Although I came
into LGBTQ studies with a ready acceptance of diversity, I feel that the class
has opened my eyes to the full extent of differences among the people in the
queer community, as well as the past and modern treatment its members face. I was surprised at the beginning of the
course to learn that some ancient cultures were fairly accepting of their
homosexual members. To me, it’s
remarkable that civilizations as early as ancient Greece condoned male/male
relationships (Gibson, 5). Although, it
does add some perspective to consider that women were regarded as having much
lower status than men. However, it was
very inspiring to see that in Native American culture, “two-spirits,” people
possessing both female and male identities, were granted full acceptance, and
even held in high regard (Gibson, 5).
I find it very
unfortunate that this acceptance regressed over time. Two of the full-length movies we watched in
class, Screaming Queens and Before Stonewall, reveal that queer identified
people, especially crossdressers, were targets for harassment in the US during
the mid twentieth century (Before Stonewall).
They could be arrested simply for
wearing clothing that didn’t “fit” their specified gender (Screaming Queens). It was
disheartening to watch human beings fight for the basic right to control their
own identity. Even more disheartening
was learning about modern examples of discrimination. In my research for the final LGBTQ project, I
learned that, since the early 1980’s, blood drives have refused to accept
donations from gay men (Darling). The
donor questionnaire asks bluntly, “since 1977, have you ever had sexual contact
with another male, even once?” (Darling).
I find this procedure problematic because it perpetuates the outdated
stereotype that gay men are among the groups most susceptible to AIDS. While it is true that gay and bisexual men
are the largest group of people infected with HIV, this is most likely due to
external causes, not susceptibility due to queerness. For example, gay men may be less likely to
use protection because there is no risk of pregnancy. HIV has been proven to spread through contact
of bodily fluids, making anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, vulnerable
to infection. In the past two decades,
tests have also been devised to screen a blood sample for HIV (Darling). All in all, a heterosexual man who engages in
unsafe sex can donate blood, while a homosexual man who only engages in safe sex,
cannot. Upholding the ban only serves to
perpetuate the stereotype that AIDS is a “gay” disease.
Another stereotype
that manifested in the past, but lingers today, is that all gay men are
effeminate. Modern media seems to
exploit this image. In modern
television, shows like Modern Family and Glee project the effeminate stereotype
onto many of their gay characters, again, representing a stereotype, and not
allowing for individuality among their LGBT characters. The media portrays
“gayness” as an act, rather than a facet of a person’s identity. For example, John Barrowman, a gay actor, was
turned down a role on the television show Will and Grace because he couldn’t
“act gay” enough for the character, even though Barrowman has firsthand
experience in the world of gay men (F, Alex).
Interestingly enough, the “macho”, manly-man image that we often
associate with heterosexual men can be traced back to homosexual origins. To rebuff the effeminate image, artist Tom
of Finland began to illustrate highly stylized, ultra-masculine images of gay
men for physique magazines during the 1950’s (Gibson, 238). The images featured muscular men, often in
uniform, and often involved in sexual acts.
The “beach scene” of the same decade also idealized these well-built,
athletic men; it seems fitting that this scene was predominantly homosexual as
well (Gibson, 238). This image, the
athletic body resembling to a Greek statue on steroids, became the ideal form
for heterosexual men as well who wanted to capitalize on their own masculinity.
One of the most
frustrating topics for me to learn about during the course was discrimination
within the LGBT community, primarily towards transsexuals and bisexuals. In
Finding Out, the author states that many feminists are angered by transsexuals,
condemning FTMs because they are supposedly altering their gender to heighten
their status in a patriarchal society, and excluding MTFs because they “haven’t
lived as women” for the entirety of their lives (Gibson, 153-4). Many people within the queer community also
disprove of bisexuality, because, they claim, an individual who identifies as
bisexual is in denial of their homosexual nature, or, they are indulging in
their homosexual desires but enjoying the benefits of identifying as heterosexual
in a heteronormative society (Gibson, 155).
While the LGBTQ
course taught me much about diversities and the injustices inflicted by a
patriarchal, heteronormative culture, the entire process of learning has taught
me the value of education. I came into
the class with some understanding of the LGBT cause (and some knowledge of drag
and otherwise queer terms, courtesy of Rupaul’s Drag Race), but learning about
the history of homosexuality and the means by which queerness is defined gave
me a much more clear perspective on the issue.
I am one of the lucky few who have close friends who identify as LGBT,
allowing me to be open to identities other than heterosexual, and begin to
understand the fight for equality. Both
the class and my own personal experiences have forged an investment in the LGBT
community. However, many people do not
share my experiences, and as a result, either become prejudiced against queer
people or remain unaware of everyday injustices. I can ultimately conclude that our culture
needs serious education- both about the workings and timeline of the queer
movement. The main reason the FDA has
not changed the ban on gay men donating blood is because it faces no social
pressure to do so- people simply don’t know about the ban (Darling). I feel that much prejudice towards queers
also stems from a lack of knowledge and a refusal to understand an identity
outside of heterosexuality. I can only
hope that in the future, discrimination against LGBTQ individuals can be
stopped by the normalization of queer education.
Work
Cited
Before
Stonewall the Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community.
Cinema Guild, 1985. Videocassette.
Darling,
Mike. "Banned for Life: Why Gay Men Still Can't Donate Blood." NBC
News. NBC, 14 July 2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2013.
Gibson, Michelle A. "Chapter 1. Before
Identity: The Ancient World Through the 19th Century." Finding Out.
2nd ed. N.p.: SAGE Publications, 2014. 4-5. Print.
Gibson, Michelle A. "Chapter 7. Queer
Diversities." Finding Out. 2nd ed. N.p.: SAGE Publications, 2014. 153-155.
Print.
Gibson, Michelle A. "Chapter 10. Lesbian
Pulp Novels and Gay Physique Pictorials." Finding Out. 2nd ed.
N.p.: SAGE Publications, 2014. 237-239. Print.
Screaming
Queens: The Riot at Compton's Cafeteria. Dir. Susan Stryker. 2005.
Videocassette.
