Combating Heteronormative Language

The Oxford Dictionary definition for “heteronormative” is:
“Denoting or relating to a world view that promotes heterosexuality as the normal or preferred sexual orientation.”

While in the LGBT community the term “heteronormativity” is spoken often, we must remember that it is not a commonly used term in the workplace or classroom (unless you’re studying women’s studies or queer studies).  It is also not uncommon for you to hear aunts, cousins, or elderly people talking to young girls and teasingly asking “so, have you got a boyfriend yet?” and it’s often difficult in the workplace or classroom to speak up when someone says something about advertising to “women looking for a man” or things like that.

So what can we do in times these situations? Do we speak up and out ourselves in a potentially non-queer friendly environment, or do we stay quiet and allow the teacher to keep speaking about “traditional” heterosexual sex and relations?

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Where Do I Go for LGBT News?

When trying to find a trustworthy news source, it’s hard to tell what is fact, and what is rumour. Likewise, all news is subject to bias based on who runs the show. When political or international events happen involving the LGBT community, every news station has their own take on whether the event is an “outrage” or “righteous.”  For example, when the news stories started to come out about the Canadian Government’s actions (or lack thereof) in allowing a queer couple to get a divorce, the link being passed around with the “breaking news” was from a blog. While blogs may be an entertaining and interesting way to keep up with what is going on, turning to real news sources is a more credible place to find facts. … Continue Reading