Curation Project Sexual Prejudice
Curation Project Sexual Prejudice
Curation Project Sexual Prejudice
ENG 101
22 November 2023
Curation Statement
When interacting with individuals, assumptions can be made about their personality;
however, whether subconscious or conscious, assumptions about their race, gender, and sexuality
can also be made. Assumptions are usually on the basis of physical appearance (e.g. type of
clothes, masculine or feminine presenting, etc.), social circles, and even their mannerisms. Biases
and prejudices are often formed on the basis of said assumptions–societal norms, values, and
stereotypes are also influential–ultimately shaping behaviors and attitudes toward the individual.
group (i.e. gender, race, sexuality) can form biases and prejudices as well. However, how the
biases and prejudices are applied (i.e. covertly or overtly) play a significant role in perpetuating a
social climates on the basis of my presumed sexual and gender identity. Oftentimes, I “benefit”
from heterosexism–the cultural ideology that perpetuates sexual stigma (Herek 15). Meaning,
generally been vocal about my identities so I have experienced various forms of sexual
prejudice.
negative attitudes and cultural stigma toward sexual minorities, [non-heterosexual] desires,
individuals and how ingrained they are into policies. I am interested in exploring how
visibility to other non-heterosexual’s experiences with sexual prejudice as LGBTQ+ issues and
how it hinders their perception. The sources I have curated all aim to stop sexual prejudice
Sources
Herek’s article explores the coined term “homophobia,” as it is used to describe the
discrimination that non-heterosexual individuals face. However, it does not accurately reflect
antigay hostility. Homophobia–using the word’s Greek’s roots– “literally [means] fear of
sameness…but because ‘homo’ is used as a derogatory term for gay people in American slang
(Boswell, 1993), most listeners…” attribute the term to homosexuals (Herek 9). This article
provides insight on how to challenge what is widely accepted to develop a deeper understanding
of non-heterosexual individual’s experiences. Herek’s discussion on breaking the term into three
This article explores sexism, sexual prejudice, and its relationship with religion,
particularly how religion can influence the development of sexual prejudice. Queerness is often
associated with sinfulness (Herek 9) which has caused tensions between the LGBTQ+
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community and religious communities. However, as Etengoff and Lefevor find, “though sexism
and sexual prejudice are significantly associated with religion on an aggregate level, this
highly religious individuals maintain supportive relationships with sexual minority family
members” (Etengoff and Lefevor, 46). There is a sense of complexity in this discussion as it
challenges the prenotion that a religious and sexual identity cannot be paired. It ultimately offers
experienced.
Kieth Haring was a gay artist who created works of art specifically to give visibility to
the impacts of the AIDs epidemic on the LGBTQ+ community. I selected this piece to provide
historical context on how biases and prejudices (sexual prejudice) can spread societally and
cause detrimental effects on non-heterosexual individuals. Kieth displays how the United States
government and health institutions failed to properly address the epidemic suggesting that issues
that pertain to non-heterosexual individuals are their own problem to solve. Additionally, it
underscores how medicalization is not a useful tool for discussing non-heterosexual issues. His
usage of bright colors gives an alarming tone to the piece, implying the urgent need for empathy,
This online news article mainly focuses on discussing the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. It
specifically focuses on the misconception on how speaking on sexual and gender identity in the
classroom is a form of indoctrination to the kids. Interestingly, Hesse notes how buzzwords are
used to instill fear and prejudices against non-heterosexual individuals. “...Homophobia makes
people believe a lot of strange, awful things. Whatever the case, the word 'groomer' seems to be
part of a rhetorical shock campaign designed to end conversations, not to facilitate them"
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(Hesse). This article indicates the need for nuanced discussions between non-heterosexual and
On a smaller scale now, sexual prejudice can hinder how non-heterosexual’s identities
explaining how she would not date a bisexual man because she was not into feminine men. The
creator discusses how men liking men is seen as an inherently feminine trait and the added factor
that the bisexual man the original video was referring to was a black man only further negatively
hinders his experience. She explains how the “black man” identity is associated with
hypermasculinity; meaning, a “feminine trait” like bisexuality does not fit (@tblizzy). This video
This online news article discusses the health disparities as well as the sexual prejudice in
limited the access to medical care for non-heterosexual individuals. Although not discussed
within the article, it is important to consider that failed medical care trips may result in distrust in
the medical field. In medical settings, heterosexual couples are often not “questioned about
who’s allowed in the hospital room" unlike non-heterosexual individuals (Phillips). This portrays
how casual, yet pervasive sexual prejudice can be expressed. With sexual prejudice,
individuals.
This site provides data on LGBTQ+ individuals in Arizona and the ways they have
experienced stigma and discrimination in schools, jobs, health services, and housing.
Additionally, it provides insight into the impact that this has on LGBTQ+ adults and youth
respectively. For this source, I particularly wanted to focus on the experience of LGBTQ+ youth
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in schools. “Of LGBT students who were bullied or harassed at school, only 44% of students
reported the incident to school staff. Less than one third (31%) of those who reported bullying or
harassment to staff said that it resulted in effective intervention” (Mallory et al., 29). 44%
implies that there is a fear of a negative response from the staff possibly from the sexual
prejudice their experience from their peers. This is crucial, as it raises flags as to the impact that
not only sexual prejudice has on the individual, but whether sexual prejudice is even addressed.
This magazine talks about how LGBTQ+ rights can not move forward without a systemic
change. Encarnación explores three key events important to LGBTQ+ history: the Lavender
government), “don’t ask, don’t tell” (“forced gays and lesbians to keep their homosexuality a
secret if they wished to remain in the military”) and Obergefell v. Hodges (Supreme Court case
that legalized gay marriage and sparked “‘Christian victimization’)” (Encarnación). These events
exemplify how the United States government has often been the one to instill sexual prejudice.
Through concentrated effort to these systemic barriers, it can improve the overall quality of life
of a non-heterosexual individual.
This podcast explores Keke Palmer's and Jonathan Van Ness' interpretation of the "Gay
Agenda"--a term to refer to the normalization of LGBTQ+ issues with the intent of "turning
people gay" (often used by sexual prejudiced individuals to discredit LGBTQ+ rights
movements) ("What Really is the 'The Gay Agenda'?"). Keke Palmer says in response, "...the
only agenda, is that people stop being beaten, bullied, murdered and pushed to the point of
suicide". This brings light to a double standard that is often held with sexual prejudice–
underscoring the issue’s complexity. Van Ness connects this idea of there being a "double
standard" (in the normalization in sexual identity discussions) to his youth, where he attended a
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Christian camp and was taught how boys and girls should act, feel, and think. In connection to
the Hesse's news article, even the mere discussion of non-heterosexuals is enough to instill
This YouTube video provides visibility to a lesbian’s understanding of self over the
years. This provides insight for other sexual identities on how this particular individual
responded towards sexual prejudice. She talks about how her parents were very vocal about their
prejudices against non-heterosexuals which only made @Risa Ru feel ashamed to be associated
with the LGBTQ+ community. Additionally, because she had the perception that the
stereotypical lesbian was a white masculine-presenting woman, she felt even more of a
disconnect with the identity. It wasn’t until she was able to join LGBTQ+ affiliated college clubs
where she was able to connect with other Asian-American lesbians. This demonstrates how
sexual prejudice affects both an individual's relationship with their identity and their ability to
When I came out to my mother, it was not by choice. I had been sobbing in my room out
of shame for my identity. I felt like I would disappoint her if she found out, but I couldn’t hide it
when she kept pressing me with questions. Unfortunately, my fears came true. Rather than
supportive words, I was berated with microinvalidations–mostly about how I had to pray for
clarity. I internalized her words and often questioned my attitudes and morals. As I grew older,
however, I have been able to connect with other non-heterosexual individuals about their
experiences. Hearing their stories and sharing my own has deepened my understanding of the
diverse experiences within the LGBTQ+ community as well as feeling a sense of solidarity.
Additionally, I chose to explore this topic to further challenge heterosexist ideas, attitudes, and
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behaviors that I have held on to from my mother. From my experience, when individuals attempt
to combat sexual prejudice, it is often not explicitly defined as a "fight against sexual prejudice".
It is usually coupled with striving to be "a good human being." While important, it does not give
After conducting my research, I gave myself time to reflect and connect my perceptions
and experiences to my sources. A common theme among my exploration of sexual prejudice was
conflicted on being the "perfect Christian Latina" or a bisexual (e.g. of intersectionality conflict).
I would like to further explore how sexual prejudice is conceptualized on the basis of various
intersecting identities. This particularly sparked my interest after hearing Risa Ru's experience
with heterosexism and how her Asian-American identity conflicted with her acceptance of being
a lesbian. Furthermore, Etengoff’s and Lefervor’s work undermines the preconception that all
religions are against queerness. It suggests a complex understanding is needed to understand how
Sexual prejudice is often conceptualized as "homophobia", but does not accurately reflect
the complex experiences that non-heterosexual individuals face. It is crucial, however, to make it
evident that sexual prejudice does not pertain to just the sexual identity, but to other
intersectional identities. These identities may hinder how non-heterosexual individuals perceive
their experience and identity. Sexual prejudice can be hard to tackle as it would require a
systemic change, however, individuals may engage in intellectual conversations about their
identities, how they view their identities, and share their stories.