Heterophobia

Beware:  "Heterophobia" is a word increasingly used by anti-queer organizations such as S.T.R.A.I.G.H.T, Fathers For Life, etc.

Heterophobia : Sexual Harassment and the Future of Feminism by Daphne Patai

A scathing criticism of political and sexual "correctness," this thought-provoking and powerfully argued book is sure to incite debate among all concerned with the legacy and future of woman's rights.

Once confident in the potential of feminism to create a more equitable and just society, Daphne Patai persuasively demonstrates in Heterophobia how the efforts of some feminists - members of what she calls the "sexual harassment industry" - have created an environment that stifles healthy and natural interactions between the sexes. The tremendous growth of sexual harassment legislation represents feminism's greatest contemporary success, but this victory has dubious consequences - a world where kindergarten boys face legal action for kissing female classmates and men are sued by coworkers for offenses such as unwanted hugs, uninvited compliments, or glances that last too long.

Bad Will Toward Men

Review of Heterophobia (Daphne Patai) by Cathy Young (February 1999 issue of Reason)

Excerpt:

Patai, a professor of comparative literature and women's studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and co-author of Professing Feminism: Cautionary Tales from the Strange World of Women's Studies, is herself a formerly radical feminist who is appalled by what has become of the feminist project to remake human relations. Patai recognizes that the problem which feminists in the 1970s labeled "sexual harassment" -- coercive or abusive sexual behavior in the workplace -- is real, and legal recourse was needed against it. The problem, she asserts, is that from the beginning, the concept was stretched to embrace not only sexual extortion or aggression but any "overt manifestations of male sexuality" that might upset some women. In Patai's view, "the experience of sexual interest and sexual play ... is an ordinary part of human life," and while "misplaced sexual attentions" can be vexatious at times, the only way to inhibit them is create a climate of repression and intolerance. In fact, she suggests that we already have such a climate. Some of the worst horror stories come from academia, where the fear of litigation is compounded by feminist zealotry, and it is on the academy that Patai focuses. She chronicles the stories of professors whose careers and whose very lives have been devastated by charges that are either chillingly trivial (a writing instructor fired for allowing a student-initiated discussion of sexual topics) or fantastic (multiple rapes which somehow don't keep the victim from signing up for an elective course with the rapist). A classroom statement that some rape allegations are false or that life begins at conception can trigger claims of a "hostile environment..."

Heterophobia: The Evolution of an Idea

Conference paper by Dr. Ray Noonan, Adjunct Instructor, Fashion Institute of Technology (SUNY)

Abstract:

The term heterophobia is, perhaps, only less than two decades old-a much shorter period than its more familiar sibling, homophobia, which dates to 1958. Still, the value of heterophobia as a concept appears to be largely unrecognized among many, if not most, sexologists today as we prepare to bring sexual science and philosophy into the new millennium. Is heterophobia just another example of the me-too victimology that continues to grow and flourish in contemporary America? Or is there more to it that can help us work better with our students and clients and help society deal with sexuality more effectively? This workshop, which will combine lecture and small group discussions, will trace the history of the idea, as well as the ways in which heterophobia may intrude on our work. We will also focus on ways to minimize its negative impact on our selves, clients, and society.

Gay Softball Team Accused of 'Heterophobia'

Excerpt:

Just as spring training gears up, a controversy splitting a gay softball league in South Florida could have impact in gay sports leagues across the country.

In this game, it's gay men and lesbians who are accused of discrimination-against gay-friendly heterosexuals who want to join their gay softball league...

Bisexuality and Queer Community

By Holly Hammond

Excerpt:

The dominant construction of sexuality in our society is a basic dualism which posits heterosexuality in opposition to homosexuality, and vice versa. Such a binary opposition suggests that there are no similarities between these two categories, and no difference or dissent within them. The defining characteristic of either category is that it is not the Other. Binary oppositions necessarily involve hierarchy, depending upon positioning. In the straight world this is obviously hetero over homo. Heterosexual activity and identity are privileged or assumed, whereas non-heterosexuality is denied, despised, and systematically marginalised. This hierarchy is so dominant that many people internalise it and often regulate their behaviour, thoughts and desires to conform with it. This is homophobia and heterosexism.

However, in the queer community I would suggest this binary is alive and well. That is, queer experience is defined in opposition to heterosexuality, by what we are not. What that really means is that homosexual experience is privileged and frequently assumed within the queer community. Much of the rituals associated with developing pride also serve to invert the binary, they serve to assert a hierarchy of homo over hetero. This is something which is entirely understandable but isn't mentioned much at all: Heterophobia...