SEXUALITY — AQA A-Level Sociology: Culture & Identity
🔹 What is Sexuality?
• Refers to a person’s sexual orientation, identity, and experiences (e.g. heterosexual,
homosexual, bisexual, asexual, pansexual).
• In sociology, sexuality is NOT natural or fixed — it’s socially constructed and shaped by
🔹
culture, norms, and power.
Sexuality as Socially Constructed
🔸 Weeks (1991)
Not everyone who has same-sex experiences defines themselves as gay.
Identity is more than just behaviour — it’s a social label.
• Heterosexuality is treated as the norm (heteronormativity), and anything outside of that gets
🔸 Foucault (1976) – The History of Sexuality
labelled, judged, or policed.
Sexuality is not just biological — it’s controlled through discourse, institutions, and power.
• The state, religion, medicine, media all decide what is “normal” or “deviant”.
🔹 Heteronormativity & Power
• E.g. being gay was criminalised, medicalised, demonised.
• Heterosexuality = assumed default in education, media, family, law.
• Homosexuality historically criminalised (UK law pre-1967).
• Still heavily policed in religious institutions, sports, mass media, etc.
AO3: Functionalists (like Parsons) would see heterosexuality as ‘functional for reproduction’
🔹
— but this view is outdated and exclusionary.
Representation in the Media
🔸 Craig (1992)
Media representations of gay people = camp, macho, deviant, or problematic.
🔸 Plummer (1996) – Homosexual Career
• Reinforces stereotypes and doesn’t show real diversity in LGBTQ+ lives.
People become gay through labelling and negotiation of identity in certain social settings.
🔹 Social Attitudes: Progress and Backlash
• It’s not just biological — it’s social and cultural.
• Legal progress (equal marriage, adoption rights), but still:
• Homophobia in schools
• Transphobia in media
• “No homo” culture among young men
🔹 What is Sexuality?
• Refers to a person’s sexual orientation, identity, and experiences (e.g. heterosexual,
homosexual, bisexual, asexual, pansexual).
• In sociology, sexuality is NOT natural or fixed — it’s socially constructed and shaped by
🔹
culture, norms, and power.
Sexuality as Socially Constructed
🔸 Weeks (1991)
Not everyone who has same-sex experiences defines themselves as gay.
Identity is more than just behaviour — it’s a social label.
• Heterosexuality is treated as the norm (heteronormativity), and anything outside of that gets
🔸 Foucault (1976) – The History of Sexuality
labelled, judged, or policed.
Sexuality is not just biological — it’s controlled through discourse, institutions, and power.
• The state, religion, medicine, media all decide what is “normal” or “deviant”.
🔹 Heteronormativity & Power
• E.g. being gay was criminalised, medicalised, demonised.
• Heterosexuality = assumed default in education, media, family, law.
• Homosexuality historically criminalised (UK law pre-1967).
• Still heavily policed in religious institutions, sports, mass media, etc.
AO3: Functionalists (like Parsons) would see heterosexuality as ‘functional for reproduction’
🔹
— but this view is outdated and exclusionary.
Representation in the Media
🔸 Craig (1992)
Media representations of gay people = camp, macho, deviant, or problematic.
🔸 Plummer (1996) – Homosexual Career
• Reinforces stereotypes and doesn’t show real diversity in LGBTQ+ lives.
People become gay through labelling and negotiation of identity in certain social settings.
🔹 Social Attitudes: Progress and Backlash
• It’s not just biological — it’s social and cultural.
• Legal progress (equal marriage, adoption rights), but still:
• Homophobia in schools
• Transphobia in media
• “No homo” culture among young men
