Heterosexual Privilege Checklist

"30+ Examples of Heterosexual Privilege" is one of Sam Killerman's privilege lists that he created for people of privilege to empathize with other, non-privileged individuals. Social justice advocate, Killermann writes:

  1. Immediate access to your loved one in case of accident or emergency.
  2. Public recognition and support for an intimate relationship (e.g., congratulations for an engagement).
  3. Expressing affection in most social situations and not expecting hostile or violent reactions from others.
  4. Living with your partner and doing so openly.
  5. Expressing pain when a relationship ends from death or separation and receiving support from others.
  6. Receiving social acceptance by neighbors, colleagues, and good friends.
  7. Learning about romance and relationships from fiction movies and television.
  8. Having role models of your gender and sexual orientation.
  9. Having positive and accurate media images of people with whom you can identify.
  10. Expecting to be around others of your sexuality most of the time. Not worrying about being the only one of your sexuality in a class, on a job, or in a social situation.
  11. Talking openly about your relationship, vacations, and family planning you and your lover/partner are doing.
  12. Easily finding a neighborhood in which residents will accept how you have constituted your household.
  13. Raise, adopt, and teach children without people believing that you will molest them or force them into your sexuality.
  14. Working in traditionally male or female dominated job and not feeling as though you are a representative of your sexuality.
  15. Paid leave from employment when grieving the death of your spouse.
  16. Not being asked “how does sex work for you?” or other too-personal questions by strangers.
  17. Sharing health, auto and homeowners’ insurance policies at reduced rates.
  18. Not having to hide or lie about women/men-only social activities.
  19. Acting, dressing, or talking as you choose without it being a reflection on people of your sexuality.
  20. The ability to teach about lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals without being seen as having a bias because of your sexuality or forcing a “homosexual agenda” on students.
  21. Property laws, filing joint tax returns, inheriting from your spouse automatically under probate laws.
  22. Joint child custody.
  23. Going wherever you wish and know that you will not be harassed, beaten, or killed because of your sexuality.
  24. Not worrying about being mistreated by the police or victimized by the criminal justice system because of your sexuality.
  25. Legal marriage to the person you love.
  26. Knowing that your basic civil rights will not be denied or outlawed because some people disapprove of your sexuality.
  27. Expect that your children will be given texts in school that support your kind of family unit and they will not be taught that your sexuality is a “perversion.”
  28. Freedom of sexual expression without fear of being prosecuted for breaking the law.
  29. Belonging to the religious denomination of your choice and know that your sexuality will not be denounced by its religious leaders.
  30. Knowing that you will not be fired from a job or denied a promotion based on your sexuality.
  31. Not being asked by your child’s school to only send one parent to “back to school” night as to not upset the other parents by having two same-sex partners in the class together.
  32. The ability to play a professional sport and not worry that your athletic ability will be overshadowed by your sexuality and the fact that you share a locker room with the same gender.
  33. Not having to worry about being evicted if your landlord finds out about your sexuality.
  34. Not having to “come out” (explain to people that you’re straight, as you can just assume they will assume it)
  35. Knowing that people aren’t going to mutter about your sexuality if you come out to them.
  36. Knowing that being open with your sexuality isn’t going to change how people view you.
  37. Being able to have your partner from a different country be able to obtain citizenship in your country through marriage.
  38. Not having people think your sexuality is a mental health issue
  39. Not having to worry that people won’t let their children play with your children because of your sexuality.
  40. Not having to worry where you can move alone or with your spouse and have equal job opportunities abroad.

(Killerman).

Source: http://itspronouncedmetrosexual.com/2012/01/29-examples-of-heterosexual-privilege/