The cultural and historical context of heterosexuality will be the subject of a speech, "Denaturalizing Heterosexuality," at 8 tonight in the HUB Assembly Room.

Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, a prominent literary theorist from Duke University, will be the fourth of seven speakers in the Contemporary Scholarship on Lesbian and Gay Lives speaker series, said Lisa Henderson, series co-organizer.

Sedgwick specializes in examining lesbian and gay themes in English literature. She was also instrumental in developing lesbian and gay studies programs at Amherst College and Duke University.

One theme throughout Sedgewick's research is that heterosexuality has a cultural and historical context, just as homosexuality does, said Henderson, an instructor of mass communication.

Often people who are sympathetic with the concept of gay rights still think of being gay as unnatural while heterosexuality is seen as "normal," Henderson said.

The view that homosexuality is not a natural behavior derives from cultural and historical ideas, Henderson said.

"Heterosexuality is a cultural idea," Henderson said. "Both homosexuality and heterosexuality can be accorded the same status in our society."

"Like the other topics, this speech has to do with not only lesbian and gay lives but how we all feel about sexual activity," said Anthony D'Augelli, series co-organizer.

The series is co-sponsored by the Department of Human Development and Family Studies and the School of Communications. Other sponsors include the Center for Women's Students, Black Studies and Women's Studies.

The series' goal is to expose members of the University community to the current research in the area of lesbian and gay studies in various academic disciplines, said D'Augelli, an associate professor of human development.

"We wanted to have a breadth of speakers to show the variety of themes you can investigate within this field of study," D'Augelli said.