View source for Heterosexuality

[[File:Romeo-and-Juliet-toy-theatre-cut-outs.png|thumb|150px|right|[[Romeo and Juliet]], a classic example of a heterosexual couple.]]
'''Heterosexuality''' is a [[sexual orientation]]. '''Heterosexual''' people are sexually attracted to the opposite [[gender]], and this may involve romantic feelings, or sexual activity. Another less formal word for heterosexual is ''straight''.<ref name="Bailey_2016">{{cite journal|vauthors=Bailey JM, Vasey PL, Diamond LM, Breedlove SM, Vilain E, Epprecht M|date=September 2016|title=Sexual Orientation, Controversy, and Science|journal=Psychological Science in the Public Interest|volume=17|issue=2|pages=45–101|doi=10.1177/1529100616637616|pmid=27113562|doi-access=free|s2cid=42281410}}</ref>

People who are not heterosexual may be [[homosexuality|homosexual]], [[bisexuality|bisexual]] or [[asexuality|asexual]]. Many people in Western society are [[Heteronormativity|heteronormative]], which means that they believe that heterosexuality is better than other forms of sexuality. This often leads to [[discrimination]].<ref name="Bailey_2016" />

Sexual orientation is thought to be caused by genetics and hormones when a baby is growing in its mother. Hormones play a role in making men and women have differences in a region of the brain called the sexually dimorphic nucleus, which is involved in sexual attraction. Men have larger clusters in the [[hypothalamus]] than women, similar to other [[mammal]]s.<ref name="Bailey_2016" />

In the [[Catholic Church]] and many [[Christianity|Christian churches]] as well as in [[Islam]] and [[Judaism]], a marriage can only be made in a heterosexual pair - man and woman. Marriage that is done in [[Homosexuality|homosexual]] pair is often seen as a serious [[sin]] by those religions.

== Related pages ==
* [[Heterosociality]]
*[[Queer]], a catch-all term for non-heterosexual people (used by some)

== References ==
<references />

== Other websites ==
{{wikiquote-en|Heterosexuality}}
* [http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/index.html The Kinsey Institute] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051118182438/http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/index.html |date=2005-11-18 }}

[[Category:Heterosexuality]]


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