Coming Together Essay Example

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Recommended: Social thinking and social influence

BesnikHasandjekaj
Professor Roberts
ENG 201
4/1/14
Coming Together
This world is full of different people with different tastes and preferences, and this gives birth to different communities. Some people who find comfort in one community may find discomfort or be treated with prejudice in a different community. Throughout history the LGBT community has faced a lot of hate and prejudice and it has forced them to come together and make a community. Its all based on common interest, like Porter says “by a common interest who communicate through approved channels” (Porter,38). Or in other words, people come together and make up a community based on what they share in interests and past experiences, such as writers in a discourse community. The way I can interpret this saying is that every individual has their own original thoughts and experiences but belong to a community where they can relate and thrive.
One community that is a great example of one that came together when originally they were alone with self identity problems are the gay men of color. Considering the fact that being “straight” or heterosexual is considered to be the social norm, these men not only face the racism but they also face judgement for being of homosexual orientation. The world has basically turned their backs to these men, yet they come together to form their own community where they can be powerful and supportive of one another, making them generally happier people. Great way we can see this is in the movie Paris is Burning by Jenni Livingston.
One movie that depicts this much more clearly is the film Paris is Burning by Jenni Livingston. This movie gives a close up of the black homosexual community. It was hard ...

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...community, so gay minorities have been fighting prejudice and hate on both ends. People like Cheryl Clarke and Essex Hemphill have made the voices of the gay minorities of America to be heard and made strong.(Mercer, 240). Strong enough where gay minorities had the courage to reach out to one another, and strong enough to have the courage to form their own communities.
In conclusion what im seeing in the gay community of color is some sort of strength. Some sort of using pain and forming it into power to drive up in life. The ability to reach out and grab another members hand and form a community where they are the ones in “charge”. A place where gay people who are in the minority group can feel accepted and strong. the way they have come together is simply because they share many of the same or nearly the same past and present experiences of prejudice and hate.

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