Analysis Of Wilchins Queer Theory Gender Theory: An Instant Primer

Since the 1920’s, women have been fighting for equal rights. Women’s groups spent decades working to pass laws that would ban gender discrimination. Finally, in 1972, the Equal Rights Amendment was passed by Congress even though

All throughout history women of all race have been portrayed as creatures whose opinions, feelings, and goals never mattered in this androcentric world. Although women have moved up in the equality ladder to some extended, women still have a longs ways to go when it comes down to real equal rights. So what is equal right to be exact? Well in a feminist perspective equal rights means both men and women have equal access within the workplace, freedom from oppressive gender stereotyping. Many might say that women have equal rights, given the fact that after the

still lag behind men, we need an Equal Rights Amendment more than ever (Hennessey 3). The real issue, claim some supporters, is the "right to bodily integrity, and without this basic right, women can have no true freedom" (NOW 2). Legal sex discrimination is not a thing of the past, and the progress of the last forty years is not irreversible without the protection of an amendment (Francis 1).Feminist claim that "The ERA's most valuable effect would be the psychological victory it would provide women" (Steiner 35). Women are underpaid in the workforce, required to pay higher insurance premiums and are half as likely as men to get pensions (NOW 4). Supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment remind us of a traditional assumption, ‘Men hold rights and women must prove that they hold them" (Francis 2). Supporter claim amazement that, "Even in the twenty first century, the United States Constitution does not explicitly guarantee that all the rights it protects are held equally by all citizens" (Francis 4). Supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment believe that "unless we put into the Constitution the bedrock principle that equality of rights cannot be denied or abridged on account of sex, the political and judicial victories women have achieved with their blood, sweat and tears for the past two

Beginning in the 20th century, gay rights movements, as part of the broader civil rights movement, in conjunction with the development of the often-activist academic

There’s a clause called the Hayden Clause that was added to the Equal Rights Amendment in hopes that it would ease the process of becoming accepted. The clause stated that: "Nothing in this Amendment will be construed to deprive persons of the female sex of any of the rights, benefits, and exemptions now conferred by law on persons of the female sex." Since people wanted full

Soon after the modern feminist movement began, there was pressure put on the US government to decree occupational equality. In 1963, the Equal Pay Act was passed, making it illegal for women to be paid less than men when carrying out the same job. Then, in the following year, feminists saw another victory when Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibited employers to discriminate based on sex,

In the 65-year history of LGBTQ activism in the United States, the present moment stands out on the basis of gay marriage being legalized. At no other time would an observer have imagined that the LGBTQ movement was likely to succeed in such a manner that any gender can marry any other gender with the permission by the law (Stewart-winter

The Equal Rights Amendment was formed to combat legal sex discrimination. The act seeks to end discrimination between women and men in terms of property, divorce, and employment rates along with many other matters. Many supporters of the ERA marched, rallied, and committed acts of civil disobedience just to show awareness, but little did many know they were part taking in a historical continuum in the fight for equality (Francis, Roberta W.).

America has a long and complicated history, some of which has been forgotten or almost hidden away until recently, specifically LGBT history. The history of LGBTQIA+ people as a whole is something that has only been written about since the 1970s. Considering the fact that queer people have been around for much longer than that, their history is still not as developed as it should be. Michael Bronski, a cultural critic, independent scholar, progressive activist, and college professor, has been writing extensively on LGBT issues for four decades and has accumulated his knowledge into A Queer History of the United States. Publishing this “queer history”, his goal is to educated those who are willing to listen on the buried and forgotten LGBTQIA+

Queer theory questions creations of normal and divergent, insider, and outsider.2 Queer theorists analyse a situation or a text to determine the relationship between sexuality, power and gender. Queer theory challenges basic tropes used to organize our society and our language: even words are gendered, and through that gendering an elliptical view of the hierarchy of society, and presumption of what is male and what is female, shines through. Queer theory rejects such binary distinctions as arbitrarily determined and defined by those with social power. It works to deconstruct these binaries, particularly the homosexual/heterosexual binary.4

The heterosexual imaginary is immensely ingrained in our everyday experience that most people, including feminist sociologists, has become inclined to conceptualize and theorize based around the heteronormative. The heterosexual imaginary acts as an invisible framework at play that structures our thinking processes and in which constructs our social identity. For instance, the inquiry of a survey taker’s marital status in most social science surveys come to show that our recognized and appropriate social identity is formed around heterosexuality. That is, any deviation from this heterosexual norm would be considered abnormal and be marginalized. To a minimal extent, this focus has served the interests of women because of the lack of activism

The quest for equal rights is usually put into two different waves: the first wave being considered women’s suffrage and the second being the equal right movement. One big uprising in feminism happened alongside the abolitionist movement. Many women started to realize that, as they were fighting to get African Americans out of their version of perdition at the hands of their slave owners, that they themselves were slaves to the will of the men in society. Since many women petitioned for antislavery, the Congress in session at the time put forth the gag rule, which placed many of these petitions off to the side for “consideration.”

Equality and Civil Rights is complex in nature that the 14th Amendment (Equal Protection Clause) is the closest approach to a literal statement of equality, it declares: “No State shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” The clause was originally intended to benefit newly freed slaves. Over time, it has acquired a broader meaning. Today, it forbids states and their local governments to draw unreasonable distinctions between classes of persons. The equal rights amendment (ERA) was introduced in 1923. Their policy was for protection of women and based largely on sexual stereotypes, which has been woven into the legal fabric of American life. This protectionism has limited the freedom of women to compete with men socially and economically on an equal footing. The movement to provide equal rights to women advanced a step with the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963. That act required equal pay for men and women doing similar work. On the other hand, to remove the restrictions of protectionism, women needed equal opportunity for employment. They got it in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and later the legislation. The commitment that led to affirmative action programs expanded opportunities for women, minorities, and those who are disabled.

As being developed by poststructuralism, feminism, lesbian & gay studies and even American pragmatist theory (Parker,2001; Seidman,1997), queer theory has become one of the most important theories, which contributes to the research of sociology, arts and organizations. On the one hand, queer theory has been used to study the relations between the sexuality, gender and workplace. On the other hand, by utilizing denaturalized, deconstructive and performative methods to queer the presumptions of the taken-for-granted norms, queer theorists question and disprove the traditions which people cherish (Seidman,1995).

The present essay aims to analyse and discuss how social actions related to gender and sexuality have given rise to social change. Particular attention will be given to how views and opinions on gender and sexuality have positively evolved throughout the years as a result of decades of social activism led by the members and allies of the LGBT community. In order to do so, the current paper will firstly provide a concise account of how gender and sexuality were seen in the former times, which will be then compared to more current perspectives. Secondly, the paper will present a brief overview of the history of the LGBT movement, and highlight its main milestones. Significant emphasis will be given to how these salient occurrences have significantly affected today’s perception and attitudes towards the LGBT community in the majority of the world countries. In conclusion, the current essay will introduce and explore the recent ongoing activism that has been occurring globally within the LGBT community.