, et al. v. EVANS et al. certiorari to the supreme court of colorado No. 94-1039. 1995. Web.