sexuality Flashcards
sexuality
a persons preferences and activities
what does it mean when said we live in a heteronormative society/country
heterosexuality is deemed the natural sexuality within our society/country. It involves the assumption that everyone is ‘naturally’ heterosexual, and that heterosexuality is an ideal, superior to homosexuality and bisexuality.
Week’s social construction theory
argued that sexuality is socially constructed, meaning it is a product of culture rather than biology. This means that due to it being a social construction, it changes based off culture and time period and group it exists in.
what was the buggery act in 1533
Was made illegal for 2 men to have sex and be together, punishment would be given if seen or known to being together (death penalty). Lesbians would still be punished in a way of being seen as a witch, but it wasn’t actually illegal for them.
how was homosexuality perceived in the Victorian times
Was seen as a mental illness and people were sent to asylums if found to be homosexual, so in the asylum they would be given electric shocks until they were turned back straight.
Foucault’s perception on sexuality changing
he believed that the way in which sexuality is expressed is dependent on what is happening in society at a specific time. In the 1970s sexuality was expressed as a form of counter culture through subcultures. However, over time due to the exposure to these sexuality’s to wider society, there is now a normalisation of there being a variety of sexuality’s and it has become desensitised not being heterosexual.
Goffman- stigmatised identities
he argued that some identities are stigmatised and impression management occurs due to this stigma (e.g. a homosexual will act heterosexual to try be accepted and not stigmatised).
He said that in the 21st century, homosexuality is moving away from a stigmatised identity so therefore impression management is less likely to occur as it has been more normalised to help narrow the barrier between rights and acceptance of being homosexual or heterosexual.
how have women’s sexuality’s traditionally been defined?
(Mulveys theory of the male gaze)
sexuality has always been a part of a female hegemonic identity.
It was traditionally defined by their appearance or ‘sex appeal’.
Mulvey argued the media sexualises women as objects for males to use by abusing their dominant power. This is known as the male gaze.
briefly explain modern masculinity
In the past men were often characterised by what they could do (their job or how much money they earnt).
however in contemporary society some would argue that the ‘sex appeal’ is increasingly becoming a feature of masculine identity. Due to new identity choices opening up for men due to the gay movement and the crisis in masculinity. This has lead to men’s increasing concern with their physical appearance (increased male eating disorders and male cosmetic surgery)
Mcrobbies argument of changing male identities
beauty stakes have risen for men, and women have taken up the role of active viewers
briefly explain about stigmatisation and representations of homosexual identities in the media in Britain
some would argue the stigmatisation of homosexual identities is seen to be reducing, particularly for gay men, and representation of these relationships is increasingly being shown in shows/movies.
whereas in the past there was a significant absence of gay representation within the media or they were shown in negative stereotypical ways.
give the name of each law for the given years:
1)2003
2)2001
3)1967
4)2005
5)2002
6)2010
7)1861
8)1973
9) 2013
1) same sex couples allowed to be named as parents on a childs birth certificate.
2) equal age of consent
3) sex offence act (homosexual acts became legal)
4) civil partnerships
5) adoption for same sex couples
6) equality act (ant-discrimination laws in employment)
7) death penalty removed for homosexual acts
8) homosexuality was removed from the DSM as a mental disorder
9) legalisation of same sex marriage
briefly explain your opinion on if sexuality is an important factor on identity
It allows people to express themselves as much as heterosexual individuals can express themselves in many ways too.
homosexual individuals have faced external and internal homophobia, so i think it is a big part of your identity as your identity is affected by feeling oppressed to hide your sexuality. Therefore, it will affect the way you perceive your self identity and hoe others do too.
Whilst class and identity have been considered to have larger impacts on identity, I think this is because people stigmatise anybody questioning the importance of sexuality on identity.
give 2 factors in Britain that have increased social acceptance of gay people
Gay pride marches in London, Birmingham and Brighton have increased the visibility and social acceptance.
The increase in public figures and celebrities ‘coming out’ as gay has made it easier for people to be openly gay. This has lead to changes in social policies reducing stigma around sexuality.
How has it been shown that this type of sexuality has not been totally accepted by all sections of society?
Discrimination and prejudice still exist and homophobic attacks on gay people are still relatively common.
in 2013 a Stonewall report ‘gay in britain’ found that 55% of younf LGBTQ+ people experienced homophobic bullying at school and heard homophobic language against them on a frequent basis.
