Heterosexuality

Heterosexuality is a sexual orientation characterized by romantic or sexual attraction to people of a different sex or gender. Its meaning and boundaries have varied across cultures and historical periods.

Sexual orientation: A pattern of romantic, emotional, or sexual attraction to people of particular sexes or genders. Heterosexuality is one orientation within this broader concept.
History of human sexuality: The study of changing sexual practices, identities, norms, and institutions across human history. Heterosexuality's meanings have shifted alongside broader changes in sexual life.
Homosexuality: A sexual orientation characterized by attraction to people of the same sex or gender. It is commonly contrasted with heterosexuality by the gender of the people one is attracted to.
Heteronormativity: The assumption that heterosexuality is the default or preferred form of sexuality. It can make heterosexual relationships seem universal while marginalizing other orientations.
Sexual attraction: A desire for sexual contact or intimacy with another person. It is one form of attraction that can characterize heterosexuality.
Michel Foucault: A French philosopher whose histories examined how institutions and knowledge shape sexuality. His work helped frame sexual identities as historically formed categories.
Bisexuality: A sexual orientation involving attraction to more than one gender. It differs from heterosexuality's defining focus on people of a different sex or gender.
Marriage: A socially and legally recognized union whose forms and rules vary across societies. Many societies have organized heterosexual relationships through marriage, though marriage is not inherently heterosexual.
Romantic orientation: A pattern of romantic attraction that may differ from a person's sexual attraction. Romantic attraction is included in the gloss but need not match sexual attraction.
Heterosexual (term): A word for attraction between people of different sexes, coined in the late nineteenth century. The history of the label differs from the much older existence of different-sex relationships.

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