Normalizing homosexuality through heterosexualityThe topic of homosexuality has always been approached with caution due to its taboo nature resulting from its deviation from the heterosexual norm. Traditionally, and in several cultures, homosexuality has been successfully discussed by normalizing behavior through heterosexual representation. Gender reversal or amplifying the feminine qualities of male characters have often been the means by which authors have been able to subtly introduce the foreign idea of ​​homosexuality and equate it with its more formal and accepted counterpart, the heterosexuality. The works of Shakespeare and Li Yu helped expose same-sex relationships while keeping them under the heterosexual norm, both through direct and metaphorical representations. Li Yu's mother of male Mencius embodies the normalization of homosexuality through the characters' strict adherence to Confucian gender norms. While initially condemning homosexuality by citing rebellion against the divine design of heterosexuality and the complementary nature of male and female, the story instead romanticizes the self-sacrifice and devotion of two men's homosexual relationship. The presentation of the homosexual relationship is designed to maximize the acceptance of homosexuality through the application of heterosexual components, such as the definition of "male" and "female" in Jifang and Ruilang respectively. Jifang establishes his dominance as "male" by taking a wife and fathering a son, while Ruilang accepts her "feminine" definition through the physical transformation of castration and the psychological transformation into the chaste Confucian wife and dutiful mother. .. half of the document ...... on and condemnation of the “Southern way”. The Renaissance period allowed for a more progressive, if peripheral, discussion through Shakespeare's subtle works, his plots and secondary characters. However, both approached the ideology of homosexuality through the application of heterosexual norms to the homosexual relationship, minimizing criticism and legitimizing homoeroticism. References Hanan, Partick and Yu Li. Silent works. Hong Kong: Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1990.Shakespeare, William. Twelfth Night or whatever. Ed. Kenneth Deighton. London: Macmillan, 1889. Shakespeare Online. December 20, 2010.Traub, Valerie. Desire and anxiety: Circulations of sexuality in Shakespearean drama. London, Routledge, 1992. Wayne, Valerie, ed. The question of difference: materialist feminist criticism of Shakespeare. Ithaca, Cornell University Press, 1991.