Homophobia and Sexism as Popular Values

Abstract

The patriarchal family is cell out of which larger body of patriarchal dominance arises. Sexual dominance underlies class and race dominance. (209) It is true that a direct, topical inspection of characteristic forms of social domination might urge belief that men and women share in them equally, especially insofar as both sexes use similar language to express ideological superiority. For racism we hear, people should stay with their own kind; for classism, the poor need to be responsible for themselves; and for homophobia, seeing two men/ women kissing makes me want to vomit. Even nonfeminist women who accept traditional arrangements in sex/gender system often justify them by saying that motherhood is most important relationship. However, this similar language indicates not free cooperation of men and women, but, in Lerner 's terms, unconsciously coerced collaboration of women, first in underlying sexist social arrangements, and consequently, their cooperation with other forms of domination. In other words, because sexism is oldest, most established, and least questioned form of social domination, it permits men to gain help of women to perpetuate masculine, economic, racial, and heterosexual domination. There is no human

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