Have you ever wanted a historically-based refutation to the statement "heterosexuality is completely natural and has been around since the dawn of time"? While Katz' book may not provide spell-bounding excitement which urges you to plunge into the next chapter, it does offer a solid argument, showing that "heterosexuality" has not been validated by centuries of public acceptance.
Recounting his initial difficulty in labeling himself as a "homosexual," Katz puzzles over society's assumption that heterosexuality is the norm. Himself the author of Gay American History: Lesbians and Gay Men in the USA, he further questions common depictions of history by exploring the origin of "heterosexuality" itself and its application then and now. The terms "heterosexual" and "homosexual" did not exist in the infamous ancient Greek societal structure and indeed did not arise until late in the 19th century. Prior to the 20th century, emphasis was placed upon acts resulting in reproduction, seen as beneficial at a practical level, rather than condemning lust for either sex as "sinful" because of the emotional yearning for another person. If one argues that one should follow the societal norms accepted over the evolution of "civilization," this implies that those stressing the "rightness" of different-sex physical involvement should abhor sexual acts that do not result in actual intercourse and adamantly oppose the use of birth control.
A potentially amusing fact discussed at length is that prior to the 1920's and '30's, "heterosexuality" was a term used solely by psychologists, such as Krafft-Ebing and Freud, to describe conditions of sexual perversion, linked at first to nonprocreative sexual acts between those of the opposite sex and then to preoccupation with different-sex eroticism. Only with time and further discourse on the issue by Freud did nonprocreative different-sex desire become accepted as "natural," "healthy," and "good."
After analyzing this discovery of ther terms' origins, Katz then tells of the application of the heterosexual/homosexual polarity in Kinsey's studies, use of these terms in America's equality movements, and the combined efforts of liberal and radical feminists in questioning male supremacy, subsequently challenging the social arrangement of heterosexuality. The book cites many contemporary writers, including Betty Friedan, Kate Millett, James Baldwin, and Michel Foucalt, giving this book on "history" a very modern feel. While not explaining every question about the heterosexual/homosexual distinction, The Invention of Heterosexuality wonderfully illustrates that while individuals do have a say in their sexual choices, others' judgements upon those choices are based upon the myths and sayings of respected persons of the time. Since the belief that all sexual acts other than those resulting in reproduction are intrinsically contrary to nature has been cast aside by most of American socity, there is little reason to believe that the current notions of what is "right" and "good" (e.g. heterosexuality) will not also change with additional societal freedom.
Reviewed 22 June 1998 by Jenn Meece.