ABSTRACT
All aspects of our social world – natural or otherwise – are given meaning. Culture installs
meaning in our lives from the very first moment we enter the social world. Our sexual
orientation or sexual identity – or even the notion that there is such a thing – is defined by
the symbolic order of that world through the use of verbal as well as non-verbal language
and images. Heterosexuality as a social category is much more than the fact of one’s sexual or
affectional attractions. What we think of when we talk about heterosexuality or refer to
ourselves as heterosexual is a product of a society’s meaning-making processes. In reality,
heterosexuality operates as a highly organized social institution that varies across nations,
social groups, culture, history, region, religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, lifespan, social
class, and ability. In America and elsewhere, the wedding ritual represents a major site for the
installation and maintenance of the institution of heterosexuality.
