Is history itself heteronormative in the way it records and transmits human experience?
Historians have always had to face this question when writing about their subject matter, since time immemorial. History has been primarily written from a male perspective and focused on power dynamics between men rather than on women's lives.
Today there are many examples of women historians who challenge this dominant viewpoint by analyzing gender relations from multiple angles instead of solely focusing on patriarchal structures. In fact, some scholars argue that heterosexual monogamy was never the norm before modern times; instead, polyamory was common among both genders.
The most famous example is Homoerotica Antiqua - Ancient Greek artwork featuring scenes depicting same-sex love between males. These images were popular among upper classes during Roman Empire rule but were later censored due to religious reasons after Christianity gained prominence in Europe. Many other cultures throughout human history have also practiced forms of queerness without repression or stigmatization.
Native Americans in North America believed that all people were born male until they transitioned into female during puberty through rituals called "Two Spirits." In addition, there are numerous reports documenting homosexuality within medieval Muslim societies as well as pre-colonial Africa.
Despite these historical evidences, the majority of mainstream historiography still favors hetero-normativity because traditional Western society views sex outside marriage as deviant behavior deserving social ostracism or even punishment. This attitude prevails not only among scholars but also within public discourse: books published about LGBTQ+ experiences often fail to make it onto best-seller lists while popular movies portray same-sex couples negatively if at all. Even though queer theories challenge traditional gender roles and sexual identities, they remain marginalized by academia due to their radical nature compared with more conservative viewpoints like Marxist theory. Therefore, we must ask ourselves how much has really changed since ancient Greece?
Is history itself heteronormative in the way it records and transmits human experience?
While many scholars argue that history is inherently biased towards heterosexuality due to its focus on traditional gender roles and family structures, others contend that modern historiography has challenged these assumptions by including diverse perspectives and marginalized voices. Historians also recognize that sexual orientation was not always conceptualized as we understand it today, and historical sources reflect the cultural context of their creation rather than universal truths about identity.