Hetero (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what the word hetero means and in which words it is used as a prefix. Also, what is heterosexual and heteronormativity.

What does “hetero” mean?

with the word hetero (sometimes written hetero) is referred to in very different contexts everything related to the different, the other, the unequal or the differentiable. It is an inheritance from ancient Greek ἑτερο- (“other” or “different”) and acts in Spanish as a prefix, that is, a lexical component that precedes a word and adds a specific meaning to it.

In this way, when we use the word heterogeneous (composed of hetero“other”, and genos“lineage” or “race”) we refer to something that is composed of elements of different types, that is, something whose nature is not pure, but mixed, diverse, mixed. For example, in chemistry a heterogeneous mixture is one in which we can distinguish its compositional elements, the opposite of a homogeneous mixture.

Another example is the word heterodox (composed of hetero“other”, and doxa“opinion”), which is used to refer to someone or something that is not governed by conventional rules, that does not follow tradition, but invents its own path or that interprets the rules in a creative, free way. It is the opposite of orthodox.

However, is probably the most common and popular use of the prefix hetero- be the one with the word heterosexualwhose meaning is “attracted to the other sex”, that is, a person who feels sexually, erotically or romantically attracted to the opposite sex, quite the opposite of a homosexual person. This use of the prefix hetero– is so common that the prefix is often used only to refer to the complete term. Thus, “straight” or “straight” people are heterosexual people.

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Origin of the term “heterosexual”

Heterosexuality and homosexuality have existed since the dawn of humanity, but they have not always been known by those names. The first time the term “heterosexual” was used was in 1892.in an article by American doctor James G. Kiernan in the magazine Chicago Medical Recorder.

At that time it was not used in the same sense as today, but rather it was a synonym for “sexual perversion”, that is, it was considered an abnormal sexual appetite towards people of the opposite sex (just as homosexuality was an “abnormal sexual appetite”. ” towards people of the same sex). Doctors and psychiatrists of the time thought that heterosexual people and homosexual people could be “cured” to manifest “normal” sexuality.

Later, mental scholars and psychoanalysts such as Sigmund Freud and André Gide questioned this terminology and defended the idea that sexual orientation is more determined by social and cultural aspects than by natural and biological mandates.

From there arose the idea of “heterosexism”: the imposition of attraction to the opposite sex as a norm in society. These ideas were not very successful at the time, but they served to rethink the issue and thus the term “heterosexual” came to be used as a synonym for attraction to the opposite sex.

Heteronormativity

Heteronormativity is the idea that heterosexuality is the only possible sexuality and that anything that deviates from that standard is therefore an aberration or deviation. Heteronormativity is the rule in several cultures, whether it expresses an open repudiation of other forms of sexuality (as in some fundamentalist nations where homosexuality is directly prohibited), or simply expresses a silent preference.

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That is why numerous LGBT+ groups and activists dedicate their greatest efforts to the fight against heteronormativitythat is, to make visible and normalize homosexuality and other forms of sexuality not considered conventional, in order to achieve a more equitable society, in which discrimination based on sexual orientation does not exist.

Their efforts have been rewarded in many countries with more equitable legislation that, for example, legally recognizes homosexual union with the same rights and duties traditionally assigned to heterosexual marriage.

Symbols of heterosexuality

Although heterosexuality has been considered “normal” sexuality for centuries, there is currently a tendency to consider it as one more within a wide spectrum of sexual orientations. In that sense, many heterosexual people and groups have felt the need to build symbols that allow them to identify. Thus, from the union of the traditional symbols of masculine (♂) and feminine (♀), the symbol ⚤ is used to express interest in the opposite sex.

There are also proposals for heterosexual flags, in which two colors or two tones are combined in a markedly binary way, often using blue as a “masculine” color and pink as a “feminine” color (an idea born in the 20th century). . However, none of these flags or colorations are considered “official”, since there is no group that represents all heterosexuals in a country or the world.

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