The Heidenreich article looks at the relationship between race and sexism. Heidenreich argues that there is harsher discrimination against queers of colour, and particularly those who cross gender lines. This is due to a broader discourse about queers of culture, which normalizes violence, dehumanizes queers of colour, and threatens masculinity norms. In the case study, the murder of transgender Latina youth Gwen Amber Rose is compared to the murder of Matthew Shepard. Heidenreich observes that there was very little attention paid to Gwen’s murder, while the murder of Matthew Shepard received a public outcry. Heidenreich explains that this is due to the dehumanization of Gwen, as she fell outside the familiar and accepted image of a queer person. In contrast, Matthew Shepard appeared to fill the boy-next-door role of the white male queer.
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This refers to white supremacy, as it is the white, usually male, queer that is generally more accepted in society than queers of colour. Heidenreich provides a useful case study, because most people are familiar with Matthew Shepard’s story. I recently watched a documentary about Matthew Shepard, and judging from the way he was portrayed in the film, I can understand Heidenreich’s argument about his role as the all-American boy next door.
The Strings and Bui reading focuses on RuPauls’s Drag Race, a reality TV show which features drag queen competitions. Strings and Bui explain how the contestants are often encouraged to show more personality, which arguably is a suggestion to more closely align with racial stereotypes. This is problematic, because the show is based on acceptance of gender fluidity, yet relies on racial stereotypes as a judgement of authenticity. Furthermore, this rewards certain stereotypes over
This refers to white supremacy, as it is the white, usually male, queer that is generally more accepted in society than queers of colour. Heidenreich provides a useful case study, because most people are familiar with Matthew Shepard’s story. I recently watched a documentary about Matthew Shepard, and judging from the way he was portrayed in the film, I can understand Heidenreich’s argument about his role as the all-American boy next door.
The Strings and Bui reading focuses on RuPauls’s Drag Race, a reality TV show which features drag queen competitions. Strings and Bui explain how the contestants are often encouraged to show more personality, which arguably is a suggestion to more closely align with racial stereotypes. This is problematic, because the show is based on acceptance of gender fluidity, yet relies on racial stereotypes as a judgement of authenticity. Furthermore, this rewards certain stereotypes over