當今對於「heterosexual」的應用源於19世紀的人格分類學。卡尔·玛丽亚·克尔特贝尼（英语：Karl Maria Kertbeny）於1869年創造了「heterosexual」和「homosexual」（同性戀）這兩個字詞[13]。在十九世纪末，沒什麼人會使用這兩個字詞，直到理查德·克拉夫特·埃賓（英语：Richard von Krafft-Ebing）和艾伯特·莫尔於1890年左右重新引入之，有關情況才得以改變[13]。從1920年代早期開始，不少專著皆會採用該一名詞 ，但大眾在1960年代開始才廣泛應用之。俗稱「hetero」最早可追溯到1933年。而抽象名词「heterosexuality」則最早見於1900年[14]。「heterosexual」 一詞亦收錄於梅里厄姆-韦伯斯特的1923年版《新國際詞典》（New International Dictionary），當中視之為一個醫學用語，指的是「對於異性的病态迷戀」；不過在1934年推出的「第二版（未刪節本）」當中，其定義為「對於異性的性激情體現；正常的性」 [15]。
丽莎·M·戴蒙德（英语：Lisa M. Diamond）在一項2年跨度的研究中研究了80名非異性戀的青少年女性（16-23歲），結果顯示過半研究對象不只一次地改變了自己的性向認同。其中三分之一在兩年的追蹤內改變了自身的性向認向。戴蒙德總結道：「儘管（特定性別對於對象的）吸引力是相對穩定的，但性认同和行为则有着更多的流动性」[45]。
若沒有其他性取向作對照物，那麼異性戀一詞則沒有需要創造出來。乔纳森·内德·卡茨（Jonathan Ned Katz）将當今對於异性恋的定义追溯到19世纪末[49]。根據卡茨的觀點，维多利亚时代的人只將性當作繁殖的一種手段，兩性的性關係並不那麼公开。身體則只是為了繁殖而存在的工具——「當時的人認為人的能量是封閉和嚴重受限的，故此與把之浪費在性享樂上相比，倒不如花多點時間於生兒育女和工作上」[49]、
Lamanna, Mary Ann; Riedmann, Agnes; Stewart, Susan D. Marriages, Families, and Relationships: Making Choices in a Diverse Society. Cengage Learning. 2014: 82 [2016-02-11]. ISBN 978-1-305-17689-8. （原始内容存档于2016-11-30）. The reason some individuals develop a gay sexual identity has not been definitively established – nor do we yet understand the development of heterosexuality. The American Psychological Association (APA) takes the position that a variety of factors impact a person's sexuality. The most recent literature from the APA says that sexual orientation is not a choice that can be changed at will, and that sexual orientation is most likely the result of a complex interaction of environmental, cognitive and biological factors...is shaped at an early age...[and evidence suggests] biological, including genetic or inborn hormonal factors, play a significant role in a person's sexuality (American Psychological Association 2010).
Klein, Ernest, A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language: dealing with the origin of words and their sense development thus illustrating the history of civilization and culture, p. 345. Oxford: Elsevier, 2000
Laumann, E. O., Gagnon, J. H., Michael, R. T., & Michaels, S. (1994). The social organization of sexuality: Sexual practices in the United States. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.[页码请求]
Wellings, K., Field, J., Johnson, A., & Wadsworth, J. (1994). Sexual behavior in Britain: The national survey of sexual attitudes and lifestyles. London, UK: Penguin Books.[页码请求]
Bogaert AF. The prevalence of male homosexuality: the effect of fraternal birth order and variations in family size. Journal of Theoretical Biology. 2004, 230 (1): 33–7. PMID 15275997. doi:10.1016/j.jtbi.2004.04.035. Bogaert argues that: "The prevalence of male homosexuality is debated. One widely reported early estimate was 10% (e.g., Marmor, 1980; Voeller, 1990). Some recent data provided support for this estimate (Bagley and Tremblay, 1998), but most recent large national samples suggest that the prevalence of male homosexuality in modern western societies, including the United States, is lower than this early estimate (e.g., 1–2% in Billy et al., 1993; 2–3% in Laumann et al., 1994; 6% in Sell et al., 1995; 1–3% in Wellings et al., 1994). It is of note, however, that homosexuality is defined in different ways in these studies. For example, some use same-sex behavior and not same-sex attraction as the operational definition of homosexuality (e.g., Billy et al., 1993); many sex researchers (e.g., Bailey et al., 2000; Bogaert, 2003; Money, 1988; Zucker and Bradley, 1995) now emphasize attraction over overt behavior in conceptualizing sexual orientation." (p. 33) Also: "...the prevalence of male homosexuality (in particular, same-sex attraction) varies over time and across societies (and hence is a "moving target") in part because of two effects: (1) variations in fertility rate or family size; and (2) the fraternal birth order effect. Thus, even if accurately measured in one country at one time, the rate of male homosexuality is subject to change and is not generalizable over time or across societies." (p. 33)
Lawyers Guide to Forensic Medicine SBN 978-1-85941-159-9 By Bernard Knight - Page 188 "Pregnancy is well known to occur from such external ejaculation ..."
*Bailey, J. Michael; Vasey, Paul; Diamond, Lisa; Breedlove, S. Marc; Vilain, Eric; Epprecht, Marc. Sexual Orientation, Controversy, and Science. Psychological Science in the Public Interest. 2016, 17 (2): 45–101 [2019-07-30]. PMID 27113562. doi:10.1177/1529100616637616. （原始内容存档于2020-04-14）. Sexual fluidity is situation-dependent flexibility in a person’s sexual responsiveness, which makes it possible for some individuals to experience desires for either men or women under certain circumstances regardless of their overall sexual orientation....We expect that in all cultures the vast majority of individuals are sexually predisposed exclusively to the other sex (i.e., heterosexual) and that only a minority of individuals are sexually predisposed (whether exclusively or non-exclusively) to the same sex.
Dennis Coon, John O. Mitterer. Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind and Behavior with Concept Maps and Reviews. Cengage Learning. 2012: 372 [2016-02-18]. ISBN 978-1111833633. Sexual orientation is a deep part of personal identity and is usually quite stable. Starting with their earliest erotic feelings, most people remember being attracted to either the opposite sex or the same sex. [...] The fact that sexual orientation is usually quite stable doesn't rule out the possibility that for some people sexual behavior may change during the course of a lifetime.
Eric Anderson, Mark McCormack. Measuring and Surveying Bisexuality. The Changing Dynamics of Bisexual Men's Lives. Springer Science & Business Media. 2016: 47 [2019-06-22]. ISBN 978-3-319-29412-4. （原始内容存档于2021-08-24）. [R]esearch suggests that women's sexual orientation is slightly more likely to change than men's (Baumeister 2000; Kinnish et al. 2005). The notion that sexual orientation can change over time is known as sexual fluidity. Even if sexual fluidity exists for some women, it does not mean that the majority of women will change sexual orientations as they age – rather, sexuality is stable over time for the majority of people.
"... the core of a family is a heterosexual couple who have children that they raise to adulthood - the so-called nuclear family." Encyclopedia of family health （页面存档备份，存于互联网档案馆）
Eliason, Michele J.; Schope, Robert. Shifting Sands or Solid Foundation? Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Identity Formation. Meyer, Ilan H.; Northridge, Mary E. (编). The Health of Sexual Minorities. 2007: 3–26. ISBN 978-0-387-28871-0. doi:10.1007/978-0-387-31334-4_1. "Not surprisingly, individuals in the pride stage are most criticized not only by heterosexual persons but also many LGBT individuals, who are uncomfortable forcing the majority to share the discomfort. Heterosexual individuals may express bewilderment at the term “gay pride,” arguing that they do not talk about “straight pride”".
Keel, Robert O., Heterosexual Deviance （页面存档备份，存于互联网档案馆）. (Goode, 1994, chapter 8, and Chapter 9, 6th edition, 2001.) Sociology of Deviant Behavior: FS 2003, University of Missouri–St. Louis.
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