A Colorless Culture

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  I find this procedure problematic because it perpetuates the outdated stereotype that gay men are among the groups most susceptible to AIDS.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.

F, Alex. "Dr. Who Actor John Barrowman Was Turned down for Will and Grace Because He Was Too Straight, Even Though He's Gay." RSS. OMG Facts, 6 Oct. 2012. Web. 25 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.