Is Todd Haynes 's 2015 Film Carol Essay

Many people from the United States hold the belief that being gay is something that has always been considered to be okay. They believe that it is just a given. Despite people’s current beliefs on the subject, for a very long time, it was something that was widely believed to be taboo. In the past, people were imprisoned due to their sexuality. Regardless, throughout the decades, people have pushed for the widespread acceptance of people who are part of the LGBT community. Today, homophobia still exists in some parts of the United States, but we have come a long way since the early 1900s.

Twenty-four-year-old Daniel Zamudio was walking through a park in Santiago, Chile, when four men appeared and began to burn Daniel with cigarettes and beat him with rocks and glass bottles, injuring him in various ways (Saul). The men used the broken glass to cut off a part of his ear, as well as, cut swastikas into his skin because Zumudio was gay (Saul). Less than a month later, Daniel Zamudio passed away due to this violent hate crime (Saul). Although only few instances of homophobic crimes are reported, FBI statistics show that attacks on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, ally, and pansexual (LGBT+) community, such as the Orlando gay nightclub shooting, are one of the common occurrences, right behind racial attacks (Saul). LGBT people have made outstanding progress on their goal to reach equality. For example, same-sex couples now have the right to adopt children in all the states of America and thanks to President Obama, federal workers cannot be discriminated upon sexual orientation or gender identity (Clinton). Although the LGBT+ community has civil rights that should be protected, due to society’s narrow-mindedness, the LGBT+ community gets treated as second class citizens.

Every day we see on the media about people being harassed, abused, or even murdered, it has become the America's normal. Hate crimes are committed every hour; three gays become victims of hate crimes every day. Current laws do not protect these three groups of individuals: women, the disabled, and the homosexuals. I believe a huge hate crime percentage in America today is against the LGBT society. As the Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender society grows, we start to see more than ten percent in the population. In 1973, the shooting of New Orleans French Quarter gay par killing 32 people, 1997-150 people, 2000- 7 people, 2009- one victim, 12 staples to the head, 2013- one individual poured gasoline on a stair way and set the club on fire, there was about 750 people in that club, last, the most recent in 2016, killing 50 people and sending 53 to the hospital, the Orlando pulse gay nightclub was violently attacked. "68% of people favor including sexual orientation and gender identity in federal hate crimes law" (Libman & Marzullo, 2009).

Throughout history, society’s views of homosexuality and of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, queer or questioning (LGBTQ) have changed. These views have changed how the members of this community feel about their personal identity as a whole. Over the last ten years, homosexuality and the LGBTQ community have become more accepted in society. In fact, a recent victory for the LGBTQ community occurred in June of 2015 when gay marriage become legalized in all fifty states. Despite the immense torture that members of the LGBTQ have received over decades, they are slowly becoming more accepted in today’s society. As society begins to become more tolerant with different ideals, the new and younger generations will continue to become more accepting of the people who identify as members of the LGBTQ community. These members will become more comfortable in their own skin and be allowed the same opportunities so other members of society.

The LGBTQ community are living a life in danger in America. Regardless of the acceptance of same-sex marriage, there are a number problems the LGBTQ community have to face, like the many obstacles to acceptance and equality. In The New York Times article, “The Challenges That Remain for L.G.B.T. People After Marriage Ruling” by Liam Stack, he goes by talking about info that can be reliable with sources that work, with quotes that match with what he needs to say, and usefully using emotional appeals to persuade his audience that the LGBTQ community are in danger. Stack sets about his work of persuading his audience about what is going on in the world is by using strong logical and ethical appeals. In his writing he points out that the LGBTQ community faces discrimination, lack of transgender rights, health care and Immigration and Criminal equity reform.

Discriminatory action against individuals who identified or were labeled as non-heterosexual began to be brought to light during the twentieth century and is still prevalent today. There are arguments by certain individuals that claim that discrimination of those who identify as non-heterosexual have disappeared. I would argue that such discrimination is still alive and present in our modern society. Very noticeable today with the values of our Vice-President Elect Mike Pence who thinks that homosexuality can be “fixed” through electric shock therapy. Values like this are similar to that held during the twentieth century - which Margot Canaday deeper examines in her book The Straight State: Homosexuality and Citizenship in Twentieth Century America. Canaday’s argument throughout her book is that of homosexuality considered undesirable. Canaday starts off her book by delving into the stripping of citizenship rights from individuals who were labeled as homosexual. A topic Ian Haney Lopez explores in his book White By Law: The Legal Construction of Race: How individuals pertaining to a particular group of racial or ethnic groups were deprived of their citizenship and personhood rights. In this essay, I will explore the concepts introduced by Lopez of law as ideology and law as behavioral control and how those concepts relate to Canaday’s book in the oppression of non-hetersoxual individuals within the realms of immigration, the military, and welfare (Canaday).

LGBT has been national attention since legalizing same sex marriage throughout the country. Hate crimes, according to Collica & Furst (2012) is “motivated by bias leading to the level of evidence.” Unfortunately, the evidence resulting in lives lost, property damage,

The LGBTQ community are living a life in danger in America. Regardless of the acceptance of same-sex marriage, there are a number problems the LGBTQ community have to face, like the many obstacles to acceptance and equality. In The New York Times article, “The Challenges That Remain for L.G.B.T. People After Marriage Ruling” by Liam Stack, he starts by building his validity with commendable points and reliable sources, quoting to persuading points and information, and effectively utilizing emotional appeals to persuade readers that the LGBTQ community are in danger. Stack sets about his work of persuading readers that was going on in the world is not acceptable by presenting strong logical and ethical appeals. In his writing he points out that

No one would have ever predicted that Donald Trump would win the 2016 Presidential Election. No one would have ever believed that a person as racist, sexist, homophobic, and transphobic as Donald Trump would ever be allowed to get as near as he did to the White House—but he did. Now, we all find ourselves justifiably concerned for not only our own well being, but also of the well being of other groups that have been targeted time and time again, not only by Donald Trump himself, but also by the entire Republican platform. While it is well known that some of the groups who have fallen victim of endless discrimination include racial and ethnic minorities via the constant threat of deportation and/or policies that allow for racial profiling, other groups include the LBGTQ community. However, according to the article, “President Trump is a disaster for transgender people” written by Samantha Allen, given the fact that both Trump and his Vice President, Mike Pence, appear to favor the Religious Freedom Act, repealing Obama Care, and allowing HIV preventative inaction, I argue, and with great reason, that those who will be severely targeted and affected by their political and religious stances will be the entire transgender and transsexual community—a fear that I once assumed was a thing of the past.

It is when actions such as ACT Up’s push to educate and “rearrange [the] group’s social construction do we find a conditions of political conflict and possible change” (Schneider, Ingram, & Deleon, 2014, p.128). Another example of how a social construction of populations within politics is with our nation’s relationship with the LGBT population. Though historically viewed as a deviant group by the media, the social constructions of LGBTs are beginning to shift towards a more positive light (Valcore & Dodge, 2016). Nevertheless, the policies enacted to incorporate these groups to hate crime laws still require some adjustment. While such inclusion indicates some acceptance from a social level, politically it has garnered little positive change towards the treatment and protection of the LGBT community (Valcore & Dodge, 2016).

This Film Is Not Yet Rated brings up many issues against Motion Pictures Association of America’s rating system. I am in favor of the issues brought up in this film as it seems that some ratings that the MPAA’s rating board give out do not always follow a concrete rule. For example, movies that contained scenes with homosexuals having sex with each other received an NC-17 rating, compared to other movies that have similar scenes, but with heterosexuals instead received an R rating. In the end, it is still two people having sex with each other and should not really be differentiated by their sex or gender.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons frequently face violence motivated by their sexuality or gender identity. Violence may be executed by the state, as in laws prescribing corporal punishment for homosexual acts, or by individuals engaging in intimidation, mobbing, assault, or lynching. Violence targeted at people because of their perceived sexuality can be psychological or physical and can extend to murder. These actions may be motivated by homophobia or trans-phobia, and may be influenced by cultural, religious, or political mores and biases

In the summer of 2015, people who lived in the USA saw a law passed that allowed same sex couples to marry in all 50 states. With sweet victory comes some downsides, since this anti-LGBTQ group numbers have risen from gay people success. Many of these groups, are violent, and people are still being killed.  In central America 2008, 1700 teens were killed for being gay. Teens. They could have some of the best working kids out there, but we will never  known because they have been murdered.

In 2015, the unthinkable happened—Gay marriage was legalized in the United States. But, how did we get there? This social problem was initially depicted within the Supreme Court case of Baker v Nelson (1971), the first case discussing same-sex marriage that was distinctly dismissed by the courts (Moritz College of Law, 2016). Since then, we have progressively become more accepting of same-sex marriage, and it has evidently become legalized in all fifty states. Although it has been legalized, in the past and in the present, this social problem has been utilized as a device to not only discourage others, particularly homosexuals, but to pass and encourage homosexually defiant behavior, such as the recent Orlando shooting—the biggest and worst

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, also known as LGBT population have experienced a great deal of oppression worldwide. These particular individuals undergo discrimination from society, whether for reasons of ignorance, fear or intolerance, this population faces challenges in multiple areas of social justice sexual. Although the LGBT culture has made some strides in the areas of state and federal legislation, there is still a wide range of criminalization that takes place within our culture. Understanding the LGBT community and the history of their oppression may be the first step in becoming culturally competent. For many years this culture was denied their basic constitutional rights that were afforded to their equal heterosexual peers. Basic rights such as, adoption and marriage were uncommon to this culture until the 20th century.