Parenting And Heterosexuality: How The Assumption Of Heterosexuality Can Hurt Children

It is not really surprising to know that heterosexuality is still a standard custom in the society today, where the most acceptable relationship is between a man and a woman. Sad to say, this preconceived notion is destroying a facet of modern sexuality that most if not all people have forgotten.

The Heterosexual Daze

According to psychotherapist and certified sex and relationship therapist Dr. Joe Kort, the world is currently living in a so-called, "heterosexual trance," in which people in the LGBT community are hated and often become the victims of violence such as bullying, beating and even killing. In Kort's article published on Huffington Post, the psychotherapist underscored the fact that the "reality" of the LGBT people is nonexistent to the "majority culture" that surround them.

"In our society and around the world, we all are living in a heterosexual trance, the cultural state of mind in which LGBT people are either loathed, met with violence, or whose reality is invisible to the majority culture around them," Kort wrote.

Heterosexuality As A Privilege And Cultural Tyranny

Kort also added that heterosexuality is a "privileged position" and a "cultural tyranny" that make homophobia more prevalent, affecting many LGBT people emotionally and psychologically. The countless cultural messages of hate, rejection, discrimination and worthlessness can lead to social and psychological problems including anxiety and depression.

"Heterosexuality is a privileged position that is unaware of its privilege, much like the majority culture is unaware of its own racism," Kort added. "It is a trance of cultural tyranny that consciously or unconsciously wants to erase evidence of its own shortcomings, anything that would reveal it to be less prejudiced, less compassionate or wonderful than it considers itself to be."

Fortunately, Kort is not the only one who's trying to shed some light about a modern sexuality façade that has long been taken for granted. In fact, a parent has recently shared her own views regarding heterosexuality on a parent's point of view.

Heterosexuality On A Parent's Perspective

In an era where the philosophies of heterosexuality or "straightness" seem artificial, Britni De La Cretaz of Ravishly wrote about heterosexuality and its potential effects on children. In her article, De La Cretaz highlighted the pervasiveness of heterosexuality because it's a "norm."

De La Cretaz also noted how the society depicted heterosexuality as an "assumption" and an "expectation." According to the Good Men Project, the mom of a 2-year-old daughter also pointed out how the assumption of heterosexuality can hurt the children in spite of how "harmless" it may appear.

"The assumption of heterosexuality might seem incredibly harmless, because it's so pervasive and it's 'the norm,'" De La Cretaz wrote. "But it's actually hurting our children. What our children hear, when we presume their heterosexuality, is that we expect them to be a certain thing and that we will be disappointed if they fail to meet that expectation. What our kids hear is that something is wrong with them if they are not the thing we think they are or want them to be."

De La Cretaz also stressed that LGBTQ teens displayed the highest cases of substance abuse, homeless and suicide. That's why, she's telling other parents that acceptance for who their children are can never be enough but providing the "unconditional love and support" their children needed from the beginning is the most essential.

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