Heteroprivilegism:Three layers ofDiscriminatoryPractices thatTargetNon-HeterosexualSubjects

This article outlines a model for unpacking some of the layers that comprise discrimination on the basis of sexual preference. Drawing on the work of Elizabeth Grosz, I suggest that there are various layers that constitute 'heteroprivilegist' contexts. There is nothing particularly new in the naming of these layers. The layers that I use here, the homophobic, the heterosexist and the heterocentric are used widely across the literature. I have noticed a tendency on occasion however for writers to situate their work in only one of these layers. I felt that there was a need for a generic term that could be used to convey this sense of layering.