Social Norm Analysis

Norms are felt strongly in societies, but even more so, by those who differ from the dominant culture. In our culture, sexual norms dictate that “‘Disability = helplessness’ which encourages people to associate disabled adults with children and, hence, with sexual innocence and asexuality’” (Kulick 5). This preconceived notion dominates the publics’ thinking and permeates the conscientiousness of the disabled. In addition to viewing those with challenges as childlike and asexual, society also denigrates them in other ways. Those with disabilities often feel the public views them as “too repulsive… (to be) considered sexually attractive” (Kulick 5). One must ask, why do societal norms dictate that it is acceptable for able-bodied individuals …show more content…
Hollibaugh provides other examples of how societal norms influence sexuality in My Dangerous Desires. The narrative demonstrates how intimately norms are felt in a heterosexual based society. If an individual is gay the first thing they would try to tell you is that “it’s really not true, then they spend years trying to change you. You just have to hate yourself more than straight folks do. Everything that comes at you tells you it’s sick, wrong, perverted, demented” (Hollibaugh 111). Society dictates social perimeters by which others are critiqued and minimalized. The denial of others’ desires often deprives individuals of …show more content…
Furthermore, “erotic identities are not just behaviors or individual sexual actions; they reflect a much broader fabric that is the weave and crux of our very personhood…” (Hollibaugh 258). Erotic Identities help individuals understand ones experiences, bodies and ones desires. These desires are natural but for those who are not part of the dominant culture, it is difficult to be “perceived as sexually profitable and loving human beings” (Hollibaugh 63).
Society’s refusal to accept those considered unconventional is, in essence, a denial of one’s sexual rights and autonomy. These sexual standards fail to “realize that human beings are not all the same, variation is ok” (Hollibaugh 119). Moreover, when society does accept those outside the social norm, they are often placed in certain niches, such as the gay nuclear family, the serial monogamist (Hollibaugh 265). Therefore, it is imperative that we challenge these oppressive norms, enabling each and every individual “to be (their) own idiom and own voice” (Hollibaugh

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