It’s Time to Include Gays and Lesbians in Our Study of Literature

This prejudice evoked me to discover what people are doing to fight the discrimination associated with homosexuality. I was optimistic, at first, about finding people who want to change societal prejudice directed at homosexuals, since there had to be some souls who wished to change their community for the better. But, in my search, I found relatively few such people; one of them is Jonas Slonaker, a gay resident of Laramie.

The LGBT community has been silently suffering through generations. But in this generation, they are finally showing the world their voice. There have been many instances where young adults were denied their right to be who they are and now they are speaking out about the mistreatment. Even though the united states have begun to be more open about the LGBT community here is still more change it come. These changes can be explained through many sociological perspectives including: functionalist, conflict, symbolic interactionism and interactionism. Along with these perspective religion, norms and deviance all impact these individuals who are striving to be open about who they really are inside and out.

Appleby, G A., & Anastas, J.W. (1998). Not just a passing phase: Social work with gay, lesbian and bisexual people (pp. 3–43, 44-75). New York: Columbia University Press.

John D’Emilio’s “Capitalism and Gay Identity” contracts what life was like for gay men and lesbians throughout the 1970s and 1980s. During the 1970s, gay men and lesbians were able to come out freely, and eventually started to get accepted by everyone in society. They were able to express themselves without any regards, and started to become the person they were destined to be. People within the gay community have always expressed tendencies of liking the same sex, but societal norms did not allow them to express themselves. However, during the 1980s, as more people decided to openly come out, it started to take a toll on their identity. Society then started to question the importance of people who were brave enough to come out to the world.

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 word “gay” has gone through drastic changes. Traditionally, it was a positive term that meant to be “happily excited” or “jolly” (Merriam Webster, “Gay”). It was used regularly to express one’s feelings about life. Today, it has a far different meaning. Now people use the word gay to label homosexuals, those with feminine qualities, or those who do something thought to be outside of the norm for their gender. “Being gay” went from expressing someone’s happiness to describing his sexual preference. The definition of gay has changed so much that its original meaning has become archaic and lost to the times.

Some women seek lesbian relationships because they want to reject this sort of powerless state they may feel in a heterosexual situation. Relationships between men to men and women to women hold several differences, but at the same time they share several similarities. Downing concludes the article by stating that there are both gay men and lesbians that dismiss the homosexuality myth, but it is crucial that they understand that the myth does hold a cultural vision on the power of gender and human selfhood. In order to get past the myth, we must understand to accept its existence.

Sexuality has an inherent connection to human nature. Yet, even in regards to something so natural, societies throughout times have imposed expectations and gender roles upon it. Ultimately, these come to oppress women, and confine them within the limits that the world has set for them. However, society is constantly evolving, and within the past 200 years, the role of women has changed. These changes in society can be seen within the intricacies of literature in each era. Specifically, through analyzing The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, one can observe the dynamics of society in regards to the role of women through the lens of the theme of sexuality. In both novels, the confinement and oppression of women can be visibly seen as a result of these gender roles. Yet, from the time The Scarlet Letter was published to the time The Bell Jar was written, the place of women in society ultimately changed as well. Hence when evaluating the gender roles that are derived from sexuality, the difference between the portrayals of women’s oppression in each novel becomes apparent, and shows how the subjugation of women has evolved. The guiding question of this investigation is to what extent does the theme of sexuality reflect the expectations for women in society at the time each novel was written. The essay will explore how the literary elements that form each novel demonstrate each author’s independent vision which questions the

One of the most basic human desires is the desire for love. No matter how different we are, almost every person in the world wants to be loved. Justin T. Weller addresses this issue in his article “Gays Are Different & It’s A Good Thing,” which was published by The Huffington Post in March of 2017. Weller wrote his article to explain certain differences between the LGBT community and people that are not in the community. He also detailed differences within the community. In addition, he clarified that differences between all people can be not necessarily put aside, but respected. As a member of the LGBT community, and as an LGBT rights activist, Weller wishes to give insight on why it is okay to be different, particularly as a part

Two Diaries, Donald Vining’s A Gay Diary Vol. Two and Martin Duberman’s Gay in the Fifties look into the everyday life of gay males in the post-World War II Era. While World War II increased freedom to explore sexually within the male community, post-World War II extended the freedom of exploration but also created a backlash against homosexual practices. Nevertheless, during and after World War II gay men were fully able to develop social circles and create a sense of community for the first time. Although Vining and Duberman encountered different forms of backlash in response to the extension of gay freedoms in the post-World War II period, they still shared the freedom to explore friendships, relationships, and sexual activity.

This was an era marked by either the total absence of lesbians, coded images of lesbianism, or a pathos of abject negative stereotypes.1 The infamous Motion Picture Production Code of 1930-1968, also known as the “Hays Code”, imposed moral guidelines on film distribution that banned any and all displays of “sexual perversion” such as lesbianism. The one exception to this rule was that depictions of deviancy were tolerated if it was shown in a negative manner or as having strong negative consequences.2 From this code sprung the practice of portraying lesbians as psycho killers ('psychofemmes'), a tradition which still carries on today in movies like Basic Instinct (1992) and Black Swan (2010). This pathologization of lesbianism conceptualized 'the lesbian' as angry and militant, the woman who just wants to be a man and whose mental illness leads her to pray on others.3 On-screen lesbians were shown to be either victims or villains destined for insanity or death.4 When lesbians were victimized in films, it was not as a sympathetic casualty of bigotry; rather. they were portrayed as being the inevitable prey of their own sexual

"This new gay culture increasingly marks a full spectrum of social life: not only same-sex desires but gay selves, gay neighbors, and gay social practices that are distinctive of our affluent, postindustrial society".

Bechdel mentions her extensive reading and how she discovered her sexuality first through books and the accounts and wisdom of her forerunners before she had her own experiences to judge from. In writing this novel detailing her coming of age story, wrestling with her father’s suicide, and exploring her sexuality often in graphic terms and illustrations, Bechdel transfers her knowledge and expands on this literary legacy of representing and giving a voice to the LGBTQ+ community and experience. Similar to Sexton, Bechdel recognizes in her writing that she is entering a discussion which has very few participants, both due to limited information and resources and further, from the shame perpetuated by social stigmas and ignorance. Arguably, American literature strives to educate its readers, not merely academically, but also socially and emotionally. Thus, by providing and illustrating their personal experiences, writers such as Wright, Bechdel, and Sexton teach their audiences about greater discussions, diverse opinions and traditions, and ultimately recognize the value in conscientiousness. Perhaps knowing every individual experiences and views the world in their own way may also empower every individual to live better

In a culture encompassed by continuously evolving and diversifying values and beliefs, one may never become stagnant. John Schwartz published a memoir, Oddly Normal: one family’s struggle to help their teenage son come to terms with his sexuality, embodying the inherent emerging personification of a persistently developing nation, through the progressive mindset of the United States (Schwartz, 2012). With revisionist, scientific studies and emerging insight into the LGBTQ population, from the most distinguished, influential individual in the country to the most seemingly trivial native resident, innovation is inevitable.

“We’re here, we’re queer, get over it.” In 1990, these words, shouted and displayed proudly on signs waved by the activist group, Queer Nation, were revolutionary. Never, not since the Stonewall Riots, had non-straight, non-cis people been so vocal about their existence and demanded acceptance – something that straight people take for granted on a daily basis. However, in the years since the Riots, LGBT activism has become much more mainstream, no longer whispered about behind closet doors or something to be wholly ashamed of. Gay marriage is legal in all 50 United States, something that has been fought for since the conception of the LGBT movement. In fact, gay couples are routinely being featured on popular television and other forms of media. Some might say that in 2016, the dreams of the rioters in Stonewall have been realized. Marriage rights and the spotlight on nighttime television; equality seems to truly be right on the horizon.