Assignment 5
At the initiation of the essay “Are Woman human? It’s not an academic question”, V. Spike Peterson and Laura Parisi, commence by briefing us of how the idea of “human” does not fulfill in itself to cover both men and women, but that its focal point has always been for the benefit of men. As supposed to viewing women as part of a “humans”, they are placed as second class citizens. Needless to say, they investigate of how “human” (gender binary) rights behaves when in regards of the concept of heterosexism(6).
The true nature of heterosexism as mentioned by the writer, is to set a sexual identity that is established by men to be attracted by opposite biological physical appearances. Not only is it a physical difference but that as such, their mutual different features attract each other to sexually lead the way of reproducing and socially forming a family. That there is no other way of which generations will be forming if such opposites do not attract, a norm of tradition set in the past to be continuously practiced. When one of the identified genders, women, are set to follow through heterosexism, under the patriarchal state, they are forced to not find alternatives of forming a social reproduction. Then, when that principle of behavior, placed under a patriarchal structure, starts becoming a disturbance among the traditional norms, we begin to detect a contractual interdependence of gender identity, social relations.
What begins to change in the identification of gender and of reproduction, also develops a division from within women and men identities. The formation of women then oppresses their other gender identity group under the notion of heterosexism. Yet when such heterosexist feminists are opposed to the notion, just as men are, laws begin to limit the behavior of women sexually, reproductively, socially and financially. Limiting also the extension of family formations. Also to the degree that because of such changes that are not in conformity with the normalization of gender identity, it leaves such group of women to not be protected under “human rights”. Leading to a risk of receiving derogatory actions and by not being protected by the law. Women of such, still under the private sphere become to enter the public sphere whether by choice or not, and suffer the threat of being marginalized financially and socially. The process of a new gender identity clearly raises a new approach of theoretical framing, of which then human rights should become more relevant to all and not just the privileged.
