Boys Beware Video

Pascoe argues while certain behaviors put all boys at risk for becoming a fag, some behaviors can be enacted by African-American boys without putting them at risk for or having that label. Its not that this gendered homophobia does not exist in the African-American community, there is a varied system of sexualized meanings among different radicalized ethnic groups. The difference between white boys and African American boys meaning of fag differs around clothing and dancing, which is the

As the years have gone by, you can see the change of how gays and lesbians are widely seen in mostly every tv show or movie in today’s society. This is something most of our own parents didn’t even grow up seeing gays throughout the media. Living in today’s time period, you’re able to see how the influence has changed the way people see gays and lesbians. The nation has become more accepting of the gay and lesbian culture verses back in the days of when our parents and even grandparents were our age. Not only was is rare to see homosexuals on television, it was portrayed negatively, and now you can see it portrayed positively.

“A man is at his youngest when he thinks he is a man, not yet realizing that his actions must show it.” Was said by a famous english writer named Mary Renault.In the reading “Bros before Hoes:The Guy Code” by Michael Kimmel he explains this unwritten yet critical set of rules guys follow through out their lifetime. Society has taught young men that every gender has certain roles and to properly fulfill the role of being a man they have to abide by these rules. Kimmel calls this set of rules the guy code and it explains what guys believe what it takes to be a “man”. Kimmel goes over what the guy code is, where it comes from, and who influences young boys to follow this set of rules as well as how this guy code is regulated and enforced. In these rules it specifically states young men cannot be gay. The word gay is defined as being weak and girl like to young men. So in order to continue fulfilling the duties of a man, young men must follow these set of rules.These rules prove that young men are pressured to offer constant proof that they are not gay.

Take this as an example, You’re at a park full of children playing together. You witness a little boy that is playing with some little girl. He is playing house with dolls, having fun with this little girl. The father of the little boy, notices that his son is playing with dolls. Out of fear that this would make his son turn gay. He hastily goes over to take the dolls away from him.

Pascoe discusses how masculinity can function as a regulatory mechanism of gender in American adolescent boys. It has been found that the word ‘fag’ is not necessarily directed at a homosexual boy, but has taken on a new meaning in school age boys. It is being used as a disciplinary mechanism to police certain behaviors “out of fear of having the fag identity permanently” (Pascoe p.330). This kind of teasing and harassment can temporarily be place on any boy who shows signs of weakness or femininity. The high schoolers in the study told Pascoe that calling someone a fag was like telling them they were nothing or stupid (Pascoe p. 335). Boys could be called a fag for anything that he did that was opposite of masculine, even when it had nothing to do with his sexual preference. The fag discourse seemed to be just another way for the contest of masculinity to take

In the movie, Kinsey, it was obvious that society had a lack of knowledge about sex and about people’s sexual activities. Alfred Kinsey changed the way that people thought about sex. He did an important and monumental thing informing people and answering people’s questions about sex. At one point in the movie it showed Kinsey reading a script from the bible where boys were supposed to control their nocturnal emissions, a natural and uncontrollable act of puberty, or they would be looked down upon by God. A quote from the movie “it is the lord’s work to help youth fight and resist temptation.” I agree with the movie in that the more a behavior is prohibited the more strongly it becomes desired. (add more here)

In the article, What Do We Say When We Hear ‘Faggot’? by Lenore Gordon, it talks about what teachers can do if students are using derogatory language that suggest that a student might be gay. This article confirms my theory that education is the key when it comes to changing what people think, “name-calling is so common among children, and because it embodies the bigotry learned from adults, it is a good place for educators to begin” (Gordon, 1995, p. 87). This article was written in 1995, but I feel like times are changing and children are learning at a younger age that words like faggot and dyke are not okay things to say. However, that does not mean that it still does not happen. It is our jobs as teachers to education our students and

Pascoe begins by pointing out ways in which the school as an institution plays a crucial role in the formation of masculinities. She often noticed teachers routinely ignored homophobic and sexist comments made by students. Students were never really punished for using words like “fag,” “gay,” or “dyke”. What are less obvious and more upsetting than the criticisms of the sex-ed program are the varied examples of the ways that “Heterosexual discourses were embedded in the physical environment of the classroom, teachers’ instructional practices, and students’ classroom behavior” (p. 39). From the pictures of boy/girl pairings on the walls, to the homophobic jokes between male students and male teachers, the schools’ complacency with heterosexism becomes undeniable. In one instance a boy and girl left the Winter Ball early, two vice principals joked “You two going to a hotel or what”? I feel that if two male students walked off that the administrators would have reacted in a different manner.

A 2014 study showed that most (95%) Ontario parents supported some form of sexual education, and approximately 82% of the same group of parents were supportive of a sexual education curriculum starting in elementary school. While this seems like a large percent of the population, the study did state that their research group were mostly well-educated middle to upper-middle class mothers. This positivity was echoed in a Globe and Mail article, which stated a senior student, Joel Louzado, “was moved that different sexual and gender identities would be introduced to students as early as grade 3, when they are taught that some kids have gay parents.” The article continued, stating that sexuality and same-sex relationships were not previously taught in school, and that most students learned about these topics through friends or online. A 2013 article reiterated these opinions; a two-spirited social studies teacher stated that “no mention of sexuality was ever made explicitly in any social studies unit.” These articles show that there are many different types of people who agree and promote the new sexual education curriculum in Ontario, and that the progressive teachings may, in fact, teach these young children to be accepting of other’s differences. Those who support the curriculum tend to see it as a way to help children deal with modern issues in a world where men and women are sexualized at younger ages than

It's Elementary takes a look as to whether or not gay issues should be discussed in schools and how such issues should be treated. Its not often that adults get the chance to hear what children think about homosexuality. When asked to respond to the discussion the school children responded in a frank and earnest manner, some especially in the younger grades with an instinctual sense of fairness and democracy towards homosexuals, particularly those facing adversity. Unlike opposing teachers and parents who thought discussion would expose alternative lifestyles and encourage homosexual sex, the children in the video were far more interested in name-calling, non-traditional families, and gay/lesbian stereotypes. The film also focused on how

In the current society that we live in, there are many things that help shape our perception of sexual identity. In the discussion with the class, there was a consensus that family, media, religion were the major influencers on how we develop our sexual identities and how we view other’s sexual identity. From childhood, most of us are shaped by the view of our parents and often follow the same principles and views at them. Though many people usually divert from this thought process, it still serves as a foundation for our future views and principles, whether we agree with our parents or not. Going through our individual groups discussions, many people in my group felt that a large part of their perception about the LGBT community came from the media and how the community was portrayed in the media. We discussed that in our childhoods we were often presented with gay characters that were often very flamboyant, feminine

He uses a tone of disbelief, labelling them as “paranoid”, and that their idea that the Safe Schools Coalition program could “turn” children into being “lesbian, gay, or gender diverse” is ridiculous, stating that there is “no evidence that inclusive sex education turns people gay”. Jones additionally uses sarcasm, stating that “it is as if everyone has a latent homosexual or trans potential that is just waiting to be activated”, and that this idea is “ludicrous”, further appealing to logic and common sense. This positions Australian parents to recognise the Christian Right’s opinions as illegitimate, as the audience now could perceive the Christian Right, and others opposing the Safe Schools Coalition program, as lacking common sense and judgement. Likewise, the photograph accompanying the opinion piece supports Jones’ point of view, illustrating how sexually diverse people do exist. This is displayed with the three individuals in the foreground, likely sexually diverse, have facial expressions of happiness and joyfulness. This indicates to the viewers that sexual diversity is not something to be fearful of, contradicting the Christian Right’s view that sexual diversity is illegitimate, swaying them to support the sexually diverse, and oppose conservatives against the Safe Schools Coalition program. Jones, along

The homosexual community is one of the most misunderstood and degraded cultures in today’s society. Homosexuals are usually the brunt of much of the misunderstanding and, as a result, have most of the unban legends and denigrating jokes that are found in modern tradition centered on themselves. Two legends stand out above many others; the myth of “Gerbiling”, which describe a supposed cruel and exotic practice of gay men, and “The Gay Roommate”, in which a gay man sexually assaults his heterosexual roommate in a college dorm. Both of these legends exemplify the fact that, through misunderstanding or fearing a culture, you can create horrible monsters out of average men.

Families were worried that if their child was exposed to homosexuality, or were themselves gay, that their morals would be tarnished and they would embark towards promiscuous behaviour. Books were given to teens providing advice on how to reach “normality”. They were trying to scare kids into believing that heterosexuality was the only option and anything otherwise was not normal. They also wanted to guilt the children into believing that being gay would not only ostracize yourself, but would also shame your family. Families would tell their children that they needed to be heterosexual to defend Canada. They would also use examples from Canadian society as per what would happen if they did end up gay. Examples like how the

The background of homosexuality in the 1940’s and 50’s was harsh, but people started to be opened toward the rights. There were criticisms toward homosexuality in the early days of Milk. Gay men carried the labels of mentally ill or