homonormativity means the assumption that sexual and romantic attraction and activity between people of the same sex is normal, either as the only normal, or in a culture which also treats opposite-sex activity as normal (and typically assumes all people are either male or female). Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 77 out of 100.
Why this word is great
HOMONORMATIVITY — [Noun] The assimilationist adoption of heteronormative institutions and values—marriage, monogamy, consumer capitalism—by certain gay and queer individuals and movements, thereby prioritizing acceptance within dominant structures over their radical transformation. From homo- (short for homosexual) + normativity (the condition of being normative), or a direct derivation from homonormative + -ity (state or condition). Unlike heteronormativity, which enforces a compulsory standard from the outside, or queer radicalism, which seeks to dismantle the architecture of the standard itself, homonormativity is a strategic domestication. It is the rainbow flag flying over a suburban picket fence, the political platform that replaces liberation with corporate-sponsored pride, and the quiet preference for a mortgage statement over a revolutionary banner—a costly peace proving that acceptance often comes at the price of imagination.
noun
- The assumption that sexual and romantic attraction and activity between people of the same sex is normal, either as the only normal, or in a culture which also treats opposite-sex activity as normal (and typically assumes all people are either male or female).“Homonormativity is largely a product of tolerance and, as Brown tells us, tolerance, among other things, exists in the social realm to cover over inequitable particularities in the legal sphere.”
- The adoption of heterosexist values, beliefs and norms into the gay or queer community.“I'm an activist, but in Kelowna I felt like my safety is predicated on silence and white middle-class homonormativity.”