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Analysis Of Amigas And Amantes : Sexually Nonconforming Latinas Negotiate Family

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In Amigas and Amantes: Sexually Nonconforming Latinas Negotiate Family, Katie Acosta explores how Latina women, who sexually identify as lesbian, bisexual, or queer, struggle to create and maintain family ties. Recalling the lived experiences of these sexually nonconformity Latinas, Acosta uses the theory of intersectionality to examine how the different identity markers (such as race, gender, age, sex, etc.) profoundly affects the way these Latinas experience their family. In this essay, we’ll take a look at how intersectionality illuminates that struggle for visibility by studying the differences found in religion, class, country of origin, and heteronormativity. Furthermore, we’ll be analyzing how sexually nonconforming Latinas …show more content…

For example, when it comes to the perception of heteronormativity, sexually nonconformity Latinas adapt multiple types of hierarchical femininity simultaneously to negotiate and ease tensions between their family of origin and family of choice. Through this emotional labor, queer, bisexual, and lesbian Latinas continue working to manage their families’ of socially acceptable standards of femininity. As one of the participants shows cultural, age, sexuality, and heteronormativity illustrate the struggles with visibility sexually nonconformity Latinas when expressing one’s own sexual identity. Maritza, a study participant from Peru, explains how back in her home country she had always been very feminine, wearing dresses and skirts when she was with her family. But once she was in New York she found more freedom in wear t-shirts and jeans as well as having her hair short. She however continued to revert to a more dominant feminine style when her family was around. (Acosta 27-28) By creating this sexual fluidity, sexually nonconformity Latinas like Maritza can embody an oppositional femininity (alternative, transgressive, or parimpah) through their behavior or sexual practice in their personal life while also embodying a dominant femininity

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