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Essay on history of the lgbtq community
Essay on history of the lgbtq community
Homosexuality throughout history
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LGBT culture is shared by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual or transgender, and sometimes is referred to as queer culture. LGBT culture varies widely by geography and the identity of the participants. Not all LGBT people identify with LGBT culture due to geographic distance, unawareness of the subculture's existence, fear of social stigma or a preference for remaining unidentified with sexuality or gender-based subcultures or communities. During the 19th and early 20th centuries gay culture was covert, often relying on secret symbols and codes woven into a predominantly straight society . Gay influence in early America was primarily limited to places of high culture, and association of gay men with opera, ballet, couture, other fine arts, began with wealthy homosexual men using the straight themes of these mediums to send their own messages. For example, in the heterocentric film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, a musical number features Jane Russell singing "Anyone Here for Love" in a gym while muscled men dance around her, many critics theorize that the men dancing around Russell hold more interest in each other than with Russell. It was only after the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, gay male culture was publicly acknowledged for the first time. As with gay men, …show more content…
For example, in many cultures people who are attracted to people of the same sex, that is, those who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual are classed as a third gender along with those who would be classified as transgender. In the most western cultures there are different groups of transgender and transsexual people, such as groups for transsexual people who want sex reassignment surgery, heterosexual-only cross-dressers and Trans men's groups. Groups encompassing all transgender people, both trans men and trans women, have appeared in recent
For instance, sociologists would argue that characteristics of the male gender in a given society include independence, and dominance whereas females express more passive behavior. Gender identity, on the other hand is an individual’s sense of their gender or in other words, their sense as to whether they are feminine or masculine. Therefore, transgender is a term related to “people whose gender identity is different from the gender commonly socially assigned to them on the basis of their biological sex” (Morrow & Messinger, 2006, p. 7).“Biological theories assume that gender should be consistent with biological sex and there are only two genders and two sexes” which does not correspond to transgender people. Furthermore, transgender is also used as a general term to include people such as transsexuals and cross-dressers
Imagine going through life believing that you were born into the wrong body. This is how a transgender feels as they go through life. A transgender is a person who whose self-identity does not conform unambiguously to male or female sex. This topic is very controversial due to many arguments about the differences between the male and female physique. The natural biological differences between males and a females play a huge role in this controversy.
Stonewall shows the timeline of important events in the LGBTQ community and how the “approval” of society fluctuates throughout the seventy years that are looked at in this documentary. Up until 1920, no one spoke of sexuality. It was not taught in schools and there was only gossip. This is partially due to the idea that the heterosexuality was normal and the only option. At this time, being homosexual meant that there was something wrong with these people and they needed to go to jail or a mental facility.
...r scene was instrumental in the development of a culture and identity for homosexuals. In today's contemporary world, we see the effects of what was done during the late 1800's and early 1900's. Today, there are numerous balls in which homosexuals are able to gather on a larger scale and engage in almost ritual practices. The bar scene has flourished well beyond the Bowery and into mainstream culture. Despite this, I have personally seen a new trend of bars opening up in areas, namely the less economically stable areas of New York City, that cater primarily to homosexuals. In these areas, homosexuality is shunned far more harshly than in areas with financial stability. Overall, the foundation that was built at the turn of the century are still being built upon by those of the contemporary age, and are trying to gain more notoriety, further the homosexual identity.
For years homosexuality in the United States of America has been looked down upon by citizens, religions, and even politicians. The homosexual culture, or the LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender), has been demoralized and stuck out and lashed against by the Heterosexual community time and time again. To better understand the LGBT community we must first grasp the concept of Sexual Orientation.
For this engagement essay the article Mean Ladies: Transgenders Villains in Disney Films by Amanda Putnam and the chapter “Someday My Prince Will Come”: Disney, the Heterosexual Imaginary and Animated Films by Carrie L. Cokely will summarized, analyzed, and engaged with using the Queer analytical framework.
However, an umbrella term, or a word that covers more than one specific topic, such as transgender, does not only describe people who identify as the opposite sex; it also describes people who identify with both male and female genders, people who identify as genderless, or people who fluctuate between two or more genders. Many transgender people often refer to themselves simply as “trans.” Transgender does not define one’s sexual orientation, however; gender is considered a social construct while sexuality is not.
Among the gay community, Stonewall has become associated with freedom, fighting, and equality. It was a turning point in gay history and one that literature often uses with a separation of before and after. Using Martin Luther King’s nonviolent method of forcing integration, the Mattachine Society set out to unite the gay scene and empower them. It served as an inspiration and the movement has only grown from their small start. Homosexuality has gone from being a prohibited subject that could seldom be mentioned in public to a common topic of debate among politicians, voters, and the media. Though vast improvements have been made, the gay communities fight has not yet been won, and with more organizations forming and challenging norms hopefully the journey will not be long.
Cisgender, for example, is the word that describes when your gender identity aligns with your sex. It is the reverse of transgender. Most people identify as cisgender or 'cis' without even recognizing it, but it is a gender identity, too.
For example, someone who is gender fluid is described to "feel like a mix of the two traditional genders, but may feel more man some days, and more woman other days." Killerman. It is very difficult for people who do not "pass" as a specific gender to use the restroom in public. This is not an issue solely felt by transgender people. People who don't identify as the gender they were assigned at birth can face many kinds of discrimination and harassment.
“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).
Clinically speaking, a person who was assigned female at birth but identifies and lives as a man is referred to as a transsexual man, or transman, or female-to-male (FTM); a male-to-female (MTF) person is a transsexual woman or transwoman (Glicksman). Some people drop the transgender label after they have transitioned to their new gender. However, they want to be referred to only as a man or a woman. But what if our gender identity, our sense of being a boy or being a girl, does not match our physical body? From a very early age we will start to feel increasingly uncomfortable. For some this is a mild discomfort, for others it is so traumatic they would rather die than continue to live in the wrong body. Unfortunately as transsexual people are a small minority of the population the condition has been labeled by Psychiatrists as "Gender Identity Disorder". With the transgendered, the disordered assumption is that the
In sociology, the LGBT community is viewed as a subculture to the dominant world culture. The community is generally accepted by the dominant culture and although the group has some of its own beliefs and rituals/traditions, it still adheres to the fundamental beliefs and cultural expectations of the dominant culture. Before being considered a subculture, homosexual relationships and variations of sexual orientation were classified as devian behaviort. Even before that, someone who experienced homosexual thoughts or tendencies was labeled as mentally ill. The idea of homosexuality being a mental illness appeared in the DSM until 1987. There are still remnants of homophobia today but the consensus (at
Society today has become more accepting of homosexuality. There are single gender couples in the media, and gay rights, such as marriage, have become a political standpoint. In this class we have discussed how society today is changing, and how important it is to be accepting of others who are different. In a heterosexual society, it is a big deal that we are becoming more accepting of people who like the same sex. The problem is, some people aren't just heterosexual or homosexual. Similar to the gender binary, there is a sexual orientation binary being created by the media. The black and white view is damaging to people who like both genders. Society tries to put labels on people, causing people to question their own identity. In the time of adolescence this can be very damaging to someone, male or female. Education about bisexuality could be the step society needs to take to create a more accepting society. Right now, a bisexual is seen as someone who cannot make a choice, but society should not pressure people to choose. People should not have to label themselves heterosexual or homosexual. The media has become more accepting of same sex couples, however, it exploits bisexuality.
Transgender identified people are those who identifies with another gender from which they were given to at birth. For example, a female sex assigned girl or woman transition man, or a male sex assigned boy or man to a woman. Transsexual identified people are those that identify with a sex different than assigned. For example a female sex assigned person who identifies as male and vice versa. In some other cultures, such as the Native American culture give the freedom for transgender identified people to be able to live as they identify. Today the western ideology shut out and out casts trans people. Europeans have always out casted trans people. Beemyn (2014:504) states “The Europeans nations that colonized what is today the United States rejected and often punished perceived instances of gender nonconformity. But many Native American cultures at the time of European conquest welcomed and had recognized roles for individuals who assumed behaviors and identities different from those of the gender assigned to them