Work

Heteronormativity in the Lives of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Young People

Year: 2019

Type: article

Abstract: Heteronormativity, as defined in queer theory, is the presumption and privileging of heterosexuality. Research on how young people make sense of and narrate heteronormativity in their own lives is needed to inform theories of heteronormativity. Using queer and intersectional frameworks, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 sexual and gender minority young people (ages 18 to 24), analyzed using thematic analysis, to examine how young adults make sense of heteronormativity. Participants discussed how gender expression informed both sexuality and sexual attraction. Participants prioritized biological parenthood over other family constructions but rarely discussed marriage. Gender, sexuality, and race contributed important contexts for how participants described heteronormativity in their lives and should be the focus of future research. Finally, binaries of gender, sexuality, and family intersected in participants' lives and their narrative constructions.

Source: Journal of Homosexuality

DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2019.1656032

Authors: Amanda M. Pollitt, Sara E. Mernitz, Stephen T. Russell, Melissa A. Curran, Russell B. Toomey

Institutions: The University of Texas at Austin, University of Arizona

Language: English

Topic: LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institute of Mental Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Awards: Population Research Center, Impact of Marital Quality and Alcohol Use on Health in Diverse Marriages, Risk and Protective Factors for Suicide among Sexual Minority Youth, Population Research Center, Training Program in Population Studies