User:Moonmocha/J’s Heteronormativity, Cisheteronormativity, and Transgender Communication Studies

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Topic 1: Heteronormativity and cisheteronormativity

Heteronormativity or cisheteronormativity is the belief that the most normal and morally accepted identity in society is to be a cisgender straight person and to be anything else is deviant and unacceptable.

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Heteronormativity describes the belief that heterosexual experiences is the normal human experiences and the most morally acceptable and deems all other types of identities as deviant or invisible. Cisheteronormativity expands on this term and includes the belief that being cisgender, rather than having a fluid gender identity, is also the most morally acceptable identity.

Cisheteronormativity has four different types of harmful impacts on LGBTQ+ people: external, internal, discursive, and institutional. Externalized violence takes form in physical assault most frequently, while internalized violence takes form in self-hatred and self-destructive thoughts resulting in the feeling of not being normal in a heteronormative society. Additionally, discursive violence takes form in microaggressions or words, gestures, or tones used to degrade a person and institutional violence takes form in the deeply ingrained heteronormative in social institutions.

Heteronormativity is also perpetuated through different types of media, including films and TV shows. For example, studies have shown that even as far as media portraying zombie apocalypse narratives have echoed familiar themes of heteronormativity, such as strong female characters being portrayed as overly feminine despite embodying physical strength in attacks and the prevalence of nuclear family households. Heteronormativity is upheld by these portrayals in media and further perpetuated in society and cultural beliefs as this media is consumed.

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Topic 1: Heteronormativity and cisheteronormativity

Heteronormativity describes the belief that heterosexual experiences is the normal human experiences, deeming all other types of identities as deviant or invisible. Cisheteronormativity expands on this term and includes the belief that being cisgender, rather than having a fluid gender identity, should be treated as the norm.

Cisheteronormativity has four different types of harmful impacts on LGBTQ+ people: external, internal, discursive, and institutional. Externalized violence takes form in physical assault most frequently, while internalized violence takes form in self-hatred and self-destructive thoughts resulting in the feeling of not being normal in a heteronormative society. Additionally, discursive violence can include the use of words, gestures, tones, and images to treat and degrade other people's experiences. In correlation with cisheteronormativity, this takes form in microaggressions, reaffirming that LGBTQ+ people are of a lower status in social and sexual hierarchies compared to those who are cisgender and heterosexual. Additionally, another harmful impact of cisheteronormativity is institutional violence, which takes form in the deeply ingrained heteronormative mindsets in social institutions.

Heteronormativity is often perpetuated through different types of media, including films and TV shows. For example, studies have shown that even as far as media portraying zombie apocalypse narratives have echoed familiar themes of heteronormativity, such as strong female characters being portrayed as overly feminine despite embodying physical strength in attacks and the prevalence of nuclear family households. Heteronormativity is upheld by these portrayals in media and further perpetuated in society and cultural beliefs as this media is consumed.

Topic 2: Trans COMM

The word transgender is used as an umbrella term for any expression of gender, identity, or presentation that varies from the norm or cisgender. A few examples of concepts that would fall under this umbrella term includes cross-dressing, transsexuality, trans, genderqueer, and more. Communication Studies and journals tends to not give trans communication a lot of awareness and if they do, most of the time if transgender people are mentioned in articles, they are rarely the focus. Despite this the advocacy for trans people have grown over the years, both in academia and online socially.

Though social media, and more specifically YouTube, has given youth the courage to come out as trans and challenge gender norms, this advocacy has also had downfalls since it tends to focus on successful bodily transitions, rather than daily life issues. However, a few social media stars have taken on challenge terms like "passing." Passing means a trans person is 'gender read by their ideal gender. "Passing" can also imply that trans people are forced to confirm to either two genders - female or male, ignoring the existence of those who do not fit either and prefer non-binary terms.

Another barrier that transgender people face frequently is the ability to obtain competent healthcare and treatment. Transgender people have a hard time finding health are providers who want to provide services or do not degrade the person while providing services, resulting in negative impacts, such as higher rates of depression, suicide, and substance abuse. A study found that one in five transgender and gender non-conforming participants have been denied medical care and roughly half have had to participate in teaching the health care provider about transgender care.