After reading Terrence McNally’s play Andre’s mother, quality over quantity comes to mind. Andre’s mother is a short and simple play that carries a powerful message. The story unfolds at Andre’s memorial service and it’s attended by Andre’s boyfriend Cal, Andre’s Mother, Cal’s father, and Cal’s sister Penny. Andre’s mother is a story about accepting and letting go, sometimes we have to accept things for what they are even if one is not ready. Andre died of HIV, this was a common occurrence for homosexuals in the early 80’s, late 90’s and even today it happens frequently. Andre’s mother was more than a play about a gay male afraid of facing his family. It was a play that brought forth two imperative subjects in the early 90’s; Homosexuality and AIDS. Beyond that, the play taught us to accept and let go.
Homosexuality has been a sensitive talking point for a long time. Being gay goes against the social norm for most cultures worldwide and there are even cultures that persecute individuals because they are gay. In the early 90’s, the US government was making strides to bring forth the issue of homosexuality and especially homosexuals living with HIV/AIDS to the public in an effort to educate the general public. “In 1991, the red ribbon is adopted as a symbol of awareness and compassion for those living with HIV/AIDS” (PBS). Although it was not groundbreaking at the time, just having the ribbon was a major step in bringing the issue to the public eye. If you see a pink ribbon today, you automatically think of breast cancer. The creation of the red ribbon by the New York-based Visual AIDS had a similar impact at the time.
Two years later in 1993, “The Department of Defense issues a directive prohibiting the U.S. Military from barrin...
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...go at the end. “Andres Mother stands alone holding her white balloon. Her lip trembles. She looks on the verge of breaking down. She is about to let go of the balloon when she pulls it down to her. She looks at it a while before she gently kisses it. She lets go of the balloon. She follows it with her eyes as it rises and rises” (McNally).
There is a distinct contrast between Andre’s mother and Cal, Cal seems to be at peace with the situation and finally let’s go of Andre’s spirit. Andre’s mother on the other hand is as reluctant as she has ever been, she does not seem any closer to accepting her son’s life at the end of the play but she lets go and maybe this is an indication that she is on the road to acceptance. In the end, the simple message in the play was to accept the Homosexual community even if we did not understand an individual who was gay at the time.
The plays, The Glass Menagerie and A Raisin in the Sun, deal with the love, honor, and respect of family. In The Glass Menagerie, Amanda, the caring but overbearing and over protective mother, wants to be taken care of, but in A Raisin in the Sun, Mama, as she is known, is the overseer of the family. The prospective of the plays identify that we have family members, like Amanda, as overprotective, or like Mama, as overseers. I am going to give a contrast of the mothers in the plays.
In Tony Kushners to part play, Angels in America, readers are introduced to a closeted gay man, Joe Pitt and are exposed to his relationship with his Mormon mother, Hannah. An underlying conflict occurs when Hannah finds out her son is a homosexual; a problem which forces her to question her love and acceptance towards her son and her strong Mormon anti gay sentiments and beliefs. This conflict between mother and son helps Kushner illustrate the complexity of sexuality and the changing views of homosexuality.
Through the actions of the male hegemony and the mother figure, both plays show the different perspectives both sexes have towards homosexuality. The patriarchal figures, show an intolerant and abusive perspective whereas the mother figures show a more understanding way of coping with the identities of their sons. By seeing the reactions of both males and females, it is to say that the maternal figures of the play show a more comprehensive attitude towards the struggles that the male protagonist undergo. Both plays are related to today´s society, because there are still families in which homosexuality is not accepted. People are still
Somehow and somewhere they received the message that the lives of gay people are not as worthy of respect, dignity and honor as the lives of other people (HRC 3).
It’s safe to say that Kushner’s “Angels in America”, is one of the most famous plays to explore the topic of homosexuality. Joe 's character represents
The primary issue is that throughout the years, LGBT people were looked down upon and not accepted for who they are. Religion was one of the primary sources for the anti-gay movement. Media wouldn’t show gays on television, books that feature LGBT characters would always be killed off for no reason except because of who they were. Marriage was seen as a bond between man and women and that boy must like girls or they’ll “burn in hell.” Now, LGBT characters are on most television shows, along with books. Gay marriage was finally legalized in 2015. The fight for LGBT is far from over. As many believe that once
To sum it up both of these plays share the same broad message conveyed throughout the entire play. Which includes, women have the capabilities to do more than they show and are allowed to do. As well as the relationship men and women share is not constant, or the same, there are many different views on the relationship they share and many different variations that change as time progresses. Furthermore the rights of women also change with much time, and hard work by many women who have worked hard for their rights and future rights of all women. Some of this can lead to these two plays, giving new, bold ideas that were frightening for many during their times but helped for the push for a better tomorrow.
Homosexuality is not a new trend, sexual orientation, or identity, in fact homosexuality is believed to date back over 5,000 years ago (Adams, 2011). Same sex couples have existed for thousands of years and research will show how the social and political stigmas that are known today, have stemmed from religious point of views and political opinions.
As a society we see everyone as straight person and if you are not then others do not accept you. Last week, Arizona state legislature passed a bill permitting business owners to refuse service to homosexual customers if it conflicts with the owner’s religious beliefs. Researchers argue that homosexuality is based on genetics while religious persona believe homosexuality is unorthodox. I will be discussing research about the impact of homosexuality on the family and how people believe that when homosexuality is innate it increases LGBT rights. Also, how homosexuality can lead to at risk sexual behavior for men and prone to HIV’s.
The Stonewall Riots marked the start of the gay rights movement, and inspired members of the gay community to fight for their rights instead of being condemned for their sexuality. Even today, gay people in the US use the incident at Stonewall to educate younger members of the gay community. "The younger generation should know about Stonewall so that they will realize it is possible to make change. It is possible to overcome entrenched, institutionalized prejudice, discrimination, and bigotry. And that they can live full equal lives." (Frank Kameny, aarp.org) This is the message that many members of the gay community continue to spread after the incident at the Stonewall Inn.
In just the last 50 years, gay marriage and more specifically, homosexuality, has made great strides in social reform. For example, as of May 2014, 18 states in the United States have legalized same-sex marriage with some other states allowing same-sex unions. The main issue during these last 50 years is the debate between fundamentalists and scientists who argue the controversial debate of nature vs. nurture. Some fundamentalists argue that homosexuality is a lifestyle choice. Conversely, some scientists argue that homosexuality is biologically-determined in the womb due to genes or hormones. Moreover, research conducted by the journal Science and other sources will be examined within this paper that denotes that homosexuality is biologically-determined. This paper will argue that homosexuality is natural. The crux of the issue is that homosexuality is natural due its biological roots and ancestry in humans and animals.
Even up until now, the controversial issue of homosexuality is still apparent and widely discussed in many countries all over the world. Although many people are becoming more open minded and less skeptical about homosexuality, many more are still reluctant to accept the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) communities as equals. Whilst many may argue that their religion absolutely forbids same sex marriages, thus, rejecting the idea of homosexual relationship, many of them feels it is their right to make the gays and lesbians straight again. For instance, in South Africa, many males practice corrective rape. It is a form of hate crime towards lesbians in order to ‘cure’ them of their homosexuality in order to change them into heterosexuals (Strudwick, 2014). This proves how sick and twisted the minds of homophobes are. As a Catholic myself, even though I was taught that same sex relationship is wrong and not natural, I do not condemn homosexuals or look down on them. In fact, I even have friends that are gay or bisexual. It is good that more countries have now implemented new laws to protect the LGBT community. This ensures the lower crime rate and discrimination of the LGBTs. Despite the fact that a few European countries and several others have legalized same sex marriages, there are still rejection and objection from some parties particularly from the Roman Catholic Church (Bingham, 2005). Why does the Church have such strong objections? Through my research, I will discuss on the views and teachings of the Catholic Church on homosexuality and same sex marriage.
In the 1990's there has been what is called a "normalized movement"(Warner 41). This so-called movement has permeated into all aspects of the Gay and Lesbian movement's agenda. It has become increasingly clear in the realms of the media such as television, movies and magazines. The major objective for the proponents of this movement is to make the homosexual seem "normal." This would be done by not focusing on the sexual nature of the homosexual. Since their sexual behavior is considered deviant by society, any outward expression of it will be looked down upon. So, it has been the goal of some leaders of the movement as well as those who control the media outlets to separate the identity and sexuality of the homosexual as far as possible.
Stephen Schwartz’s song, Defying Gravity, contains a very bold statement. “I’m through with playing by the rules of someone else’s game and accepting limits because someone says they’re right.” This is something that many women have the audacity to think but never to speak aloud. However, there are two women who, even though they’re only in the play, did have the courage to say. In the plays Antigone, by Sophocles, and A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, these two brave young women, though very distant in time periods, discover they do not like the limitations society places on women. In the play by Sophocles, a 5th century woman of nobility, Antigone, defies the laws of the government while trying to abide by the laws of the gods when she attempts to give her brother a proper burial. In Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House, set in 19th century Norway, Nora, a woman of middle class, deceives her husband in order to save his life, but then realizes he is not the man she though he was either. Both Ibsen and Sophocles portray the timeless theme of a woman finding her identity by overcoming the many barriers and restrictions patriarchal society places on them through the following areas and characteristics: expectation of being submissive to men, assumption of being incompetent, and desperation to remain acceptable by society after the demise.
The movie, And the Band Played On, portrays a current issue the U.S. health care system face: the effects of societal perceptions of people who should receive health care support. Those perceived as undeserving are disregarded. Homosexual men were the first to be affected by AIDS in the US, and because of this, the stigma of homosexuality prevented developing health care policy to control the epidemic. Homosexuality was, and to a lesser extent now, not widely accepted. Marginalizing gay individuals was seen in the movie at the beginning, when media coverage on AIDs would not include “homosexual” within the news title (Pillsbury, Sanford, & Spottiswoode, 1993). This represents how media has to be marketed; the broader public will not be interested if a new disease only affects an undesirable population. Another example of this negligence is seen when Phillip Burton is asked to introduce a bill on AIDS. He agrees, but does not hesitate to retort, “They couldn’t get a dime out of this administration with the name gay on it” (Pillsbury, Sanford, & Spottiswoode, 1993). Finally, in order to change the perception, at the CDC conference with blood agencies, they renamed gay related immune deficiency (GRID) to AIDS, and the film cuts to news segments finally covering