Until recently, there was no common non-derogatory term for non-heterosexuality. However, after many changes with the acronym, the term LGBTQ was coined in the late 1990s. Since the beginning of LGBTQ studies, many educators have combined each represented group to teach gay studies in a more collective way. Still, we have the notion that many activists and LGBT members believe that the term does not accurately represent all that it refers to. Many educators teach lesbian and gay studies together, while other educators do not. This has caused many groups within the LGBTQ acronym to feel left out because they do not focus on individuality. While many people believe teaching lesbian and gay studies together helps understand what both homosexual
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Each category had different experiences and challenges to overcome, and you obtain a better understanding of what it is like for that specific group if it is taught individually. Moreover, you gain insight on what makes each label different from the other. If gay and lesbian studies were taught together, you would not understand the depth of what lesbian women had to go through to be taken seriously. Most history on gay studies are told through a gay man’s perspective. This has led many women to feel like the lesbian experience is frequently presented as a pale version of the male. This, however, is not true. Lesbian women have encountered many struggles that differ from the other categories in the LGBT acronym. There are multiple ways that a lesbian can be represented. For example, some major forms of lesbians are butch and femme women. The difference between these two types of lesbians are clear in the story Nestle Bathroom by Joan Nestle. It goes in depth about butch and femme women. Many femme women were attracted to butch women who dressed masculine and most times behaved masculinely. …show more content…
Transgender is already a fairly new term. The term transgender was not coined until the last 1960s and 1970s. It was a term created from the term transsexual. Many transgender men are just seen as wanting to be men. However, it is clear within the movie Paris is Burning that this is actually inaccurate. Most Transgenders are mocking the typical idea of what it means to be “real” by being themselves. They created balls where you dress up, walk, and compete for trophies. This is one of the small things that is specific to only transgender people. You do not get the chance to learn about the personal beliefs and values of transgender people without digging deep into their personal history. Combining lesbian, gay studies automatically leaves many people who identify as transgender out of the picture since they are in the middle. Transgender people have a history of being outcasts. They have worked for years to be accepted into society. This becomes clear in the movie Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton’s Cafeteria. This movie was not made until 2005. It goes in depth about the Compton’s cafeteria riot and the events before the event. Several transgender people were arrested for cross-dressing. If they were considered to be a female impersonator, they were automatically imprisoned. In 1966, a group of transgender people was sitting at a cafe when police officers entered harassing them. They had
Each category had different experiences and challenges to overcome, and you obtain a better understanding of what it is like for that specific group if it is taught individually. Moreover, you gain insight on what makes each label different from the other. If gay and lesbian studies were taught together, you would not understand the depth of what lesbian women had to go through to be taken seriously. Most history on gay studies are told through a gay man’s perspective. This has led many women to feel like the lesbian experience is frequently presented as a pale version of the male. This, however, is not true. Lesbian women have encountered many struggles that differ from the other categories in the LGBT acronym. There are multiple ways that a lesbian can be represented. For example, some major forms of lesbians are butch and femme women. The difference between these two types of lesbians are clear in the story Nestle Bathroom by Joan Nestle. It goes in depth about butch and femme women. Many femme women were attracted to butch women who dressed masculine and most times behaved masculinely. …show more content…
Transgender is already a fairly new term. The term transgender was not coined until the last 1960s and 1970s. It was a term created from the term transsexual. Many transgender men are just seen as wanting to be men. However, it is clear within the movie Paris is Burning that this is actually inaccurate. Most Transgenders are mocking the typical idea of what it means to be “real” by being themselves. They created balls where you dress up, walk, and compete for trophies. This is one of the small things that is specific to only transgender people. You do not get the chance to learn about the personal beliefs and values of transgender people without digging deep into their personal history. Combining lesbian, gay studies automatically leaves many people who identify as transgender out of the picture since they are in the middle. Transgender people have a history of being outcasts. They have worked for years to be accepted into society. This becomes clear in the movie Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton’s Cafeteria. This movie was not made until 2005. It goes in depth about the Compton’s cafeteria riot and the events before the event. Several transgender people were arrested for cross-dressing. If they were considered to be a female impersonator, they were automatically imprisoned. In 1966, a group of transgender people was sitting at a cafe when police officers entered harassing them. They had