48-110 (Foundations of Social Life) - Lesson Objectives: 1. Relate sexuality as a spectrum; 2. Distinguish sexual identity from sexual orientation; 3. Discuss how sexuality relates to gender; 4. Discuss the notion of sexual fluidity; 5. Define and discuss heteronormativity, homophobia and heterosexism; 6. Define and discuss Straight Privilege; 7. Identify the major issues impacting the LGBTQ+ community; 8. Recognize examples of positive and negative representations of LGBTQ+ in entertainment media; 9. Define and recognize examples of bisexual erasure; 10. Identify aspects of sexuality of interest to criminologists.

2. Q: What do we mean by ‘sexuality’?
Sexuality encompasses all the ways
people experience and express
themselves as sexual beings.

3. In Orphan Black, Delphine tells Cosima
that “sexuality is a spectrum.”

4. Heterosexuality Opposite-sex attraction Door swings one way
Homosexuality Same-sex attraction Door swings other way
Bisexuality Both-sex attraction Door swings both ways
Pansexuality Gender-blind attraction Revolving door
Demisexuality Emotional connection
attraction
Door is locked; need the
right key
Asexuality Lack of sexual attraction Door is actually a wall

5. Sexual orientation includes sexual attraction
and sexual behaviour that is lasting and
enduring.
Sexual identity involves romantic and sexual
attractions and behaviours as well as
membership in a community of others who
share those attractions and behaviours.

6. • Most people adopt a sexual identity that
‘matches’ their sexual orientation.
• For some, sexual orientation does not
coincide with their sexual identity.
• Instead, sexual identity is a label adopted
to signify to others who they are as a
sexual being.

7. • For some people, there is a political
element to their sexual identity.
• Others identify as queer to highlight the
fluidity and diversity of gender and sexual
orientation and to reclaim the term ‘queer’.

8. • One’s sexual orientation and one’s sexual
identity is based on one’s gender.
• But what if you are transgender? Or
intersexed?
• What if you are attracted to transgendered
people and/or intersexed people?

9. • Components of attraction other than sex
and gender
• We are attracted to people on the basis of
ethnicity, race, social class, religion, level
of education, ability/disability, body shape
and size, and age

10. Orphan Black features several clones
with the exact same DNA but who have
completely different ideas about
sexuality and sexual expression.

11. Sexuality is best
understood as
multidimensional,
fluid, and contextual

12. • Heteronormativity is the belief that
heterosexuality is the only acceptable and
‘natural’ form of sexuality.

13. • Homophobia is the fear, hatred, disgust,
mistreatment, or intolerance of same-sex
intimacy, relationships, and/or people who
identify as or are perceived as LGBTQ.

14. • Nathan Palmer suggests that homophobia
is partly responsible for men’s restroom
etiquette.
[clip]

15. • No Talking
• No Eye Contact
• Maintain the Buffer
• These rules come from the larger North
American culture of heteronormativity and
homophobia.
• Violating these rules may suggest same-sex
attraction and this is not acceptable in
heteronormative culture.

17. • Personal homophobia is prejudice; it is the
personal belief that lesbian, gay, and bisexual
people are sinful, immoral, sick, inferior to
heterosexuals or incomplete men and
women.

18. • Institutional homophobia refers to the many
ways in which government, business, religious
institutions, and other institutions and
organizations discriminate against people on
the basis of sexual identity.
• Essentially, this is what is called heterosexism.

19. • Heterosexism refers to the practices that are
embedded in social structures and reinforced
by heteronormative ideology.
• Ways in which social institutions such as
government, workplace, religion, family and
media are organized to exclude or
disadvantage same-sex relations.

20. • Straight Privilege refers to the advantages
that heterosexual people experience in their
day-to-day life.

22. • LGBTQ+ refers to the community of
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and
queer-identified individuals.
• Experience stigma and discrimination
across their life spans, and are targets of
sexual and physical assault, harassment
and hate crimes.
• May experience multiple forms of
marginalization or disadvantage at the
same time (intersectionality)

23. • Since the late 1960s, the LGBTQ community
in Canada has seen steady gains in rights.
• Major strides toward mainstream social
acceptance and formal legal equality.
• Canada is internationally regarded as a leader
in this field.
• In 2005, Canada became the fourth country
worldwide to legalize same-sex marriage.

24. • LGBTQ characters continue to be under-
represented in film and television and are
often relegated to secondary characters with
little to no story development.
• Negative stereotypes still abound and intimacy
is often lacking in relationships between same-
sex characters in comparison to opposite-sex
characters in relationships.

25. • IndieWire: The best LGBT characters on
television in 2015.
• Included Connor Walsh from How to Get Away
With Murder.
Right from the start, Connor seemingly got more
action than any other character – gay or straight
– in primetime, which “is certainly notable in how
it goes against the common, desexualized fate of
most network LGBT characters.”
19 of the best LGBT characters on TV right now

26. • Connor’s chaotic, complicated
relationship with IT nerd Oliver is one of
the most layered (and sexiest) LGBT
relationships on network TV.

27. • The 100 is also notable for portraying same-
sex relationships with complicated story arcs.
• Sexuality is never featured as problematic
within the series, suggesting a move away
from strict heteronormative assumptions.

28. “Sci-fi premise aside, the
real thematic heart of
Sense8 is its
queerness…almost every
sensate, at least for a
scene or two, explores
their queer side…”
David Levesley for Outward (2015)

29. • Nomi (transwoman hacker) and Lito (closeted gay
actor) do a lot of heavy-lifting in terms of screen
time and narrative.
Nomi and Amanita
Lito and Hernando

30. • In the comic book industry,
Marvel has tackled the
issue of gay identity as well
as gay marriage.
• In 1992, Marvel Comics
made headlines by
revealing that Northstar, a
superhero associated with
Alpha Flight and the X-Men,
was gay.

31. Kevin Keller in Riverdale

32. • Bisexual erasure or bisexual invisibility is a
pervasive problem in which the existence or
legitimacy of bisexuality is questioned or
denied outright.
[clip]

34. • Bi-erasure in popular culture can have
detrimental consequences for young
people who are bisexual.
• Without media exposure to the concept
and existence of – let alone the
acceptance and support of – bisexuality
it’s nearly impossible to know that it’s even
an option.

35. Clarke: The 100
Maya: Pretty Little Liars
Nolan: Revenge
Audrey: Scream

36. • More socially acceptable for women to be
bisexual than for men
• Heterosexual Male Gaze  women as
bisexual is more palatable
• Culture of masculinity that emphasizes
heterosexuality and heteronormativity

38. “When women talk about enjoying sex, it’s almost
forbidden. Just having a health sexual attitude,
you are labeled as loose, wild, a slut. You have no
morals, and you’re seen as some kind of sexual
deviant or someone who can’t be in a
monogamous relationship. The minute you talk
about enjoying yourself, being curious, that is still
taboo.”
Scarlett Johannsson

39. • Player or Victimizer?
• Virgin
• Creep
• Sexist or Objectifier
• Male Nudity
• Male Homosexuality
Source: http://becauseits2015.wordpress.com

40. Criminologists concern themselves with:
• Hate crimes based on sexual identity
• Same-sex marriage and legal rights
• Homophobia in policing