Naturalized Heterosexuality in “Brokeback Mountain” Anonymous College

The intertwined relationship between sex, gender, and sexuality has existed for centuries. While these labels have the benefit of allowing those with similar identities to find each other and establish communities, there are also serious dangers to these clear distinctions. From the separation of “homosexuality” from “heterosexuality” arises the naturalization of heterosexuality, which presupposes heterosexuality unless one clearly defines themself otherwise. Society then develops this sentiment further, resulting in the concept of compulsory heterosexuality. Compulsory heterosexuality goes as far to assert that to be anything other than heterosexual is unnatural. Such beliefs may seem like harmless ideals, but they have real consequences in the world. Due to compulsory heterosexuality, the life of a queer person is mired in secrecy and repression for fear of social alienation and, in some cases, physical harm. There is no greater evidence of this than in “Brokeback Mountain,” which takes place in the 1960s. The challenges Jack and Ennis face in the story are the direct result of the pressures from society to be heterosexual. Annie Proulx’s “Brokeback Mountain” depicts the mental and physical tolls of being queer in current...