The most important concepts I have learned this semester about sexual identities and communication are from Jonathan Katz. In his book, The Invention of Heterosexuality, Katz delves into the topic of heterosexuality and argues that it was invented, rather it being something natural. He views heterosexuality as a new concept that has its own codes of conduct, not to mention cultural distinctions with a strong historical background. The bottom-line is that communication played a significant role in making heterosexuality appear as a normal occurrence in the society. What is new to me is that in the past, there were no distinctive roles that gave people their sexual identities. However, with time, some people began to distinguish sexual orientations, and the informal message that was passed around was that heterosexuality was dignified. That is how heterosexuality grew in prominence while at the same time, homosexuality became despised.
The discussion that I am going to remember for months is about the role of communication in making heterosexuality appear as the most dignified form of sexual orientation, and at the same time, homosexuality became vilified. At the beginning of the semester, I did not understand the role of communication in shaping sexual identities, but after reading the argument presented by Katz, it is now clear that communication made one form of sexual orientation to grow in prominence while the other form of sexual orientation became a subject of ridicule. The reading was an eye-opener to me, and I no longer hate homosexuality.
According to Katz (1995), there is the assumption that heterosexuality is the only type of sexuality that does not require defending. Therefore, it is viewed as the only natural and sane type of orientation there is. The book tries to challenge this assumption. According to Katz (1995), this notion started during the Victorian era, where there was a clear distinction between classes at the time, with the lower classes being deemed irrelevant and devoid of recognition. As a result, there arose a middle class who now saw themselves as superior, and deserving high levels of respect and a given level of dignity. It is for that reason that they saw a way of distinguishing themselves, through a reevaluation of their sexual orientation by enforcing sexual morality and restraint amongst themselves. To do so, there had to be a distinction between what they deemed fit and appropriate and whatever that did not share the same view was inappropriate and shameful (Katz, 1995).
It is with this that the notion that ‘heterosexuality was invented’ applies. Here, heterosexuality was seen to be a sexuality whose main aim was sexual pleasure and not for the procreation. Then, there were also many views that also contributed to the perception of the sexuality; for instance, as women were seen as a minority back then, they were considered as asexual, and in the cases of racism, it was deemed that the women within the minority community were hypersexual (Katz, 1995). This is a show that views of sexuality were based on the preexisting spite and created distinctions between social classes, gender and also races. In addition, though homosexuality was deemed as the deviant sexuality, its behaviors and characteristics were not ruled out as taboos and evils in the society yet. Also, it was not yet seen that the members of heterosexuality shared the same characteristics that confined them to the type of orientation, and the same goes for homosexuality. Therefore, in the past, there weren’t the distinctive ‘laws’ that gave the individuals then their sexual ‘identities’. Later on, it was Freud who emphasized on the heterosexual orientation as one of pleasure and normality and made homosexuality appear the great and evil taboo it is viewed to be today. It is with this that there was the distinction between the two types of sexual orientation. He used homosexuality as a vice to help strengthen his view of heterosexuality making it the only form of sexuality that is sane and normal. He truly was a very influential factor in the view of sexuality that exists in the contemporary society.
After understanding Freud’s influence in the view of sexuality, one can wonder what kind of philosophies of thinking existed before he made its mark. The author notes that in the many generations, there were many forms of classification that existed around the two types of sexuality. However, there were no restrictions to one’s preferences in their desires as one could be of a given orientation but occasionally perform actions of the other without being branded or judged to be of either. For instance, the Greeks had a given understanding of sexuality as being in line with secular and heavenly love. Here, those who were overwhelmed with the desires of the flesh could swing both ways of orientation while those who sought heavenly love would have to seek those who were adept followers of their cultural ideals. In addition, adultery and sodomy were not considered taboos then and seen to be of the same wavelength in the line of sexual orientation (Katz, 1995).
Retrospectively, Katz’s book can be used to change the narrative about our different sexual identities. It is the high time people understood that heterosexuality and homosexuality exist as equals theoretically, although, socially, both sexualities are not accepted to be similar. Katz’s book can be used to trace the history behind the issue of our different sexual orientations and how one form of sexuality became accepted and how the other became vilified. It is with reading this book that one can understand that both sexualities. However, if there is anything that we have learned about time, it is that it creates new doors of opportunity. Therefore, it is with time that one can only but contemplate of how the issue of sexuality will be comprehended in the days to come, as views of the countless sensitive topics continue to be shared and appreciated around the world over the generations.
Reference
Katz, J. (1995). The Invention of heterosexuality. New York: Dutton
