User:TJScalzo/Queer heterosexuality

Examination of gender and sexuality
In a 2015 paper, Better and Simula begin by establishing that heterosexuality exists as a performance. This means that multiple "heterosexualities" exist, queer heterosexuality for instance, which cannot be reduced to simple heteronormativity. Sexuality researchers have based their understanding of sexual attraction on the Kinsey scale since it was developed decades ago. The Kinsey scale places people's sexual orientation on a spectrum somewhere between homosexual and heterosexual. However, Better and Simula have found that the observed variability of sexual relationships does not follow a simple continuum which only measures attraction to binary genders. Sullivan argues that same-sex relations, and sex between men and women, do not need to be inherently queer or heteronormative, respectively. Since 'straight' sex can become queer, the expected sex of an individual's partner can be decoupled from the individual's sexual identity. Gender does not need to be the defining feature of one's sexuality. The performance of queer heterosexualities destabilizes the heterosexual/homosexual binary by contesting essentialist identification at all. Since most research centers on gender as the primary factor in how an individual chooses their sexual patterns, Better and Simula believe there is much work to be done to explore what sexual attraction and relationships can be based on other than gender.

Better and Simula continue by examining how observed human sexual attraction exceeds the bounds of hegemonic, normative sexual orientations. They conducted interviews with patrons at a sex shop and BDSM practitioners about their views on sexuality. Better and Simula found that the current system of sexual identification is generally insufficient in terms of language and categorization. Despite using monosexual identifiers, many people that were interviewed described more fluid experiences with their sexualities. Single-identifier categorization of sexual preferences ends up reducing the complexity of human sexuality to a level that is incongruent with reality. Our vocabulary's narrow ability to capture the full range of sexual orientation betrays the limitations of our culture and language. Better and Simula found that people whose sexual identities challenge heteronormativity do not always fit within queer heterosexuality. Critical and resistant sexual identities do not necessarily fall under the queer umbrella as past research suggests. The term 'queer heterosexuality' is a stopgap that cannot accurately describe the complexities of sexuality beyond gender-based attraction.

Better, Simula

 * Queer heterosexualities are a key example of how identities or sexual orientations do not exist on a binary.
 * Sexual categories do not necessarily determine one's sexual desires, behaviors, or identity practices anymore.
 * The orientation and attraction spectrum introduced by Kinsey allows two seemingly dichotomous terms to exist as one in queer heterosexuality.
 * Concepts of heterosexuality are constructed. Queer heterosexuality challenges the normative nature of heterosexuality and the masculinity that is assumed to be inherent to it.
 * Sullivan: "Since Queer need not be simply equated with same-sex relations, and sex between men and women need not be heteronormative, then queering what we usually think of as ‘‘straight’’ sex can allow the possibility of moving away from stabilized notions of gender and sexuality as the assumed foundations of identity and social relations." (2003: 134)
 * If 'straight' sex can become queer, the assumed foundation of all identity and social relations can be separated from stable definitions of gender and sexuality.
 * A more complex understanding of relationships and sexual identity can be developed if the expected sex of a partner is decoupled from an individual's sexual identity.
 * Gender does not need to be the defining feature of one's sexuality.


 * Better and Simula found that the current system of sexual identification was insufficient in terms of language and categorization when looking at the data they collected. Most research centers on gender as the primary factor in choosing sexual patterns. Better and Simula question what sexual attraction and relationships can be based on if not gender.
 * A significant amount of people who self-identify with a sexual orientation end up exhibiting behavior that does not match the common definition of that orientation. - Korchmaros, Powell, & Stevens (2013)
 * Human sexual attraction exceeds the bounds of hegemonic, normative sexual orientations. Despite using monosexual identifiers many people interviewed by Better and Simula described more fluid experiences with their sexualities.
 * Performance of queer heterosexuality further destabilizes the hetero/homosexual binary by contesting essentialist identification at all.
 * Single-identifier categorization of sexual preferences reduce the complexity of human sexuality to a level incongruent with reality. Our vocabulary's narrow ability to capture the full range of sexual orientation betrays the limitations of our culture and language.
 * Queer heterosexuality is a stopgap term. "Our findings suggest that resistant sexual identities and orientations do not always fall under the umbrella of "queer."" (678)
 * Resistant or critical heterosexualities do not always fit people whose sex and gender relationships challenge heteronormativity.

=== Heather Brook ===
 * In a 2018 paper, Heather Brook compares
 * The term same-sex marriage is similarly oxymoronic to queer heterosexuality.
 * They both challenge and connect to the norms associated with heterosexuality.
 * However, where same-sex marriage aims to gain social capital from the normativeness of heterosexual marriage, queer heterosexuality does not pull on queerness symmetrically.
 * Both incite fear of appropriation and the pejoration of gendered meaning.
 * When heterosexual people use the word queer, a term which was reclaimed by the community it now describes, it straightens
 * Since heterosexual "is the privileged, 'default' sexuality", its assimilation of "the other" means there is less meaningful difference between the two groups.

=== Dean ===