Heterosexism- institutionalized homophobia, the assumption that being heterosexual is inherently better or more moral than being lesbian, gay or bisexual. Like racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression, heterosexism awards power to members of the dominant group (heterosexuals) and denies privilege to members of the subordinate group (lesbians, gay men, and bisexual women and men.)
Homophobia and heterosexism clearly oppress lesbians, gay men, and bisexual women and men through individual acts of verbal and physical harassment and collective actions which result in invisibility, invalidation and discrimination. But homophobia and heterosexism also hurt heterosexuals by maintaining rigid definitions of "approporate" sex-role behavior and sexual relationships.
In the same way that racism is a white person's problem and sexism is a man's problem, homophobia and heterosexism are a heterosexual's problem.
Some of this info was taken from the Campaign to end Homophobia
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