Sexual Racism and Discrimination

Sexual Racism/Discrimination

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Sexual Racism/Discrimination

Today’s society is the epitome of cultural pluralism in which minority groups continue to enjoy their freedoms within the dominant society fully participating and maintaining their cultural identities. The global community is rapidly advancing to a situation in which people of all races, ethnicities, sexual orientations and preferences exist in harmony. Perhaps one of the most prevalent forms of discriminations within the modern society is sexual racism. This refers to a form of sexual discrimination, which is based on an individual’s sexual preferences as perceived by the rest of society. With the advent of the Internet and social media sites, sexual racism has taken a technological form as people exemplify their sexual racism through personal ads in the Internet or via social media sites where people assert their sexual preferences (Plummer, 2007). The term race in this context is not limited to an ethnic or cultural community but also focuses on the entire human race. This paper will examine the available literature on sexual racism, discussing the contents of books, and other secondary resources with regard to the issue of sexual racism. While, in the last few years, the contemporary working force and family life appears to accept changes in sexuality, sexual racism still remains a contentious issue in certain quarters.    

The effects of sexual racism cannot be understated as they not only impact people on a personal level by the entire society, as well. Clearly, as with any form of discrimination, there are no positive effects of racial racism. Some of the most notable effects of sexual racism include a reduction in people’s self worth, acceptance and self efficacy and a distinctive reduction in sexual networks, as well as sexual options. In addition, sexual racism results in increased suicide rates and substance abuse, as well as other risky behaviors, which serve as self attribution mechanisms. Moreover, sexual racism is known to result in enhanced intra-ethnic aversion, as well as increased isolation between different ethnicities as people with different sexual preferences regard each other as adversaries instead of friends. Sexual racism also enhances distress with regard to people coming out in terms of their sexual orientations thereby creating identity conflicts (Stember, 1978). People who suffer the adverse effects of sexual racism institute various coping strategies such as avoiding social places they perceive as hostile. Victims of sexual racism also appear to always partner with individuals from their cultural background and enhance their association with their co-ethnics for support.

Although racism may sound like a relatively harsh term and a tough concept to deal with, it is a viable description of people who are not free of prejudice, particularly with regard to sexual preferences. People constantly make judgments although most often such judgment happens before they meet other individuals (Hernton, 2002). While the process of critical thinking and choice making is normal and relatively good, it can be adverse if a person’s preconceptions prevent him or her from taking part in the world fully, or if the misconceptions hurt other people (as with the case in sexual racism). Most people consider racism only in the context of the Ku Klux Klan or white supremacist groups. They consider racism as hatred towards other races or perceiving their race as superior. However, racism encompasses all aspects on discrimination on the basis of a person’s preferences and choices. This also encompasses discriminating against persons sexually because of their race or racial preferences such as homosexuality.

Notably, racism typifies all forms of discrimination against what the society perceives as against the norm. Therefore, regardless of the form it takes, all forms of discrimination is indeed racist. The victim does not necessarily have to be from an ethnically marginalized group because all forms of discrimination aim at the protection or purification of the human race. Therefore, since the society has long considered heterosexuality as the norm, people have come to consider other forms of sexual orientations and preferences as against the norm thereby exemplifying sexual racism. Essentially, sexual racism thrives on the society’s overkill of the norm with regard to sexual preferences and orientations. In the past, people were killed because their sexuality, for instance, homosexuality was deemed a risk to the decency of the future of the human race. Sexual racism is justified on the pretext of upholding family and societal values. Sexual oppression and sexual racism are analogous terms as they typify discrimination on sexuality. The society acknowledges that it is time to start thinking about sexuality. Previously, people considered sexuality as an unimportant issue and a frivolous diversion from other critical problems such as war, disease and poverty. Contemporary conflicts over sexual norms and ideals have a great deal in common with other disputes of former centuries making sexual racism a vehicle for discharging social anxieties. As with other elements of human behavior, the realm of sexual preferences and orientation has always been subject to its own internal inequalities, forms of oppression and innate politics.