Hyper-Heterosexuality and Transcendence
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For most humans, whatever sex they are born with, approximately half the population is born with a different sex. Many of us may resists empathizing with members of the opposite sex out of fear of being labeled “homosexual”, attacked, or denied consensual opposite sex partners. If this fear is the primary obstacle to empathy, then practices that address the sex act directly may be powerful techniques for encouraging it. By granting heterosexuals permission to imagine sexual experiences from either male or female perspectives we may increase the ability and willingness of many members of our society to empathize with all of the members of our society. Those who are able to have positive sexual experiences while imagining the perspective of another sex may feel more comfortable with considering how members of the opposite sex tend to experience life in general. Perhaps in some cases societies that allow this behavior may be more capable of creating solutions to the problems societies tend to face.
The prefix “hyper” can mean something similar to “meta” or “above”. In science fiction the term “hyper” might often be associated with “hyperspace”. By moving through a dimension that is not normally perceived as part of everyday reality, characters in science fiction are able to move between any two points in typical 3D space instantaneously and at will.
This term might be applied to any system where there are a collection of modes or options that an individual can voluntarily switch between at will. This can include voluntary, temporary changes to how one experiences and expresses gender. As our virtual forms become more advanced, and even our physical forms become more flexible, heterosexual expressions that don’t fit typical notions of heterosexuality may become more common.
My private sexual fantasies tend to be “hyper-heterosexual” in the sense that I imagine being with a consensual female partner where either of us may experience sensations associated with either sex. Homosexuality and bisexuality don’t appeal to me although I feel that they must be tolerated in a free society. I suspect that many others have similar preferences to my own and I advocate for equality before the law whatever one’s gender or sexual orientation.
Although clothing, physical prosthetics, and other role playing techniques may be part of how some express hyper-heterosexuality, I prefer to simply allow myself to take into consideration how an opposite sex partner might experience sex without overtly playing an opposite sex role. Perhaps someday virtual reality technologies may enable voluntary, discrete, and more complete ways to experience sex from a male or female perspective.
“Hyper” Is A Gender Label
”Hyper” is a label that should be applied to gender. It refers to gender expressions that are:
- Voluntary
- Temporary
- Transgender
Gender expression includes the attitudes and behaviors one exhibits with reference to the male/female binary. The label “hyper” does not determine one’s sexual orientation. One statement that may help to define many hyper-heterosexuals attitude towards sexual orientation and gender is:
“Only chooses to be with romantic partners who are opposite sex, where empathizing with members of the opposite sex is allowed and encouraged”.
Hyper versions of other sexual orientation may also occur where gender expression is modified in voluntary, temporary, transgendered ways.
Hyper-heterosexuality does not imply androgyny. Hyper-heterosexuals may express their gender in ways that unambiguously indicate their biological sex. I prefer my personality and body and the personality and body of my partners to be clearly sexually dimorphic, however, I respect the right of others to have preferences that differ from my own.
Societies that tolerated homosexuality and bisexuality may often have been more advanced than those that did not and this success may be correlated with tolerance for empathizing with the opposite sex leading to each individual being more likely to perceive more complete information about how the members of their society tend to experience the world. Ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Hindu cultures all seem to include some amount of tolerance for alternative sexual orientation and gender expression. Perhaps encouraging, but not requiring hyper-heterosexuality, could lead to even larger portions of a society empathizing with one another in positive, consequential ways than tolerance of homosexuality and bisexuality alone. Instead of being patriarchal or matriarchal, perhaps the next great civilization will be “hyper”.
Sexuality is a difficult topic. Experimenting with homosexuality, heterosexuality, and hypergender does not forfeit one’s right to voluntary consent. We should respect someones’s current choices about who they consent to sexually and what sex acts they consent to engaging in.
Helpful comments and suggestions are welcome!
P.S.
A Work In Progress
Formulating hyper-heterosexuality is a work in progress. It seems likely that hyper-heterosexuals would not wish to engage in behaviors that threaten their ability to be considered idealized heterosexuals versions of their biological sex. Since societies are likely to benefit from members who are willing to empathize with one another, investigating ways for heterosexuals to feel safe and comfortable with empathizing with members of the opposite sex seems worthwhile. If there is fear that empathizing with members of the opposite sex will lead to being injured then members of a society will often refuse to do so.
It seems that a society that allows its members to empathize with one another during voluntary sex acts would allow its members to empathize with each other outside of sex acts too. However, predators may sexual abuse participants or even mutilate theirs bodies or personalities into hermaphroditic forms. Even if predators are not a major concern, heterosexuals wish to be perceived as idealized heterosexual versions of their biological sex. Practices that diminish their ability to do so will probably lead to disappointment and distress.
My preference is to fantasize about sex from the perspective of a male having sex with a female body where we both find each other caring and attractive. I don’t personally feel comfortable with elaborate roleplaying, cross-dressing, anal penetration, or gender modifying prosthesis. My practice is to avoid feeling extreme anxiety while taking into consideration how an opposite sex sex partner might experience voluntary sex acts. It seems probable that this happens automatically due to mirror neurons and hyper-heterosexuals are more consciously aware of this than other heterosexuals. I avoid thinking about male faces or male voices in sexual ways even when considering how a female might be experiencing a sex act. My focus is on the appearance and personality of the female and feeling intimacy with her. The idea of forming a romantic partnership with a male is disturbing to me since I view it as substantially diminish my ability to be an idealized heterosexual male and to obtain sexual relationships with females I desire to be with.
It may be the case that heterosexual males and females have similar physiology shaping their sex responses. Heterosexuals respond strongly to the combination of a male and female engaging in sex acts. This response seems to occur in many heterosexuals when watching pornography that includes males and females performing sex acts with one another. It seems probable that heterosexuals find voyeuristically observing the sex acts more erotic than interacting with same sex individuals who appear in pornography. It’s possible that male and female human mind responds strongly to erect penises while heterosexual males find it disturbing if the penis is not presented in combination with a female or it belongs to another male who attempts to interact with them since it threatens their ability to be an idealized heterosexual male. I speculate that many heterosexuals may find upon reflection that if they were born with an opposite sex body they find attractive they would likely attempt to be an idealized version of a heterosexual of the opposite sex. They may also feel that it’s not worth sharing this impression with others since it appears to be of little practical consequence and it may harm their ability to be perceived as an ideal heterosexual version of their birth sex. Sex change operations are unlikely to appeal to them since it would be unlikely to result in them being an idealized heterosexual male or heterosexual female. Individuals that truly wish to be transexuals seem likely to exist, however, transexuals and hyper-heterosexuals seem to be pursuing different ideals and may have different tendencies.
I’m not sure how helpful existing empirical research would be in determining the prevalence of hyper-heterosexual tendencies. Surveys that asks questions such as the following may be helpful.
1. Have you ever considered what an opposite sex individual experiences during sex or masturbation?
2. Do you feel a perceivable sex response when contemplating having a dream or VR experience in which you inhabit an opposite sex body you find attractive?
3. In the situation mentioned in question 2 do you feel a perceivable sex response when contemplating observing yourself nude?
4. In the situation mentioned in question 2 do you feel a perceivable sex response when contemplating masturbating?
5. In the situation mentioned in question 2 do you feel a perceivable sex response when contemplating engaging in impersonal healthy sex acts with opposite sex dream or VR characters without another party being present?
6. Do you feel a perceivable sex response when you contemplate the situation described in question 5 where the other characters are played by individuals who have opposite birth sex than your own?
7. If you were reborn into an opposite sex body that you find attractive would it be likely that you would attempt to be an idealized heterosexual version of that birth sex?
8. Would you be more willing to answer “yes” to these questions if you were certain that your responses would remain a secret because you are afraid that you may be injured and your ability to be viewed as an ideal heterosexual version of your birth sex may be diminished?
9. Do you fear that empathizing with members of the opposite sex might lead to you being abused in covert or overt ways?
10. Do you believe that empathizing with members of the opposite sex makes someone less than an ideal heterosexual?
