Myths About Bisexuality - What Are They?

Jeniffer Baumgardner’s article, “What is Bisexuality?” was an interesting one for me to read, as a bisexual woman. One part of her article addresses the negative connotations with the word, “bisexual.” She wrote, “As a label, ‘bisexual,’ sounds pathological, academic, and a little embarrassed.” She goes on to describe some of the horrible synonymous slang terms for bisexual (Heartbreaker? Disease vector? Really?). I think her article could have gone a little more in depth on what bisexuality isn't - that is, describing some of these horrible stereotypes that come from both straight and gay communities. This would help clear up, perhaps, why bisexuality is an “embarrassing" label.

From what I can tell, the straight people's stereotyping has ties to the purity myth we’ve discussed in class, especially for women. If promiscuity is everything a woman isn’t supposed to be, bisexual people are the very illustration of that, through the eyes of heterosexual people. It is assumed that, because we are attracted to “both” genders (to cisgender, heterosexual people, that tends to mean everyone), we must be having sex with every person we see. Straight people have also been known to consider bisexual people as greedy - we’re out there stealing potential partners from everyone else, according to this line of thinking. These stereotypes may also stem from the misunderstanding the bisexuality is synonymous with polyamory. Though there are polyamorous bisexual people out there, the majority of bisexual people are monogamous.

From gay people, the stereotypes can often be quite hypocritical and seem to come from a place of spite. "Bisexuals can pass as straight,” is one of the biggest ones I hear. It is important for bisexual people to be critical of the fact that those of us in hetero-passing relationships do have privilege to the everyday person - I’m not denying this. However, gay and lesbian people are the biggest perpetrators of the notion that bisexuality is a choice, which in of itself goes against the very thing gay and lesbian movements fight for - the fact that who we love is not a choice. It seems to me that the gay and lesbian people perpetrating this idea about bisexual people are discrediting their own values when they imply that some people can choose who they want to be in love with.

Deeper Beauty - Oziel Juarez

Reading the section about the "beauty" ideal made me really upset. It shows such a deep and internalized hatred of oneself, which people would really want to fit this mold of the beauty ideal that western civilization has implemented and forced upon the world. Looking at the current culture today, most people who get plastic surgery to “look better” are usually backed up and reassured that they are doing the right thing because it’s their choice. This logic is flawed because the person wanting to make that decision for themselves is flawed, I believe. Americans especially, have a flawed thinking, because of the western media putting images of perfection and beauty ideals that people, especially women, cannot actually fulfill. And so these people go on and get plastic and cosmetic surgery because of this. So many people think that they’re doing this procedure because they want to, but in actuality, if we go deeper into that reason it’s because they were told to do it, and they are just doing it subconsciously. We then as a culture, applaud them for doing what makes them happy. By doing this, we are again ignoring the deeper meaning behind this and just continuing this problem that is being ignored.

Stop Being Weird and Gross - Taylor Williams

Old dudes who sexualize kids and teens are super creepy and need to be stopped

Jessica Valenti's "The Cult of Virginity" speaks up about the wrongness of forcing "virginity" on young women (and children who don't even know what sex is). Scientifically, there is no such thing as virginity and yet society still obsesses over it. Many people feel ashamed because they are still virgins when everyone around them has been hooking up for years, others still are proud of this "achievement." My high school had no sex-ed program until after I had moved beyond my sophomore year and kids had to get written permission from their parents to take it. I imagine it was not very effective because the pregnancy rate at my school was the same after the class was added as before.

I'm concerned with the amount of focus people have on the sexualities of young people, as it could be either pedophilic or forcing the idea of sex onto the kids. Beauty pageants are bad about this, allowing girls to begin participating at very young ages and continuing to do so into adulthood.

Bisexuality is normal. People need to chill and stop saying things like "make up your mind" or "ha you're just greedy" or "that's not a real thing you're straight or gay there's no in between."

By George I Think I Figured It Out - Emily Martinez 2/29

Or part of it, at least. While reading this week’s excerpts about virginity and reminiscing on the video we watched (that did not help my blood pressure, mind you), I began to wonder. Why are all of these men so obsessed with virginity? What about it makes them pitch fits and throw purity balls for their daughters who probably haven’t even hit puberty? I thought about it and I thought about it, and it hit me. It’s not about the virginity, it’s about them. Think about this: what is a virgin? The definition these men are using is ‘A virgin is a woman who is not sexually active and saving herself for marriage’. As in, a woman who has not been intimate another man. This would make her husband her first intimate experience, meaning she would have no point of reference as to how it should feel. I thought about how it’s common to hear about women rarely achieving orgasm in bed, and not thinking anything of it because, well, they weren’t taught any better. They’ve only been with their husbands to that must be how sex is, right? That’s what the man wants her to think at least. I went back to the articles on Masculinity, and I found a pattern: in both Kimmel and Powell’s articles, it is made clear that these men are insecure. They want to be seen the best at everything, they hate having their masculinity called into question and hate being compared to manlier men. This carries over into the bedroom and why virgins are so vital. If a woman has been with a man before, then she has a frame of reference and the man she is currently with has to live up to the expectations of all the men she’s been with (some possibly better) than he is at pleasing her. Because, despite not giving two hoots about the female orgasm, no man wants to be called out as disappointing in bed. So they shame women into saving themselves for marriage.

Does this make sense?

The Purity Myth Response- 2/28 Henry Wilkinson

"The Purity Myth" picks apart purity as a virtue and how this is problematic. As much as I like Tough Guise, and I really do like it, I've seen that video at least three times now (once in tenth grade, twice in a class that I TA'd for my senior year of high school). It was nice to watch something fresh and new.

During the video, I found myself laughing at many of the things that were said. It was hard to take any of the people speaking about how purity was a good thing seriously. The white conservatives blamed "out of control lesbian feminists" for the fact that their long standing problematic views were being called into question. The fact is, they're very antiquated and based on pseudo Christian-centric views (not based on actual Christianity but rather a fake Christianity used to mask their own prejudice). It is just a way to keep women subservient and powerless in a world where they are gaining more and more power. Why do you think there was such backlash against Hillary Clinton running for office? Because they want women to remain sexy, not sexual, young, thin, unmarked, and just as pretty objects.

They also present a very hegemonic, hetero normative view of sex. Are lesbians virgins? Are gay men virgins? If virginity is not being penetrated by a penis then are gay men not virgins? If virginity is not achieving orgasms, in which case lesbians aren't virgins? It's all very confusing and seemingly fragile. Since virginity is so hard to pinpoint, why is it held up as a virtue in the first place?

Because virginity is associated with innocence and passivity, it is valued because it keeps women in the binds that they were held in for millenia. At its most basic level, the reason white conservatives value virginity in women is because it keeps them stuck in the sexist gender role that they created for women.

Sex, Power, and Intimacy - 2/28 Henry Wilkinson

In this chapter, the notion of power is examined through how it connects to relationships (romantic and sexual). I found this very interesting since it is something we all face on a daily basis. I started to think about my own family and the relationships that I've been exposed to since birth. My aunt was in a somewhat abusive relationship with her husband, and ultimately they separated and divorced, but as a child I was told that their relationship was natural and to not pay attention to the many ways that it was problematic. I think it's very interesting that we are told to sometimes "suck it up" when we see things that are unjust, like how in school if a boy is mean to a girl she's told to be flattered that he's paying attention to her and not to get her feelings hurt. This teaches girls to put up with boy's bad behavior and it teaches boys that they can act any way they want. This is obviously problematic as these children ultimately grow into adults. Women face similar challenges that they faced as children; if they are sexually harassed, they are told that it's their fault and that they shouldn't have asked for it, while men are praised for "getting it."

Weekly Response 2/28--Kellen Gable

In the chapter "Sex, Power, and Intimacy" Shaw and Lee talk about how "heterosexuality is organized in such a way that the power men have in society gets carried into relationships..." and I think the biggest factor that plays into this is, because it is true, is the gender roles that we have in our society. Women are told to be submissive and soft and men are told to be dominant and loud and that transfers to relationships, particularly heterosexual relationships. Men are told they have the power in life and in society and they believe that and take it into their day to day lives, including their relationships. I think the way children's relationships also affects the way men and women form romantic relationships later in life. Little girls are told that when a boy teases her or even hurts her it means he likes her and those girls grow up thinking that it's okay when boys abuse them because they don't even think it is abuse. This mindset probably also plays into why there are so many women in abusive relationships, this and many other factors of course.

Weekly Response: The Cult of Virginity- Ann Arnett

Even though there seems to be no medical or precise definition of virginity, it is something society is obsessed with. Even though both genders have the capability of being a virgin, it is mainly associated with women. Society focuses on female purity and how “important” it is. A woman’s virginity is what defines her morals, as well as if she is considered to be ruined or damaged. If she is a virgin, she is pure and good. If she is not, she is dirty and unruly. Whereas a man can sleep with as many women as he wants and he is rewarded. He finds himself being applauded by other men, and his success is not defined by how many women he’s been with. It is mainly older, white men who put this double standard into place and continue to spread it. I believe that virginity is irrelevant. It does not affect who I am as a person. I will not be able to perform a job better if I am a virgin, and I will not do any worse because I am not a virgin. If anything, the obsession with virginity stems from a fetishization of it. Some men fantasize that taking away a women’s virginity will be the epitome of sexual experiences. Although they see it as mainly a sexual experience, it still affects how society sees a woman’s morals. Society’s love for the idea of one’s virginity needs to be taken off its pedestal, and a woman needs to be recognized for her success and who she is.

Sexuality of Black Women-Bria Shelby

Kimberly Springers article "Queering Black Female Heterosexuality" builds upon Jessica Valenti's " The Cult of Virginity" and brings to light the position of black women on the idea of virginity, purity and promiscuity. Black women have to tip toe around their sexuality to a much higher degree than our white counter parts. We have been sexualized for centuries, therefore it is even more important for us to not give into promiscuity. Unlike white women, we are already expected to be sexual so if a black woman happens to be sexual then it reenforces the stereotype. A sexual black woman not only speaks for herself but all black women. For her to act that way makes us all look bad. It creates a much bigger burden for black women who want to express their sexuality but run the risk of setting our race back because of their personal choices. This is why black families make sure to teach their girls not to have sex or even look like they may be sexually active because it then goes from being an issue about sex to also being an issue about race; we have to compromise our own sexual expression because of racism.
This is an issue that I am familiar with because like many black girls, I was not taught about sex from my parents; it was just expected that I would not do it until I was married. This is the case for many young black girls, especially because we are raised in traditional, baptist homes were explicit subjects of any kind are not tolerated. It definitely confuses us and stifles our sexuality because we are torn between being a holy, asexual women who doesn't engage with sex to being a hoe in a music video. We are not taught about the in betweens.

Just keep walking, maybe pretend to check your phone?

These three articles are relevant not only to my life but today’s society in general. I particularly identified with Brent Staples’ “Just Walk on By” since the danger of being hurt or worse on the streets is a very real fear for members of the Black Community. Brent lays down what he’s experienced and observed in his years, how people react to him and how young so-called tough guys have been hurt or even killed as a result of their actions. Staples even mentions many occasions when he and other black men are mistaken for someone harmful and are put in compromising situations by people who’s logic is overthrown by their prejudice. It’s an unfortunate thing when a news reporter studying on a murderer is nearly taken away by gunpoint by police officers thinking that he was the very murderer he was reporting on.

As a multi racial person with paler skin in comparison to my peers or even members of my family, I have a different perspective on this. For one I’m often able to “pass” as being completely white, seeing as how the default for most Americans with pale skin is Caucasian. Most whites don’t have to deal with being asked about their ethnic origins unless they have a different accent than what’s standard to an area so my race coming up in casual conversation is surprisingly rare when people don’t know that I’m mixed. With so many stories of innocent young black men being killed on the streets even a pale person of mixed-race can’t help but feel nervous about ‘scaring’ people in public who have been told all their lives that blacks are violent by nature and should be feared.

Response to Powel (Bria Phillips)

      After reading Kevin Powel’s article “Confessions of a Recovering Misogynist” I initially thought it was nice to see him to own up to his past mistakes and want to change his ways so much so that he’s confessing to us. As I continue to read it over and over, something just doesn’t feel right. It’s like he’s forcing us to feel sorry for him so that we can appreciate his “progress.” Which I don’t know how to interpret his said progress; he’s constantly saying “he could easily relapse” or fall back into his sexist ways. I get that he is human and that as humans we all make mistakes, but to be a recovering misogynist that means he knows his issues, his triggers, his influences, etc. so he should be able to overcome the urges to go back to his old ways, right?

I do appreciate that he brought up several good points about conformity and peer pressure in school. Growing up, we tend to place our own expectations of gender into a bubble and then eventually model it around this fictional character or kid from TV shows, movies, books, etc. or maybe even someone else in our class or grade or school, and then tell ourselves this is how we are supposed to be. That is who I am striving to become. He says, “… at school boys were encouraged to do ‘boy’ things: work and build with our hands, fight each other, and participate in the most daring activities during our gym time” (p.56, Powel). Even as we get older, we continue with this mindset to push ourselves to become better than others or to constantly prove ourselves to other people we may hang around just for approval, which could lead to misogynist behavior or homophobia.

LGBT in 2017 - Oziel Juarez

Reading the world report of LGBT rights on page 168 really made me realize how privileged I am to live in America. I consider myself to be a very knowing person and I keep up with new reports on such LGBT rights and just do my own investigations like this on the Human Rights Campaign on occasion. I know that it’s been seven years since this report was revealed, however, to read this compiled in a physical book, really makes me think further and understand better at how blessed I am to live in a country that’s very progressive. Reading the part about how in Iraq they literally kidnap people torture them and mutilate and kill “suspected” gay men or not masculine-enough men, really paints a mental horror picture in your head. Being a gay person paints that image twice as bad. The situation that happened in Honduras, with transwomen disappearing, I’ve never even read about. It’s extremely scary knowing how awful and inhumane the world treats transwomen and all transpeople. To compare this report to today, I know that in America during 2016, 27 transwomen were murdered, majority of which were black transwomen and that doesn’t include the number of those individuals who were not reported, investigated or misgendered. It does provide a scary picture and I would say it also shows us that life for transpeople hasn’t gotten any better since 2010. It’s a very scary time for transpeople, but I do hope that within the upcoming years it changes for the better for them, but considering the people in our government offices right now I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Oppression vs Privileged

The definition of oppression is when a person prolonged ceuel or injustified treatment or control. Privileged is having special rights, advantages, or immunities to do something that is particularly pleasurable to that person. Nothing a person can say or do can justify they're wrong doing and Brent Staples acted like he really deserved a medal for not treating people like crap. Big whoopb he purposely made and ass of himself. It does not matter where you come from and how much money you and your parents have. A fool who can not learn how to treat yet along be a decent human being is a coward woth no home training. This is also a good example I mentioned in class on monday, "it all starts at home with the parents. And your child is a reflection of you." He has no excuse for doing the things he has done. You do not have to have money to be able to become a decent person, it is about who you are, where you come from,and how you were raised.

Oppression and Privilege -2/21 Henry Wilkinson

It's a fact that our society is built on oppression. Even if we think we have moved away from slavery, for example, oppression still exists in our daily lives. Take for example the $5 shirts you can buy at Walmart. At first you may not consider how they got there or who made them. The truth of the matter is that there are people in Bangladesh who live in sweat shops and are paid 2 cents a day to make those shirts. 112 people died a few years ago in a sweatshop fire because they were not allowed to leave. This seems like something out of the 1800's, but oppression like this still exists, just not to the public's immediate eye.

Similar to this, gender inequality exists as well, which is given power by oppression. Because of the subtle oppression of women, to appear womanly is taboo and unheard of. Women must be feminine, but not too feminine, and men are shunned if they so much as think about putting on  makeup. Powell in Confessions of a Recovering Misogynist tries to excuse his actions by saying that he's moving on, that he's checked himself and because he is conscious of his male privilege, he is absolved of the problem. This is not true. Because oppression plays such a large role in our lives, even if we do not see it at first, it is impossible to be absolved of benefiting from privilege. A man will always be afforded certain privileges, Whites will be afforded privileges as well, cisgendered people will, etc. Of course there is a hierarchy, but no matter how hard people try to not benefit from a flawed system, they will nonetheless.

Masculinity and You (and Me) - Taylor Williams

A list, not a paragraph

Masculinity is often fragile and toxic for those who subscribe to the way society makes it seem you have to be. I don't feel qualified to speak of masculinity or racism as I walk the earth in a white female body.

Most men I know are not afraid of expressing feelings, although they may lash out at times because they don't know how to express what they are going through. 

I do not feel afraid of men overall even though individually they can be intimidating. Women will generally play along and pretend to be interested in a man because they are afraid of being killed for rejecting him (which has happened too many times to mention) or because they are at work and are required to be nice to everyone, which can be seen as flirting.  Guys say just tell him what's up and he'll leave you alone but he might not, they don't realize this. The constant preparing to fight back or run. Never knowing when something bad will happen so always being watchful of your surroundings, always armed just in case. That's the scary part, you never know who your attacker might be. It could be someone you thought was perfectly nice (e.g. Ted Bundy), so you can't really generalize about a race being scary when it could be literally anyone alive.

The system of the patriarchy holds men in higher power than anyone else (except the Queen), especially straight white men. Though many straight white men feel they have no power over anything, they are a part of the system that oppresses those who are considered by the system to be below that group. 

You become a part of the system when you use your car.^1

Men who are nice to women sometimes feel entitled to thanks (and sex) even though it is simply being a decent person women are asking them to do, something that should be a norm anyway.

1. "Punkrock Anarchy" by Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains

Balancing Oppression-Bria Shelby

Kevin Powell's "Confessions of a Recovering Misogynist"  reminds me of Audre Lorde's "There is No Hierarchy of Oppression". The author reminds me of how selfish some people can be because they only worry about their own lives. They only make an effort to support their own causes and it leaves other causes  to seem unimportant. When called out about being oppressive, they counter it by mentioning their own oppression which is beside the point. I think that some are just too ignorant and lazy to care about other causes. Some people may even feel subconsciously that their oppression can be undone a little by oppressing others to get a sense of power. For example, there are often lower class whites people who are racist towards people of color. They take advantage of their privilege in one area in order to try and make themselves feel better about being oppressed in other areas. The author, for instance, maybe felt that treating women like he did would make up for that fact that he had less power as a black person. It takes a strong person to set aside their own problems and help those with problems of their own. I think that Powell did a good job of realizing it although it took a long time  and a lot of transgressions to come to his epiphany.

Weekly Response- Ann Arnett

In Shame-O-Phobia, David Wexler speaks of how often guys fear of appearing feminine. Whether it is carrying their wife’s purse across a plaza or speaking of their feelings, guys fear to go against the gender norms of what it means to be a man. These gender norms are embedded in them from when they were a child. They are told by men that are leader figures to them that boys don't do this and boys don't do that. That they must ignore pain, physical and emotional, so they don't seem weak. Therefore, they learn not to express themselves. This causes men to have a higher risk of depression and emotional problems. It also puts them at a higher risk to act and make decisions that could end in injury. This is because of how society has constructed gender. It has been divided into two sectors where one cannot cross over, even if it is completely natural. Society must become more lenient when it comes to gender and it's expectations. If not, then people will continue to feel trapped in society's constructed ideas of gender and feel the effects of it as well.

Further Thoughts - 2/22 Emily Martinez

During class, we discussed Powel’s Confessions of a Recovering Misogynist in which the author discusses his struggles with misogyny. We mentioned how, though his declaration of such a negative trait willingly exposes himself to the ridicule, his tone remains haughty throughout. As if the author expects some praise for common decency. While reading over the passage again I saw that, while he admits his problems and acknowledges his faults, he still blames his mother. He states his continuous fear of her, of her beatings, and I think back to what started that conflict. It dawns on me that the cause of that conflict just also happens to be the one person who escaped Powel’s blame: his father. According to him, his bad behavior and his subsequent beatings began after his father walked out on them. It was his father who left “Per his socialization--and to the next mating call” (56-57). His fight was never with women. The women and he were all trying to survive in the wake of, pardon my French, male bullshit. His mother dealt (poorly) with his father dumping the family and took it out on him. His fellow student was struggling to be heard and he responded by pulling a knife. It took court ordered therapy before he realized his problem. His mind somehow twisted these events and placed the blame on all women. His environment and further BS twisted his perception of women and turned him into a misogynist. What he really failed to realize was that women were never to blame for his problems. The domino of horrible events that led to his hatred was, in fact, started by another man.

Man, not Men--Kellen Gable

In Kimmel’s “Masculinity as Homophobia” he talks about the paradox of men having power but feeling powerless. I think men feel this way because they do not see men as a group, they see themselves as individuals because any time they are confronted with the notion that they as men have power they almost always say “No I don’t, and here’s my specific experience and why I think I have no power.” They seem to only see man, not men. I have talked to a man about the wage gap before and his argument was that he worked with women doing the same job and he got paid less than them when he started. Which makes sense because they had years of experience and he had one day. (He was also promoted about a month later even though one of those women had worked there for three years).

The inability of men to admit their privileges makes talking to them about anything like the wage gap almost like a chore and I think that is why a lot of women do not bring it up to the men in their lives. They feel as if they will start a fight but that would not happen if men weren’t so defensive about it and every other problem had with them.    

It's Not MY Fault - A Look At Shifting Blame of Misogyny

When I read, “Confessions From a Recovering Misogynist,” I was struck by the implications of the analogy the author made with the title. “Confessions of a Recovering Misogynist” - it almost sounds like he’s comparing misogyny to such things as alcoholism or drug addiction. “Recovering” makes me think of illness; does the author equate misogyny to an illness? In a way, I get it. Illness is bad, something someone wants to move past; so is misogyny, once a person realizes what it is and that they are misogynistic. However, I feel like painting any form of prejudice as an illness is discrediting the power and intention behind prejudice. Just from the title alone, I could feel the author shifting the blame or playing a pity card. The author was writing the article in a very defensive manner. Even when he was making a valid - though exxagerrated - point, he was still defensive; trying to shift the blame. He writes, “I entered Rutgers University … and my mama’s-boy demeanor advanced to that of a pimp. I learned that most males in college are some variety of pimp. … [Misogyny] is common and pimpdom reigns supreme.” The author is basically telling us that he sought after “power" because other men were also “powerful,” that, essentially, he succumbed to peer pressure. He’s blaming the other men rather than owning up to his actions. Even the line, “It was not easy for me to admit I had a problem,” asks the reader to pull a pity card. This whole mentality is something I see a lot talking to some of my male friends - “It’s not my fault because x, y, and z,” and I’m not sure to respond to it.

Where do you think this mentality comes from? Do you have male friends or family that exhibit this mentality? If so, how do you respond to it?

True Forgiveness

After reading this week's writings I have to admit I am more self-esteem of my own prejudices. Powell's confessional essay of reflection and self-awareness opens up the question. What is every racist,sexist,homophobist etc did some how had a change of heart. Would we as the oppressed one's be able to look past or more so move on with our lives. Or would we simply continue to oppress the oppressors. What if blacks received restitution and all those guilty of homophobia sincerely apolozied and stopped their harassment. What if men gave women the respect and acknowledgement due them. Would we then continue on to bring up past hurts and redicules? Could we forgive could you forgive? That answer would determine peace and acceptance. If there were no one to despise or be despised would we even have a reason to get out bed in the morning. Perhaps it's out prejudices that give weight to the oppressers. Could we love the unlovable because aren't we just following each other's leads. And given the chance wouldn't we want to be the dominant race they just beat us to it it doesn't mean we are better.

Gender and Race (late)

Historically women have been put into roles that are deemed less than roles men take on, but one must consider how race adds a significant difference in the way the roles are played out.  As stated in “Through the Lens of Race: Black and White Women’s Perceptions of Womanhood”, “socio-historical differences in black and white woman's opinion for work family and domestic labor as well as experiences of discrimination in stereotyping have created a set of race related to gender norms that are likely to influence how women are from these groups perceive and value their own gender.”  One thing to note about a point made in the essay in the important difference between gender and race is even though white women experience oppression against women black women experience oppression through both gender and race. With that in mind one would have to understand how past racism has made a stereotype on black women as "hypersexual yet hypofeminine," when white women are seen as "nurturing, domestic, dependent, submissive, and emotional" making the stereotype reinforced with the idea that white women are the norm. With the stereotypes in play, one could statistically see that black women are more likely to be a single mother in the working force, whereas white women are seen as housewives, taking care of domestic responsibilities. This leads to mistreatment in the gender and race, but also there is in a vintage white women have over black women. Examples ranging from scholarships, accessibility to certain jobs, economic benefits, and freedom of expression. This is all a prime example of why there's no hierarchy of oppression and why all women should be fighting for freedom for all equal rights.

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If you are interested in feminist music or even just punk music in general, you should check out:

 Childbirth- Women's Rights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRQTY5nAK2A&list=PLpLdghFhTy0zrFQJ2LWscS7QiOu2LFW9b

I just figured out how to link 😛✊
 

Central Park Jogger incident

Hi everyone,

Here's more information on the incident that I mentioned in class today. Go to this PBS website to find our more and watch video clips on a documentary on the incident, entitled Central Park Five.

The memoir published by the jogger is "I am the Central Park Jogger." She was an investment banker who was running in the evening. She was raped and severely beaten. The attack left her in coma for 12 days...

Another incident similar to this is "the Scottsboro Boys" case. Nine young black men were falsely accused of raping two white women on board a train near Scottsboro, Alabama in 1931. More on it here.

Scripted Sexuality - 4/1

"Human sexuality involves erotic attractions, identity, and practices, and it is constructed by and through societal sexual scripts. Sexual scripts are guidelines for how we are supposed to feel and act as sexual persons. They are shaped by the communities and societies in which we participate and therefore are socially constructed (they emerge from communities and societies). Into this way social scripts can be said to reflect social norms and practices accepted in particular social contexts. They provide frameworks and guidelines for sexual feelings and behaviors. Sometimes there is embarrassment, shame, and confusion associated with these sexual scripts, and they easily become fraught with potential misunderstandings."

This stood out to me the most through reading this weeks passages. I found it such a coincidence that I just stated this as an opinion in my previous weekly response to not accepting transgenders and then this came back and just clarified my opinion. It's just crazy how we are being brainwashed from a baby to adulthood to keep this constructed system that was came up for us a society. Although, this isn't anywhere near surprising because sexuality isn't the only thing constructed. The treatment of races, the bible, and more are apart of this constructed system as well. In the end they are all made to highlight the white man. The big question is is the system to well develop to change it and if so how?!

"Boys Don't Cry" and "The Brandon Teena Story"

"Boys Don't Cry"

"The Brandon Teena Story"

"Paris is Burning"

Some Thoughts About Gender

In her article, “The Social Construction of Gender,” Judith Lorbeth describes a ranking system for gender in society. “[G]ender is a process of creating distinguishable social statuses for the assignment of rights and responsibilities. As part of a system that ranks these statuses unequally, gender is a major building block in the social structure built on these unequal statuses.” One question that I thought of immediately was, “Where do transgender and non-binary people fit in this ranking system society has created?" As far as I understand it, transgender people would fall lower in value than cisgender women (with men being on top), but there are so many different gender identities than just male, female, intersex, and transgender - how do they all relate to each other in this system? Is this ranking adequate for every gender identity out there? I’m inclined to disagree, simply due to how unique everyone’s experiences are, but since society is going to put value on people based on such arbitrary things as gender, it’s important to acknowledge this ranking system and address its problems.

The question about where transgender and non-binary people fall into the societal ranking stuck with me when I read through Abandon Your Tedious Search. In this article, the author brings up an incident involving a trans woman who was trying to talk to cis women in a support group. She was told, basically, that she was still a man and still had male privilege. The thing that contradicts that, to my understanding, is that transgender people are generally treated worse by men than even women are. A trans woman doesn’t have male privilege simply because she’s not a male, no matter how badly people want her to be male because of her penis. This part reminded me of the criticism Fausto-Sterling shared with us in her article, “The Five Sexes: Revisited.” “The limitation with Fausto-Sterling’s proposal [of a five-sex system] is that … [it] still gives genitals … primary signifying status and ignores the fact that … [w]hat has primacy in everyday life is the gender that is performed, regardless of the flesh’s configuration under the clothes."

Mr/Mrs. Potato Head

After reading “Learning Gender” by Shawn and Lee I am dumbfounded of the  influence of gender in roles play in our  lives. It almost makes me aware of being identified more as just a human being than by gender. I can see people in hospitals giving birth to another human being under the classification as  fertile and infertile beings opposed to male and female. It makes me question the whole origins of sex and gender. This class makes me question a lot of things but being programmed to the adjectives towards gender norms is sad. I am convinced we are all just as confused  as the one’s who started the classification of what appropriate behaviors sanctioned for appropriate  behaviors and then learning to  perform what is expected of them. The whole culture of masculinity and femininity is interesting especially with advancement of technologies of removing and replacing one’s  gender identity to create a new one “gender swapping.” It almost seems like if we could be mister/misses potato heads with our gender parts literally choosing our sexual orientations every morning deciding whether or not to have breast and changing our genitals on our lunch breaks would seem ideal. But then again it seems a bit creepy knowing we are all judging each other by what we think each other has in our pants. I think we are all at the bottom of the food chain just trying to dominate the space at the top no one wants to be last or inferior. But then again nobody wants to be themselves either this planet is just a big ball of confusion rotating to the tune of insanity expecting a different result when all we're doing is existing. I guess soon we will be fighting over who gets the first hit of oxygen every second to breathe. I believe we are created to look and behave the way we need to in order to attract our tribe but our souls are happily gender free from  cultural adjectives and our bodies the vehicles we drive to help create all those beautiful things about life that we forget about.

Unconscious Rules - Emily Martinez 2/15

In Abandon Your Tedious Research Karen Bornstein outlines the "objective" rules of gender established by our society. While clearly tongue in cheek the whole way through, she got me thinking about how (seemingly) set in stone gender seems. How from literal birth we're brainwashed into believing that we are only what we are born. Children are dressed by their parents in a way that signifies their assigned gender, their activities are limited to certain things, they are raised differently from the opposite gender. They are molded into what society thinks they should be. As if humans cannot change should they want to! Humans are like clay. People with curly hair flatten it, people with flat hair curl it. People where contacts to change their color and use glasses to correct their eyesight. They cut their hair and grow it out. They decorate their skin with ink and metal and stones. They change their inside, their values and morals as they grow and mature and form their own feelings. So why is it that gender is one of the few things society is adamant that you don't change? People claim tradition, well, traditions change and new ones form all the time. Why does the shape of someone's reproductive parts mean so much? We never see them. It's actually illegal in most places to display your genitals. So why does it matter? Could it be our society's morbid obsession with sex,an omnipresent facet in life, despite a vicious taboo against even speaking about it? Or could it because humans are a species of habit and category; that anything not fitting in a box is 'too difficult' to bother understanding? Perhaps it is both. Perhaps it is neither. I cannot say. I am, however, going to be studying this topic further. I was thinking about using it as a basis of analysis for Essay #2.

Intersexiality

We live through out the symbolism of male and female, but there is a possibility of having both. But that is what dodctors hide from parent s or parents are ashamed of it. It normal human nature, no child should have their gender chosen by their parents. O personally believe that a gender should be chosen by the child. For once in the the next generation our future children's gender can all be up to their decision. We as young college students have been always told in out lives that there is boy and girl man and woman and that how it's suppose yo be. And with this pressure of not being what our parents expect us to be, we are disowned or treated differently. Which pushes us more towards depression, self harming, or even suicide. With the new generationa we have more of an open mind than anything. We are more accepting, understanding, patient, and supportive. For once let intersexuality not be taboo, but common. This should not be something we have to hide in the shadows. Doctors should not be allowed to touch or operate on your baby without consent. Lets not be blind and lets not be deph, and start paying attention what is happening in the real world and look alive.

Intersexuality

Back in 2008, Lady Gaga, made her debut onto the music scene. She was immediately noticed not so much for musical ability but rather her eccentric style and look. Since she was a complete newcomer and had no previous exposure in the limelight as Lady Gaga no one knew much about her. I bring up Gaga because she was the subject of harassment because there were paparazzi pictures posted online of her wearing a leotard bodysuit where she had a bit of a “camel toe” and those pictures blew up and everyone started rumors about her being a “hermaphrodite.” Now back then I won’t lie, I was a ignorant teenager and although I did like Gaga, I had no idea what being intersex entailed and it was also the first time I ever heard of that. So I went along with those rumors and just believed them for a while until Gaga denied those rumors. I bring all of this up because it just comes to show how the people are naturally ignorant, but sometimes they just refused to gain new knowledge. Also I believe that those intersex rumors are her were so persistent and harsh because people thought she was a freak of nature to begin with so that intersex title just further proved their point. In Anne Fausto-Sterling’s The Five Sexes, Revisited that there are actual real people who deal with this and it shows how much pain and suffering they have to go through because of choices that were made for them by someone else as a child. Also, I would bet a pretty penny that theres a pretty substantial amount of people who think intersex people aren’t real and some who have never heard about intersexuality. It shows that we as a human population need to learn more and more about each other.

Intersex: the hidden sex

What's interesting about conservatives who are against nonconforming sex, genders and sexualities do not take into account the fact that intersex people are just as normal as someone who is born as a male or female. You often hear about how there are only two sexes, and consequentially only two genders. And because of that, non-cisgender and transgender people are treated as second class citizens for going against the normal way of things. Yet having intersex children is alsmost as common and normal as someone who is born a boy or girl. So it seems weird that people try to undo a totally natural thing in order to make our ignorant society happy. What is really unnatural is having a newborn baby undergo alterations that they do not need in order to unnecessarily  change into a gender that probably does not suit them; if having two types of reproductive organs do not interfere with their life in any way, I see no point in it. I have never really been informed about people who are intersex, but the more I think about it, the more I marvel at the fact that people have a combination of  sexual reproductive systems. To me, it is a completely natural thing that should be celebrated. It is really unfair that there is not enough representation of intersexual people ; I rarely ever see them shown on the internet, television or on movies; If they are, then it is usually in a negative light. In the future, I would love to see intersexual people depicted as the normal human beings that they are.

Response to “Through the Lens of Race”- Ann Arnett

In “Through the Lens of Race,” Settles, Pratt-Hyatt, and Buchanan looked at how White women and Black women experience Gender-Based Mistreatment, Perceived Advantage, Friendship, Community and Caretaking, as well as Work and Family Options. Perceived Advantage focuses on the advantages that women seem to have over men. While reading this, I would have to say it is true. Although women face gender discrimination, when put in certain circumstances, they are excused or given benefits for being female. Some of these are “female-only scholarships, accessibility to certain jobs… , protection from male relatives and friends, and acts of male chivalry…” They wrote that White women experienced this more than Black women. As a woman, I would have to say that it is definitely true that women gain some benefits from being female. The past two times I have been pulled over by the police while driving, I have not been given a ticket. This is obviously very lucky for me, but it wasn’t because they just decided to let me off the hook. I didn't get a ticket because I am a female. They look at me and see some helpless little girl who didn’t know any better, and therefore I am let off with a warning and no ticket. If I had been a man, I would have definitely gotten a ticket. This is something that is holding us back from gender equality. Although I did enjoy benefiting from being a woman, it is still us allowing men to treat us as if we are innocent creatures that have to be protected by them. It is perpetuating the idea that men are the leaders and protectors of the world.  

Weekly Reponse 2/14--Kellen Gable

In the article, “Abandon Your Tedious Search,” Karen Bornstein talks about the “rules of gender” and how they affect society and the way people think of gender. The first rule mentions soon-to-be parents being asked the gender of their unborn child and this made me think of the gender reveal parties that seem to be more and more popular with new parents. If you don’t know what these are, they are parties held by the parents with their friends and family and sometimes involves boxes full of pink or blue balloons being opened or a white cake being cut to show either blue or pink inside.

I hate these parties, honestly. Because not only does it seem like just another way for people to get more attention (baby showers are already a thing) they are also always chock full of gender stereotypes and harmful gender roles. First of all, the color choices are stereotyped--pink for a girl and blue for a boy. A lot of the games played at these parties are also stereotypical. Ones like “Sports or Sparkles” or “Boots or Ballet” or even “Rifles or Ruffles.” These parties just show how people see gender and how they think boys and girls should act or what they should be interested in. It seems like they cannot just be happy with a healthy baby, they have to know if they should put the baby in blue or pink or decorate the nursery with ribbons and bows or sports equipment. They also equate gender with biological sex, which isn't correct, and I feel these parties are just another way that gender roles have become a part of society. An unfortunate part but a part nonetheless.

Man Up - Bria Phillips

     
         In this week’s listing of articles, I enjoyed reading the article Shame-O-Phobia by David Wexler. This article really brought a new perspective into the course of women’s studies. We often push aside the male point of views and deem them as being unwanted and invalid in attempt to only hear about women’s opinions and issues. It was interesting to see that the things women are “expected” to do, or things women do not think twice about are the same things that men are ashamed to do openly. The author brought up a good point about men having feelings, but they are not able to put them into words or actions, because they weren’t trained to do so. When was the last time someone called a little girl a cry baby or told her that she’s not supposed cry in front of other people? So why have we continued to do so with little boys? This only causes deep rooted issues that travel along with them into adulthood, and makes them want to be seen as macho. So much so that they lose sight of reality because they are so deep into their own fantasy world of trying to prove themselves and remain as manly as possible. He stated that ONE bad experience causes men to spend the rest of their lives avoiding that feeling of shame and weakness ever again. And yes, I agree that women experience shame and moments of embarrassment as well, but I do think it’s harder for men to overcome their shame. So next time, you overhear someone telling a little boy to man up just to shut him up, remember that it’s also shutting him down. My main point is about respect and loving each other equally, not putting one group over the next or demeaning one for the sake of the other. Hopefully, one day in our society we will be able to come together on mutual terms and remember that at the end of the day we’re all humans.