In the aftermath of devastating tragedies, The Laramie Project and "My Tocaya" reveal the true character of the residents of the respective towns. There has been a frightening trend in America of people who belong to minority groups going missing, being brutally murdered, or being kidnapped. Responses to these tragic events are explored in "The Laramie Project" by Moisés Kaufman and "My Tocaya" by Sandra Cisneros. The fictional short story "My Tocaya" discusses the disappearance, death, and resurrection of Patricia Benavdez through the eyes of her namesake, also known as her tocaya, Patricia Chávez. From the perspective of someone gossiping about the tragedy, the reader sees Patricia's apathetic and less-than-positive view of her tocaya, fueled …show more content…
Individuals from every corner of the globe became full of an empathy-fueled outrage that inspired them to stand against such blatant hatred and violence by honoring the life of Matthew Shepard. His suffering personified the struggles of the LGBTQ+, waking up the world to the injustices LGBTQ+ people must face every day based on their sexuality. The vigils and outpouring of support illustrate radical empathy in the wake of tragedy. Shepard's tragedy built bridges of compassion and solidarity among diverse groups, collectively demanding justice and rebuffing the intolerance that nearly claimed his life. Additionally, the journal article “‘Last Night, I Prayed to Matthew’: Matthew Shepard, Homosexuality, and Popular Martyrdom in Contemporary America” analyzes the case, concluding that “[...] Shepard's popular martyrdom helped further a growing acceptance of gays and lesbians into America's mainstream.” (Hoffman). This pivotal shift in mainstream thought was sparked by the empathetic outrage that came as a result of the Matthew Shepard …show more content…
Shepard's martyrdom and death ignited a movement sparking introspection and compassion. Ryan Claycomb continues this analysis of The Laramie Project, stating, “In the context of verbatim theater (and in particular, existing scholarship on verbatim theater), empathy is deeply embedded in the process of listening.” (53). The format of The Laramie Project being verbatim theater allows the audience to also take part in the mass empathy challenge to put themselves in the shoes of others and confront their prejudices. The authentic voices of the townspeople of Laramie make the audience truly listen. Through verbatim theater’s ability to represent reality, The Laramie Project was able to shift people’s views of the LGBTQ+ community in America. The Lamarie Project and “My Tocaya” explore the themes of society’s capacity for both apathy and empathy. The apathy of the people of Laramie toward Matthew Shepard shows the tendency to turn the deaths of minorities into a simplified conversation about whether to tolerate the minority or
Laramie project is very sensitive and crucial issue which was wisely broad up in the form of a docudrama in front of the community. The story of Matthew Shepard's highlighted many issues like hate crime, gay/lesbian relationship and personal identity which are still considered as tactful for many peoples. This play also described the role of media, police and an individual in the entire process and shows the influence of this incidence on a person's life.
In Vicki L. Eaklor’s Queer America, the experiences of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender people in the years since the 1970s gay liberation movement are described as a time of transformation and growth. The antigay movement, threatened, now more than ever, created numerous challenges and obstacles that are still prevalent today. Many of the important changes made associated with the movement were introduced through queer and queer allied individuals and groups involved in politics. Small victories such as the revision of the anti discrimination statement to include “sexual orientation”, new propositions regarding the Equal Rights Amendment and legalized abortion, were met in turn with growing animosity and resistance from individuals and groups opposed to liberal and
Shepard was a homosexual man, and his murder was labeled as a hate crime, a murder which, in the late 90's, dominated the airwaves: “Matthew Shepard” was the name at the tip of everyone's tongue, but what made his murder special? JoAnn Wypilewski points out in her essay “A Boy's Life” that, “Gay men are killed horribly everywhere in this country, more than thirty just since Shepard – one of them in Richmond, Virginia, beheaded” (609). When so many men are killed in a similar context why do we specifically care about Matthew Shepard – or why don't we? Searching simply the name “Matthew Shepard” in the Google database yields thousands of results in the form of articles, news periodicals, and videos. The media exposure of the Matthew Shepard case is overwhelming. The overload of information can leave us clueless. As college students of the twenty-teens who are fifteen years removed from the incident how do we care about Matthew Shepard?
The Laramie Project Critique * No Works Cited The Laramie project captured the audience's attention by utilizing different design methods on stage. This included sound, stage and hand properties, light, and music. With an ensemble of 10 actors playing over 30 roles, this proved to be an amazing play to experience. The playwright was constructed in a clear manner, which eliminated the confusion of "who is who." Through the usage of the stage elements as well as the dynamics of each character, this brought about an effective plot.
The Laramie Project, written by Moisés Kaufman, is a compilation of interviews by The Tectonic Theater Project, news publications, and journal entries. After the brutal murder of Mathew Sheppard in 1998. Kaufman along with his theater troupe made six visits to Laramie, Wyoming, where the murder took place, to interview people about what happened and how they felt about the crime in their community. They interviewed about two hundred people, of which about sixty were included in the play. The play showcases a small town in America in a historical time of tragedy. The production of The Laramie Project was simple. The stage setting was minimal and the the actors consisted of eight people portraying more than sixty. Through the patchwork of interviews The Laramie Project conveys the themes of identity, representation, and change.
They develop four main themes surrounding their finds: leaving aggressive social environments, facing 'coming out' in meaningful ways, remembering the social environment, and turning challenges into opportunities and strengths (Askura and Craig 2014: 254-5). Asakura and Craig confirm that life did not automatically get better for these participants. They conclude, “future activism and media campaigns should incorporate stories on how LGBTQ people’s lives are getting better and focus on how we as a society can make it better for today’s LGBTQ youths” (Askura and Craig 2014: 265). Asakura and Craig cover detailed information and exceptional insight to whether or not the “It Gets Better” campaign has had an impact on LGBTQ youths. In comparison to Kidd’s “Not that There’s Anything Wrong with That: Sexuality Perspectives,” this article gives personal quotes on suicide instead of just insight. This source perceives the argument that life does not automatically get better for LGBTQ youth after watching an inspirational “It Gets Better” campaign video. However, the question still hangs whether or not the “It Gets Better” campaign has provided enough strength and motivation to decrease the overall amount of LGBTQ youth
In the past decades, the struggle for gay rights in the Unites States has taken many forms. Previously, homosexuality was viewed as immoral. Many people also viewed it as pathologic because the American Psychiatric Association classified it as a psychiatric disorder. As a result, many people remained in ‘the closet’ because they were afraid of losing their jobs or being discriminated against in the society. According to David Allyn, though most gays could pass in the heterosexual world, they tended to live in fear and lies because they could not look towards their families for support. At the same time, openly gay establishments were often shut down to keep openly gay people under close scrutiny (Allyn 146). But since the 1960s, people have dedicated themselves in fighting for
Mattachine, an activist group in New York, called for a meeting July 16 to organize around gay liberation. Dick Leitsch, an old time leader, tried to lead the meeting. “ Acceptance of gays and lesbians would take time,” he explained, but one young man shouted, “we don't want acceptance, we have got to radi...
Artistic creations can be a means for the exploration of human attitudes, feelings and behaviors. The performing arts are an example of an artistic media that can be utilized in this way. For example, the use of theatre and film can be applied as way to explore some of the human attitudes, feelings and behaviors that are related to topics such as tolerance, acceptance, anger, hatred and also forgiveness. Two such performing arts examples are The Laramie Project and Shakespeare as presented in the Secured Housing Unit (SHU) at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility (WVCF), a super-maximum security prison in the state of Indiana. These productions offer their creators and viewers alike, the opportunity to learn much about the attitudes and actions concerning how people relate to each other. They also offer an opportunity for people to understand themselves better, as well.
Discrimination has always been prominent in mainstream society. Judgments are quickly formed based on one’s race, class, or gender. The idea that an individual’s self-worth is measured by their ethnicity or sexual preference has impacted the lives of many Americans. During the early colonial period, a social hierarchy was established with white landowners at the top and African-American slaves at the bottom. As equality movements have transpired, victims of discrimination have varied. In the late 1980’s when Paris is Burning was filmed, gay rights were still controversial in society. The lack of acceptance in conventional society created hardships in the lives of transgender women and gay men.
Life for most homosexuals during the first half of the Twentieth century was one of hiding, being ever so careful to not give away their true feelings and predilections. Although the 1920s saw a brief moment of openness in American society, that was quickly destroyed with the progress of the Cold War, and by default, that of McCarthyism. The homosexuals of the 50s “felt the heavy weight of medical prejudice, police harassment and church condemnation … [and] were not able to challenge these authorities.” They were constantly battered, both physically and emotionally, by the society that surrounded them. The very mention or rumor of one’s homosexuality could lead to the loss of their family, their livelihood and, in some cases, their lives. Geanne Harwood, interviewed on an National Public Radio Broadcast commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, said that “being gay before Stonewall was a very difficult proposition … we felt that in order to survive we had to try to look and act as rugged and as manly as possibly to get by in a society that was really very much against us.” The age of communist threats, and of Joseph McCarthy’s insistence that homosexuals were treacherous, gave credence to the feeling of most society members that homosexuality was a perversion, and that one inflicted was one to not be trusted.
Introduction The Laramie Project is a three-act play made by the Tectonic Theater Company that tells the story of the people of Laramie, Wyoming, and how the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard has impacted their way of life. The play is split up into different “moments” instead of scenes, with the moments being characters expressing their thoughts on a particular topic at a certain point in time. This Laramie Project has always been a very popular play for high schools to perform ever since its debut at the Ricketson Theater in 2000, especially because of its unique style and the evenness of its cast. The production that I watched was the 2024 Lynbrook production that took place on April fourth, fifth, and sixth.
“The unprecedented growth of the gay community in recent history has transformed our culture and consciousness, creating radically new possibilities for people to ‘come out’ and live more openly as homosexuals”(Herdt 2). Before the 1969 Stonewall riot in New York, homosexuality was a taboo subject. Research concerning homosexuality emphasized the etiology, treatment, and psychological adjustment of homosexuals. Times have changed since 1969. Homosexuals have gained great attention in arts, entertainment, media, and politics. Yesterday’s research on homosexuality has expanded to include trying to understand the different experiences and situations of homosexuals (Ben-Ari 89-90).
In this essay, I will explain how religion is sometimes used to mobilize against LGBT people, how some people’s religious and personal doctrines conflict regarding LGBT issues, and how religious belief and community can be a positive force for the LGBT community.
When one hears the words “LGBT” and “Homosexuality” it often conjures up a mental picture of people fighting for their rights, which were unjustly taken away or even the social emergence of gay culture in the world in the1980s and the discovery of AIDS. However, many people do not know that the history of LGBT people stretches as far back in humanity’s history, and continues in this day and age. Nevertheless, the LGBT community today faces much discrimination and adversity. Many think the problem lies within society itself, and often enough that may be the case. Society holds preconceptions and prejudice of the LGBT community, though not always due to actual hatred of the LGBT community, but rather through lack of knowledge and poor media portrayal.