She expounds on this by discussing the almost ‘chic’ presence of bisexuality on college campuses and the simultaneous argument of many bisexuals themselves centered around how they have been socially erased. Bisexuality is seen as everything from the ‘natural’ state of sexuality to an entirely made-up sexuality used by those who are ‘really’ gary or straight but refuse to admit it. It is also sometimes seen as a menace - one that brings AIDs to ‘innocent’ wives and children or “pollute[s] the “purity” of the lesbian community” (278). Bisexuals, with their heathenous attraction to both sexes, is seen as greedy or raging out of control, leading to erotic relationships with “anything that moves1” and multiple people at once.…
The 1990s were an era of increasing recognition of homosexuality in broadcast media, so much so that scholar Ron Becker referred to the period as “the gay 1990s”, as programs increasingly began to depict gay characters both explicitly and implicitly. Since the emergence of such characters the representation of members of the LGBTQ+ community has increased and broadened, which is especially evident when comparing the “Men on Film” sketch from the pilot of FOX’s In Living Color in 1990, and ABCs How to Get Away with Murder (2014-present). The depictions of LGBTQ+ characters in these programs represent the evolution and synthesis of audience targeting in increasingly competitive industrial environments and in the increasingly tolerant sociopolitical…
Monique Wittig’s “One is Not Born a Woman” and Adrienne Rich’s “Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Experience” are two vital pieces of feminist writing that convey the idea that lesbian identity provides liberation for women from the restraints of a male dominated society. Each article describes how men oppress women in heterosexual relationships by assuming a dominant role and withholding power from women. Each article then dives into how women can change this conventional aspect of ‘females’ conceding to male dominance’. They both tend to agree that gender plays an extremely vital role in sexuality and freedom. The specifics regarding ‘man’ and ‘woman’ differ between each article.…
Gender equality is a growing issue in today’s modern world where every comment or opinion involving gender is sensitive to the public. In E.J. Graffs’ “The M/F Boxes” the author argues that society should evaluate their interpretation of gender and sex. Due to the fact that the author is a “widely published author of articles on gender equality and family issues” (Graff 221), she expresses interest in homosexual egalitarianism and enlightens her readers with real life scenarios of homosexual people that go through inhumane experiences throughout her article. The author effectively proves her point by illustrating real life scenarios, releasing facts that correspond to her essay, and voicing pathos for her own argument. Arguably the author…
Queer theory, explained through Eudora Welty’s Moon Lake Moon Lake, by Eudora Welty, narrates the adventures of a group of girls during a summer camp, exploring their desire of discovery and their transition to adolescence, which is also related to the expression of their bodies and their public behavior. Moon Lake, then, is an important space of socialization where orphan and wealthy girls interact with each other, despite of the notorious differences between them; and to explore new territories guided by their curiosity. As Welty describes the girls, it is possible to notice what Judith Butler considers as the social construction of the bodies, as socially accepted characteristics are attributed to the girls to associate them with softness and delicacy. In the story, gender roles are clearly defined and associated with men and women, being reproduced from a young age in order…
Essay Homophobia and Sexism in Suzanne Pharr article, she wrote that “heterosexism and homophobia work together to enforce compulsory heterosexuality and that bastion of patriarchal power, the nuclear family.” Ministers across the world have focused on two solely “problems”: abortion and homosexuality. Puberty is when the society pressure to be heterosexual and preparing for marriage hard for individuals who struggle with their identity. The Lavender Menace discussed about women who were feminist and were lesbians often hid their sexuality or spoke less at organizations to have a greater effect on the audience. “The Woman Identified Woman” help homosexual woman bring conscious what is was like to be a feminist and a lesbian.…
For example, adult children living with and caring for their parents, along with other more fascinating affiliations. All family units battling for strength will be aided by isolating fundamental types of legitimate and financial acknowledgment from the prerequisite of conjugal and matrimonial relationship. Other than battling for generally ordinary household organizations, the development attests the privileges of an extensive variety of non-customarily built families and non-routine associations; keeping in mind “the transgender and bisexual movements.” Too frequently, the announcement cautions, they have been abandoned or forgotten by the bigger lesbian and gay…
Due to the negative connotation concerning these terms, non-heterosexual communities are rejected through preconceived notions of difference. Stereotypical assumptions construct a distinction between heterosexual and non-heterosexual behavior. “Rather than identify as a lesbian, [Djuna Barnes] preferred to say that she ‘just loved Thelma.’ Gertrude Stein reputedly made similar claims” (Nelson, 12). Nelson mentions how Barnes as well as Stein would rather express their love than categorize it.…
between two people consists of many gender roles that are in place to reinforce heterosexuality. The society continues to naturalize heterosexuality, where rules such as, “who pays for the date or wedding rehearsal dinner to who leads while dancing, drives the car, cooks dinner or initiates sex” (Ingraham 304) are constantly in place. As a result, because nobody ever questions these rules, people are raised into believing that based on their gender, they have a specific role to fulfil and people who go against these norms are typically judged and looked at as “deviant” and “abnormal.” Moreover, women do not begin life wanting to become a bride or with a desire to date and men do not exit their mother’s “womb knowing they would one day need…
1. Social constructivism is the idea of understanding and learning from a joint or shared experience. The knowledge and understanding differs for each individuals; due to the fact, people have different background. For example, a teacher can be consider as a parent. Its only goal is to educate their students; similarly to how a parent would teach their child to behave or to act.…
engaging in a masculine activity such as football” (Lind, 2004.) Conti uses a study by Halberstam from 1998 to explain the different variations of females presenting themselves in gender identities not norm to the public. These “alternate masculinities range from tomboys to drag kings,” he explains (Lind, 2004.) He uses this explanation to show that assertions of masculinity does not solely belong to men and can be legitimately experienced by all sexes. “This is something even the most liberal individuals hardly understand and fail to recognize, demonstrated by the rejection of women who assumed the gender identity of “butch” by many members of the lesbian feminist movement during the 1970s,” (Halberstam, 1998.)…
“A gender equal society would be one where the word gender does not exist where everyone can be themselves.” Gloria steinem. In this unit I learned that there’s more genders, not just Heterosexism. I learn that for them is very hard for them to come out and they feel like they don’t have no one to support them . Stephens should continue to teach this unit next year.…
When I was six years old the neighbor boy sexually abused me in the park behind our house. When I was seven he molested me by his hot tub. As a child I never said a word; there wasn’t a system or teaching or understanding in place to help me understand. I can still see the park, can still feel the cold water soaking into my clothes, slicking my skin. The boy was nearly four years older.…
Cain talks about the exclusion of lesbian experiences by analyzing the three feminist legal scholarship stage. Sometimes once out as lesbian, their own feminist sisterhood disowned during the first stages.…
Bisexuality has been an ambiguous sexual identity. Due to the progressive transformation in the history of bisexuality, it has been difficult to distinctively define the term. This has resulted in many debates surrounding the distinctive historical formation of the term. It is necessary for us to comprehend the term bisexuality so that it can stand the test of time especially as the concept gains massive popularity in this day and age. Today, bisexuality is all around us and has become a dominant part of our daily lives and our popular culture.…