Advertisements and other media types have, for a long time, had a strong influence on society and the general public’s view of the world and different social concerns. Advertisements are often based on the stereotypes and societal norms that dominate in whichever culture they are broadcast in, which in the long run can be harmful to those who deviate from these norms. The purpose of the study is to investigate how different romantic and/or sexually intimate twosomes are visually represented in current Swedish televised advertisements to investigate potential differences and similarities, and to discover ways to improve their visual representation. It consists of a quantitative content analysis where different twosomes are documented, and a semiotic image analysis that examines how these different twosomes, from a design perspective, are represented visually and what they communicate to their audience.

Queer theorists and sociologists have argued that the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movement further marginalizes some queer individuals in the pursuit of legitimacy from the dominant heterosexist culture. This study uses qualitative content analysis to examine the Web sites of four social movement organizations that claim to work for the LGBT community (Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal Defense Fund, National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force). In this thesis, I argue that these organizations participate in scripting the normative homo ideal while distancing themselves from problematic identities that challenge normative, natural frameworks for understanding identity. In doing so, they further marginalize bisexuals, transgender individuals, and other queers whose identities challenge the idea that core identities are authentic and immutable-denying the existence of some queer realities, reinforcing normative ideas about sex, gender, and sexuality, and reproducing the system of inequality that privileges heterosexuality.

This study focuses on an analysis of three text books in English, Prime Time, Second Time, and Third Time, written for Swedish pupils between grade seven and nine. The main focus of the study is to investigate to what extent the books may be considered to follow the steering principles of the Swedish education system. The theoretical backbone of the essay is centred on the construction and maintenance of stereotypes, and is written from a social constructivist point of view. In this context, I also reason around power relations and norms in the Western society – arguments which I, in the main analysis, apply to the books in question. Scrutinising the books from a social constructivist perspective, I reach the conclusion that the books are written with a Western bias, and also from a heteronormative angle. The essay finishes with a concluding remark of the most central parts from the theoretical section and the analysis respectively.

I denna uppsats undersöks erfarenheterna och attityderna som sex pardansare har kring heteronormativitet inom dansen. Deras tankar kring olika roller och betydelser kring danserna fångas upp i intervjuer och tolkas och analyseras sedan via queerteorin och det dramaturgiska perspektivet som utgångspunkten i analysen av sociala situationer. Resultaten visar att heteronormativiteten lever inom sporten pardans via traditioner från förr och de regleringar som finns idag men också genom de attityder som ungdomarna besitter och uttrycker. Dansarna själva uttryckte sig om att förändring inom dansen kan rubba dansen värdegrunder och göra sporten till något helt annat än vad den alltid har varit.Pardansen har inte ofta varit objekt för forskning vilket medfört att jag förlitar mig på mina intervjuer och väljer att göra en icke generaliserbar uppsats då det är erfarenheter, individuella tankar och tolkningar står som grund för min analys. Jag har även plockat alla dansare från samma klubb vilket har genererat till att de har haft liknande svar till den del frågor vilket kan tänkas leda till deras tränare som jag därefter har intervjuat med andra frågor.Min slutsats är den att pardansen i sig ses som en feminin sport men utövar heteronormativa värden som präglar dansarna då det enligt utövarna är otänkbart att hålla kvar vid dansens värdegrunder och samtidigt dansa samkönat på elitnivå. Pardansenarna i denna skåneförening har en heteronormativ syn på dansen och dess betydelse som idrott och kulturbevarande aktivitet. / This thesis explore the experiences of heteronormativity of six ballroom dancers. Their own thoughts on different roles and meaning behind the dances have been captured in interviews. Later translated and analysed through Queer theory and Erving Goffmans dramaturgical perspective theory where he enlightens us about his perspective on social situations as performances based upon the conviction of persuasion. Discovering that heteronormativity lives within the sport as traditions from past times and upheld by rules and guidelines, and attitudes expressed by the dancers. The dancers themselves agree on changing the rules of the sport is making the meaning of ballroom dancing less accurate matching the history of the sport which seems to be the pillar of ballroom dancing. Heteronormativity is the main subject of this thesis.

Städer är präglade av värderingar och politiska ideal, och genom sin utformning bidrar de till befästande och upprätthållande av normer. Offentliga miljöer uppmuntrar, likt staden som helhet, till ett för samhället önskvärt beteende hos stadens användare. Men där finns också grupper som har andra förutsättningar än vad normen förutsätter och som då får det svårare att tillfredsställa sina preferenser. Bland dessa grupper finns personer som identifierar sig som queer, det vill säga att inte vara heterosexuell och/eller ej tillhöra den binära könsuppdelningen. För personer inom denna minoritet, så som andra minoriteter, upplevs stadens gemensamma rum inte alltid som lika välkomnande. Detta då de i högre grad än personer som identifierar sig inom stadens normer, såsom Heteronormen, utsätts för trakasserier och våld i dessa rum. Men eftersom stadens form sätter ramarna för och påverkar användarnas beteenden kan det också vara ett redskap för att skapa förändring. Rapporten syftar till att undersöka vad en mer queer stad och stadsplanering kan innebära. Detta genom att granska rumspraktik med uttalat queert perspektiv i sökandet på insikter om strategier, vilka skulle kunna inspirera och informera stadsplanering som önskar skapa mer inkluderande offentliga rum. I kandidatarbetet har ett queerteoretiskt perspektiv använts vid analysen av konst- och arkitektkollektivet MYCKET:s rumsliga praktik inom fallet Clubscenen, ett projekt inom vilket deras uttalade mål var att utforska möjligheter att skapa mer inkluderande rum. Den övergripande strategin som användes var att synliggöra samtida och dåtida queera personer och deras perspektiv. Mer specifikt använde sig MYCKET av strategierna återberättande av queer aktivism och livsstil, iscensättande av queera miljöer och fysisk manifestation av queera uttryck. Dessa tre strategier används både separat, tillsammans och överlappande. Avslutningsvis diskuteras hur de strategier som MYCKET använde sig av skulle kunna inspirera och informera stadsplaneringen. Rapporten föreslår att stadsplaneringen arbetar med riktade medborgardialoger vilka etablerar trygga rum för minoriteter, såsom personer som definierar sig som queer, för att säkerställa att även deras perspektiv inkluderas i och tas hänsyn till vid stadsutveckling. Vidare bör ett mer normkritiskt perspektiv utvecklas och implementeras i stadsplaneringspraktiken, ett perspektiv som granskar och vid behov ifrågasätter underliggande värderingar som influerar stadsplaneringen. Rapporten föreslår också att införa minnesmonument till minne av queer aktivism i de redan byggda delarna av staden, samt att enstaka offentliga rum tillskapas utifrån den queera minoritetens önskemål och preferenser vid den fortsatta utvecklingen av staden. / Cities are characterized by values and political ideals, and by their design they contribute to the consolidation and maintenance of norms. Public spaces, like the city, encourage a behaviour that society deem desirable among its users. But in the city, there are groups that have needs different from the norm, and because of that have a much harder time satisfying their preferences. Among these groups are persons who identify themselves as queer, that is not being heterosexual and/or not belonging to the binary gender norms. People within this minority, like many other minorities, may find the city’s public space not as welcoming as the majority might find it. This is because of the harassment and violence they might be subject to in these places, to a greater extent than people who identify with the norms of the cities, like heteronormativity. But since the shape of the city sets the framework for the user’s behaviour as well as affect if, it can also be a tool for creating change. This report aims to investigate what a queerer city and queerer urban planning can be. This by examining spatial practice with a pronounced queer perspective, in search of insights on strategies that could inspire and inform urban planning that aims to create more inclusive public spaces. In this report, a queer theoretical perspective has been used in the analysis of MYCKET’s, an art and architectural collective, spatial practice in their project ”The Club Scene”, a project in which their stated goal was to explore means to create more inclusive spaces. The overall strategy used was to put queer people and their perspective in the spotlight. For that, MYCKET used the strategies of retelling queer activism and lifestyle, staging queer spaces, and physical manifestation of queer expressions. These three strategies are used both separately, together and overlap each other. In the final part of the report, the strategies that MYCKET used are discussed for how they could inspire and inform the urban planning. The report proposes that urban planning should work with directed citizen dialogues, which establish secure rooms for minorities, such as people who define themselves as queer, to ensure that their perspectives are included and taken into account in urban development. Furthermore, a more norm-critical perspective should be developed and implemented in urban planning practice, a perspective that examines and, if necessary, questions underlying values that influence urban planning. The report also suggests introducing memorials in memory of queer activism in the already built parts of the city, and that some public spaces are created in favour of the queer minority and their preferences when developing the city.

This is a theoretical study of intersexuality and of its medical and social implications. My interest of inquiry includes both exploring, describing and explaining. One could say that this study is a form of qualitative analysis of contents. The aim of the study is to fill a gap and to raise awareness of the notion intersex. The conclusions show that social models of explanation to today’s paradigm of intervention are valid.

There is a settled stereotype for women and men which give them different possibilities in our society. The schools, which are one of the most important sources of knowledge, have a great possibility to influence. This is the reason why we are interested in how the schools are working with a project, which we will call X henceforth. What was the purpose with the project and what does it contain? What is missing in the former education, since the project was started? Are there any obstacles or prerequisite in the design of the project or in the school teaching on the basis of X? We have done interviews in the gathering of empirical material to find out all the answers to our questions. To support this, we have chosen a few theories which we find suitable for the material. The teacher´s and the principal find the project X very important in the development of a more open-minded pupil. They also think that the project is helping them a lot by being supported with material and knowledges how to work with the subject.

The aim of this paper is to examine whether or not current textbooks in social sciences for the Swedish Gymnasium follow the criteria set up in the new subject area Sexuality, consent, and relationships (Sexualitet, samtycke och relationer), which was brought into the current curriculum for the Swedish Gymnasium at the start of the autumn semester 2022. The study is performed by examining what content related to Sexuality, consent, and relationships is presented in the textbooks, in what way, which discourses are influencing the books, and what effect this can have on the socio-cultural practice in the form of consequences for the teaching process. The paper uses a combination of gender and queer theory, together with discourse theory as a foundation to interpret both the textbooks and the criteria of the curriculum. The used method is an adaptation of Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis, as modified by textbook researcher Lina Spjut. The material consists of three social sciences textbooks made for the class Samhällskunskap 1b at the Swedish Gymnasium School level.  The analysis revealed that two of the textbooks still contained and reproduced harmful heteronormative and binary norms, and lacked the norm-critical thinking required by the updated curriculum, showing influence of risk-emphasized silence discourse with elements of tolerance discourse. The third book was found to be more aligned with the criteria of the curriculum, having a high degree of norm-critical thinking, showing influence of a balanced-emphasized norm-critical discourse. All books were however lacking specific elements required that were added to the new curriculum, such as critical approach to pornography and information about honour-related violence and oppression.

As one of the world's most equal countries, gender equality holds significant importance in Sweden. This thesis examines how Sweden formulates its gender equality policy accordingly. From a post-structural feminist perspective, this thesis conducts a critical discourse analysis of the Gender Equality Policy in Sweden. The central objective of this thesis is to examine whether the policy contributes to the reproduction and perpetuation of gender norms that sustain hegemonic female and male identities within the context of a heteronormative framework. The concluding remark emphasises that by acknowledging non-heteronormative rights in the discourse, the Gender Equality Policy in Sweden can foster a more transformative perspective on gender equality that questions and dismantles the normative assumptions that uphold heteronormativity. By changing its discursive and linguistic practises, Sweden could become a more equitable society where all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, have equal opportunities, rights and protection.

This paper aims to analyse heteronormativity and queer characters in the game World ofWarcraft and its accompanying literary works Exploring Azeroth: The Eastern Kingdoms,Shadows Rising, and ”Terror by Torchlight” by comparing how they differ between the gameand the books. To accomplish this, the paper focuses on the characters Flynn Fairwind andMathias Shaw and their budding relationship. Through the analysis, I establish the world ofWorld of Warcraft as heteronormative, and continue by discussing what roles queer charactersplay and how they differ from heteronormative characters. The paper concludes that queercharacters play smaller roles focused on tension-relieving comedic moments that tend to getwritten out of the story as their storylines conclude. It also finds that the relationship betweenFlynn and Mathias is treated as a character in its own right and that the two characters gettheir own voices amplified through the relationship. / <p>Alternativt författarnamn: Alex Linhem</p>