ABSTRACT
Introduction In arguing for the centrality of reproductivity to citizenship in contemporary western societies, Turner (2001, p. 197) proposes that ‘the state’s interest in sexuality and sexual identity is secondary and subordinate to its demographic objective of securing and sustaining the connection between reproduction and citizenship’. This connection between reproduction and citizenship is vital, Turner argues, given the fact that ‘western societies in demographic terms enjoy only modest rates of successful reproduction, [and thus] the state promotes the desirability of fertility and reproductivity as a foundation of social participation’ (p. 196). Yet, despite sharing this view that contemporary citizenship in western societies is shaped by a drive towards reproduction as a mode of social participation, our concern in this article lies in what counts as ‘successful reproduction’. Whilst Turner suggests that sexual identity is a secondary concern to the state, and whilst, as he notes, ‘successful reproduction’ only produces modest outcomes, we would nonetheless argue that reproduction via heterosex remains the most valued form of reproduction.
