Editing Heterosexuality (section)

{{short description|Attraction between people of the opposite sex or gender}}
{{redirect|Hetero}}
{{redirect|Straight men|the comedy stock character type|straight man}}
{{about|heterosexuality in humans|heterosexuality in other animals|Animal sexual behaviour|the album by Shamir|Heterosexuality (album){{!}}''Heterosexuality'' (album)}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Sexual orientation}}
[[File:A Dagomba couple from farm 02.jpg|thumb|A straight couple]]
'''Heterosexuality''' is [[romantic attraction]], [[sexual attraction]], or [[Human sexual activity|sexual behavior]] between people of the opposite [[sex]] or [[gender]].<!-- NOTE: "Sex" and "gender" are not always the same thing; for example, "sex" may refer to "biological sex" (being male or female), while "gender" may refer to a person's gender identity of being a man or a woman; therefore, like the Sexual orientation, Homosexuality and Bisexuality articles, we have included both in the lead. --> As a [[sexual orientation]], heterosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to people of the opposite sex. It "also refers to a person's sense of identity based on those attractions, related behaviors, and membership in a community of others who share those attractions."<ref name="apahelp">{{cite web|title=Sexual orientation, homosexuality and bisexuality|publisher=[[American Psychological Association]]|access-date=August 10, 2013|url=http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/sexual-orientation.aspx|archive-date=August 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130808032050/http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/sexual-orientation.aspx}}</ref><ref name="brief">{{cite web|url=http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/courts/supreme/highprofile/documents/Amer_Psychological_Assn_Amicus_Curiae_Brief.pdf |title=APA California Amicus Brief |publisher=Courtinfo.ca.gov |access-date=2013-10-11}}</ref> Someone who is heterosexual is commonly referred to as ''straight.''

Along with [[bisexuality]] and [[homosexuality]], heterosexuality is one of the three main categories of sexual orientation within the [[heterosexual–homosexual continuum]].<ref name="apahelp"/> Across cultures, most people are heterosexual, and heterosexual activity is by far the most common type of sexual activity.<ref name=Bailey16/><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/human-sexual-activity|title=Human sexual activity – Sociosexual activity|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=2019-12-21}}</ref> Heterosexuality has mostly been viewed as the [[Social norm|normative]] and most socially dominant form of sexual orientation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-03-16 |title=The invention of 'heterosexuality' |url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170315-the-invention-of-heterosexuality |access-date=2025-02-12 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fischer |first=Nancy L. |date=2013 |title=SEEING "STRAIGHT," Contemporary Critical Heterosexuality Studies and Sociology: An Introduction |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24581871 |journal=The Sociological Quarterly |volume=54 |issue=4 |pages=501–510 |doi=10.1111/tsq.12040 |jstor=24581871 |issn=0038-0253|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Scientists do not know the exact cause of sexual orientation, but they theorize that it is caused by a complex interplay of [[Genetics|genetic]], [[hormonal]], and [[Environment and sexual orientation|environmental influences]],<ref name="pediatrics2004"/><ref name="Lamanna">{{cite book|first1=Mary Ann |last1=Lamanna |first2=Agnes |last2=Riedmann |first3=Susan D |last3=Stewart|title=Marriages, Families, and Relationships: Making Choices in a Diverse Society|publisher=[[Cengage Learning]]|isbn=978-1-305-17689-8|year=2014|page=82|access-date=February 11, 2016|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fofaAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA82|quote=The reason some individuals develop a gay sexual identity has not been definitively established &nbsp;– nor do we yet understand the development of heterosexuality. The American Psychological Association (APA) takes the position that a variety of factors impact a person's sexuality. The most recent literature from the APA says that sexual orientation is not a choice that can be changed at will, and that sexual orientation is most likely the result of a complex interaction of environmental, cognitive and biological factors...is shaped at an early age...[and evidence suggests] biological, including genetic or inborn hormonal factors, play a significant role in a person's sexuality (American Psychological Association 2010).}}</ref><ref name="Stuart">{{cite book|author=Gail Wiscarz Stuart|title=Principles and Practice of Psychiatric Nursing|publisher=[[Elsevier Health Sciences]]|isbn=978-0-323-29412-6|year=2014|page=502|access-date=February 11, 2016|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ivALBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA502|quote=No conclusive evidence supports any one specific cause of homosexuality; however, most researchers agree that biological and social factors influence the development of sexual orientation.}}</ref> and do not view it as a choice.<ref name="pediatrics2004"/><ref name="Lamanna"/><ref name="Kersey-Matusiak">{{cite book|author=Gloria Kersey-Matusiak|title=Delivering Culturally Competent Nursing Care|publisher=[[Springer Publishing Company]]|isbn=978-0-8261-9381-0|year=2012|page=169|access-date=February 10, 2016|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X8O_wGedAYoC&pg=PA169|quote=Most health and mental health organizations do not view sexual orientation as a 'choice.'}}</ref> Although no single theory on the cause of sexual orientation has yet gained widespread support, scientists favor [[Biology and sexual orientation|biologically based theories]].<ref name="pediatrics2004">{{cite journal |doi=10.1542/peds.113.6.1827 |author=Frankowski BL|author2=American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Adolescence|title=Sexual orientation and adolescents |journal=[[Pediatrics (journal)|Pediatrics]]|volume=113 |issue=6 |pages=1827–32 |date=June 2004|pmid=15173519|doi-access=free}}</ref> There is considerably more evidence supporting nonsocial, biological causes of sexual orientation than social ones, especially for males.<ref name=Bailey16>{{cite journal|last1=Bailey|first1=J. Michael|last2=Vasey|first2=Paul|last3=Diamond|first3=Lisa|author4-link=Marc Breedlove|last4=Breedlove|first4=S. Marc|last5=Vilain|first5=Eric|last6=Epprecht|first6=Marc|title=Sexual Orientation, Controversy, and Science|journal=Psychological Science in the Public Interest|date=2016|volume=17|issue=2|pages=45–101|doi=10.1177/1529100616637616|pmid=27113562|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301639075|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=LeVay>{{cite book |last=LeVay |first=Simon |date=2017 |title=Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why: The Science of Sexual Orientation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HmQFFfa03nkC |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199752966 }}</ref><ref name=Balthazart>{{cite book |last=Balthazart |first=Jacques |date=2012 |title=The Biology of Homosexuality |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3fjGjlcVINkC |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199838820 }}</ref>

The term ''heterosexual'' or ''heterosexuality'' is usually applied to [[human]]s, but heterosexual behavior is observed in all other [[mammal]]s and in other animals, as it is necessary for [[sexual reproduction]].