Hi, my name is Heston. I am majoring in biological sciences.

Im interested in
biology among other things. From the course, I hope to gain a greater understanding of
women and their relationship to sexuality, how this relates to me, and the historical and
contemporary roles sexuality plays in society, science, politics etc.
In my own life gender policing has been most evident during my time in the
public schooling system with its most obvious instances being in my preteen to early
teens. Most that I can recollect from this time seem to fit into Martins definition of
heteronormativity, which is described as, the mundane, everyday ways that
heterosexuality is privileged and taken for granted as normal and natural (p. 191). One
such example was in a PE class while in middle school. The class was taught how to
dance. For the slow dance part of the instruction, the males were instructed to ask a
female to dance with them, with the males leading the dance and the females following.
Prior to this, the room was fairly polarized with males on one side and females on the
other with each group hesitantly intermixing upon command. I think the fact that it was
assumed that males should ask females; males would lead, and only opposite genders
dance with one another are all examples of heteronormativity. Myers and Raymond write
that Martin writes in her article, Yet from a very young age, children are pressed into a
rigid heterosexual mold. Martin shows how heteronormativity is foisted on children
(p. 161). To me this is a good example of foistering preconceived gender norms. In my
own life, I mostly try to generate my own notions of gender and sexuality while taking
into account social norms, but not necessarily accepting their inherent correctness.
References:
Martin, Karin. Normalizing Heterosexuality: Mothers Assumptions, Talk and Strategies
with Young Children. American Sociological Review. (2009).
Meyers,KristenandRaymond,Laura.ElementarySchoolGirlsandHeteronormativity:
TheGirlProject.SagePublications.(2010).
Fatima, I agree with you that in many ways it is imbedded in the culture for women to
like men and vice versa and agree that gender policing still exists. I think it is interesting
that you state parents have a crucial way of controlling gender policing and agree with
you and also think other factors come into play.