Homonormativity
Definition
Homonormativity is the adoption of heterosexist values, beliefs, and norms within gay or queer communities. It can also refer to treating same-sex attraction and activity as normal in ways that preserve dominant expectations about relationships, gender, and social institutions.
Quick Facts
| Term | Homonormativity |
|---|
What homonormativity means
Homonormativity describes the incorporation of dominant heterosexist norms into gay or queer communities. Rather than challenging those expectations, homonormative attitudes can uphold and sustain them within a broader heteronormative society.
The word can also describe the assumption that same-sex attraction and activity are normal, either as the only normal form of sexuality or alongside the belief that opposite-sex activity is normal. This usage may also assume that everyone is either male or female.
Homonormativity in social criticism
In social and queer theory, homonormativity is used to examine how some lesbian and gay people adapt to dominant social arrangements in order to occupy a more secure position within them. The concept is not presented as a parallel structure to heteronormativity; rather, it describes the adoption of norms within a society whose institutions and assumptions remain heteronormative.