Heterosexuality isn't what you think it is. In this episode, historian Hanne Blank Boyd flips the script on how we view sexual orientation, showing how the concept of "heterosexuality" has only existed for around 150 years. Hanne traces how modern capitalism led "heterosexual" to emerge as a term for normal, moral sexuality, allowing the middle class to prove their respectability. Even now, assuming heterosexuality as the default norm skews scientific research on sexuality. Being straight isn't as simple as being attracted to the opposite sex — it's all encompassing and ever changing. Tune in to find out why.

Pick up Hanne's book "Straight: The Surprisingly Short History of Heterosexuality" here: https://amzn.to/3PUKciB

See citations and a transcript here: https://www.tabooscience.show/s3e7-heterosexuality/

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