Chicano Men : A Cartography Of Homosexual Identity And Behavior

The United States is made up of an astounding assortment of people of all different types, boasting one of the most diverse populations compared to anywhere around the world. Of these different peoples, toxic masculinity affects each group differently, with an especially profound effect to be found when studying those who identify as Latin- or Hispanic-American. While attempting to homogenize the many unique and beautiful facets of various Latin and Hispanic cultures is a disservice, they tend to share many traits which can be simplified, including their ideas on gender roles. In many Hispanic cultures, there are strong gender roles and ideas about gender that are traditionally built into every aspect of the culture, especially in the form of “machismo”, or the Hispanic ideas of masculinity. In some cultures, “…women are supposedly submissive… men are characterized by verbal and bodily aggression… and sexual dominance,” (Cantú 150). When combined with the gendered expectations and stereotypes that are increasingly prevalent in American culture, young Hispanic-American boys are growing up with an overwhelming volume of standards being impressed upon them from all sides. This same phenomenon can be seen again in African-American communities and cultures, with the already painfully present standards of white American masculinity being taken to another level by a culture which serves to pile on an even stricter set of standards on to its men. As with the Latin American ideas of

“La Feminista”, an article written by Anna Nieto Gomez in 1974, discusses the conflicts and struggles surrounding the Chicana identity and the Chicano movement. The feministas are consisted of a group of minority Latin women, the Chicanas, who are “Spanish-speaking, culturally different and non-Anglo group” (Anna Nieto Gomez 183). They suffered racial discrimination from not being white which was the only race superior to all others at that time. Worse still, they encountered sexism in a patriarchal society that gave power, authority and privileges to the male. The formation of the minority group the femenistas can be traced back to the Chicano movement that took place in 1970s. During the Chicano movement, Chicanos, who were racially oppressed

We live in a society where for decades we have been socialized to believe that there are only two genders: male and female. The idea of gender is socially constructed. Society and culture create gender roles and through those roles we all learn to enact our specific roles. With this in mind, this essay will seek to examine how gender shapes the structural and lived experiences of Chicanxs and Latinxs in the U.S. This essay will draw from Abrego, Acosta, Ocampo, and the documentary “No mas bebés” to see how gender affects an individual’s experiences in the U.S.

With this came a patriarchal movement with the anthem “Yo soy Chicano” and an ideology of “Chicano = Machismo”. Women within the Chicano movement were afforded one of three roles: mothers, nuns or whores. They were not allowed self determination. This stemmed from the idea that men were the ones that were rising against oppression, when in fact women “broke their shackles and stabbed the spirit of injustice when confronted in the fields by a shotgun, when bloodied on the streets”, when constructed under the violence of “Anglo/chauvinism or Chicano machismo.” The transition from Chicano to Chicana was in protest of previous marginalization and a step towards representation and manifestation. (I Throw Punches, Chabram,

To understand Chicanos, it is necessary to comprehend their Mexican roots. The Spanish interrupted the evolution of indigenous lifestyles and fashioned a colonial empire that remade the land, people, and culture. Spanish architecture, religion, language, and other institutions and practices were glorified as Indian culture was degraded, but many changes led to a new Mexican culture. New foods, religious beliefs and practices, social customs and cultural traditions arose and evolved. It also left a socio-psychological heritage in which skin color became associated with feelings of inferiority and superiority, with those who have whiter skin being privileged. Whether a person appears to be white or dark, still is significant among Mexicans as well as Chicanos. Could this possibly

Sexuality is the term use for an individual to express themselves as a sexual being towards others. “…one chooses to express that sexuality, and any preference one may have towards the type of sexual partner they choose…” (Options for Sexual Health). She dated Julio, her first love and went against her mother wishes of not dating a Colombian man, Hernández also says, “I meet another Dominican femme (…) has her hair straightened once a week (…) after three times in bed, I get tired of being in the bottom” (Hernández, 83). She dated a transgender man but she got tired of being in the bottom and she moved back into dating Colombian woman. She wanted to experiment and show her mother that love could be found with

Chicano is a term used to refer to Mexican Americans. There have been a lot of concerns by Chicano activists that the community has always faced racial discrimination in the United States from the dominant Anglo-American. This is evident in which the archaeologists and anthropologists of Anglo-American origin were not interested in studying the history of Mexican Americans. It was therefore assumed that it was due to their dysfunctional culture that Mexican Americans were poor (Menchaca 14). This neglect in the history of Mexican Americans or Chicano was seen as a move by Mexican Americans to maintain their political dominance. Later on, there was the emergence of Chicano anthropologists who came forward to give a true reflection of their

Chicano society in the United States is still having some issues regarding acculturation and racism. It has been a conflict between Mexican-American and Anglo-American, each fighting to keep their legacy alive, by attacking the other community for many years, since the Mexican American war. Also, the racism against Mexican was and still is a problem, although not as harsh as before. Chicanos are fighting to keep their traditions and history alive.

George Chauncey’s Gay New York Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World 1890-1940, goes where no other historian had gone before, and that is into the world of homosexuality before World War II. Chauncey’s 1994 critically acclaimed book was a gender history breakthrough that gave light to a homosexual subculture in New York City. The author argues against the idea that homosexual men lived hidden away from the world. Chauncey’s book exposes an abundant culture throughout the United States, especially in New York. In this book Chauncey not only shows how the gay population existed, but “uncovers three widespread myths about the history of gay life before the rise of the gay movement which was isolation, invisibility, and internalization.” Chauncey argues against these theories that in the years 1890-1940, America had in fact a large gay culture. Chauncey book is impactful in the uncovering of a lost culture, but also works as an urban pre-World War II history giving an inside view of life in the city through sexuality and class.

of greedy capitalism. In gentrified “war zone” cities, like San Francisco, it can be evidently seen with many demographic and social changes throughout the city. Places that were once a local panaderia, have been replaced with a more uptune hipster coffee shop, a direct result of the continuously increasing rent and property taxes. But with losses like such, where is the social diversity in a community? It is relatively non­existent if a white middle class invasion occurs in a once predominantly working class Chicano community. Chicanos and Latinos in communities

Ethnographic studies have revealed that as a result of machismo, Latino men tend to distance themselves from homosexuals, who they perceive as a big threat to theory sexuality, physical dominance and personal safety.

When race is factored into the equation of homosexuality, it becomes more complicated. Taking a look at Black and Latino cultures over the past ten to twenty years, there was an emergence of

Modern day concepts of gay and lesbian have been adapted into Native culture. But those who with identify those concepts would not be connected with with cultural concepts of the nadleeh gender. There are complicated concepts of relationships when you analyze the gender values of Native communities and the values that the Euro-Americans have now. Navajos have five separate gender categories that arise from the five genders explained above. Those categories are traditional, transitional, contemporary, acculturated, and

The queerness experience of Latino and African-American folks are very alike. Both ethnic/racial group members not only share culture with similar features, but they also are exposed to the same systematic oppression experience. Latino and African-American queer people likewise have to deal with racism, xenophobic and homophobic sentiment, on a daily basis. Such oppression comes from their most meaningful source of support, which is their family and social community. Both African-American and Latino culture share a similar concept of meaning and purpose of a family as well as religious belief. These are not very queer friendly and make their community an oppressive environment. It is imperative to examine the interaction between ethnic/racial and sexual identity and how it affects the psychosocial well-being of sexual minorities. Likewise, to explore how group therapy can be used to their advantages.

A social problem is normally a term used to describe problems with a particular area or group of people in the world. Social problems often involve problems that affect real life. It also affects how people react to certain situations. While differences in racial/ethnic prejudices have been explored extensively in past literature (e.g. Bobo and Zubrinksy’s 1996, study of differential prejudices directed toward Hispanic and Black individuals), little U.S. research has investigated how attitudes toward lesbians, gays, bisexual men, bisexual women, and male-to-female (MtF) and female-to-male (FtM) transgender (henceforth “LGBT”) may differ ( Marcus, 2015).