Heteronormativity

Heteronormativity is the cultural assumption that heterosexuality is the normal or natural expression of sexuality and that everyone is straight unless shown otherwise. It usually goes hand in hand with the belief that gender is strictly binary and that relationships between men and women are the standard. Heteronormativity operates quietly through institutions, laws, media, language, and everyday customs, which is what makes heterosexuality feel automatic and privileged. Its effect is to treat LGBTQ+ people's lives as exceptions or afterthoughts. A simple example is a workplace event that assumes every employee has an opposite-sex spouse. The related term cisnormativity describes the same kind of default assumption applied to being cisgender.