Race, gender, and sexuality

With regard to physical characteristics, race has been discussed largely in terms of skin color, hair, and facial features, and gender and sexuality in terms of female and male sexual features and relations. Historically, then, peoples of color, women, and LGBTs have been construed as “other” and relegated to the “margins.” That is, unlike White, heterosexual men – who, traditionally, have represented the “norm,” been at the “center” and held positions of power – these groups have not been in positions of power. Despite these developments, even today, one common consideration across the dimensions of race, gender, and sexuality is the ongoing work of dismantling essentialized identities and stereotypes. For instance, such notions as “all women are nurturing and all men are tough” or “all Asians are good at mathematics and science” serve to box people from those groups into specific, limited characterizations in a monolithic manner that allows for no deviation from a mythic norm.