Repression and Fear of Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, and Transgender Americans

This recognition of sodomy as the characterizing practice of homosexuals indicates society's general disregard of women as homosexuals. It was apparently beyond the capability of most people during the eighteenth century even to consider that women could engage in any practice so unnatural and strange. Women, themselves, used this disbelief to their advantage, as in the case of a woman suspected of homosexual involvement, a suspected "Mistress Clap, who was asked by a judge whether she had anything to say for herself. 'I hope it will be considered that I am a woman,' she replied briefly, 'and therefore it cannot be thought that I would ever be concerned with such practices"' (Hyde 64).

Alike gender, sexuality is also a social construct, especially when looking at the period before the 18th century, when one’s sexual orientation did not matter, hence there being no need for justification, just as pointed by Foucault: “Sexual practices had little need of secrecy; words were said without undue reticence, and things were done without too much concealment; one had a tolerant familiarity with the illicit.” (3). And the 19th century came and brought with it a big change, and not only did people become engulfed by social norms, whom they should abide at all costs, but they also had to keep their sexual preferences under lock and key: “But twilight soon fell upon this bright day, followed by the monotonous nights of the Victorian

It was not until the twelfth century that homosexuality started to be condemned. This condemnation proved to live through then until now. Due to the fact that America incorporated these early views into its early laws, even the most bland of today's sex acts were seen as unlawful (“Homosexuality and Mental Health”). Since then, these laws have changed, however, there is still a primarily negative connotation on homosexuals when coming from a church or legal standpoint concerning the masses of America.

The repressive hypothesis discusses that because of this repression, we must “free” ourselves from the silence and instead be open to discuss and enjoy sex. Foucault agrees with some points of the repressive hypothesis, but not completely. Foucault did not understand how these examples such as the transformations of sex in our society could be seen as repressed. He believes instead of repression and silencing of the transformations of sex, there is a plethora of conversations being produced. There is not only one power, but also multiple. This is called the productive power. There is not one power, but many. Foucault explains them as capillary. Capillaries, by definition, are the connecting veins in which each thread transmits power around and then power becomes aggregated. Power is not something that is just one person and oppresses another person, it is dispersed and everywhere. The Catholic Church confessionals did not put a silence to sex; it brough’/t a conversation about sexuality. For instance, in

The country of America was founded on the idea that every person should be treated equal and have the opportunity to live a happy, successful life. Therefore, it is important that Americans educate themselves on the proper terms to use when discussing the LGBTQ community. No one should feel threatened or offended because of improper vocabulary, and I feel that our country would be a better place if more people took the time to educate themselves on how to treat every American with respect, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. I also believe that discussions about LGBTQ demographics could benefit our entire country. Discussing the reality and facts about demographics will allow Americans to become more aware of the gender

A reoccurring theme that has been evident throughout many systems of oppression is the necessity to define the group being oppressed as criminals. In the book Queer (In)Justice it is impossible to mistake the purposeful intent of church authorities, prosecutors, and other influential citizens who had an agenda. They were threatened by the progress being made by the gay community. Sodomy laws were falling and they began to worry about queers recruiting their youth to a “perverted” lifestyle. Most often the only crime that these LGBT people committed was being homosexual. This discrimination would be a little too evident so a feeble attempt was made to cover up hatred by producing these undeserved characteristics that queer people supposedly

Established by Presidential Proclamation in 2000, LGBT Pride Month is an annual celebration that recognizes the importance of diversity within our society and the many achievements of LGBT individuals. This year's theme is “Celebration”, and calls Americans to eliminate prejudice and celebrate our diversity.

In Mathew Kuefler’s chapter “Homosexuality” he discusses the idea that modern-day sex scandals on behalf of many Christian Leaders can be traced back to the teachings of Saint Augustine of Hippo. While in “Hermaphroditism in the western Middle Ages” Irina Metzler argues that during the medieval period hermaphrodites were allowed to decide their own gender, but as time went on it was demanded that they fully embrace their chosen gender in order to prevent homosexual behavior. At first glance, it seems that these articles may have little in common, but in actuality the authors of these readings are demonstrating a natural progression of society in terms of homosexuality. Popular opinion was not against, if not in favor of homosexuality before

In his book, Michael Foucault discusses the history of sexuality and the way in which power and knowledge have played a role in the “repression” of sexuality. Despite historical statements, Michael disagrees with the fact that power solely serves the purpose of repression. Rather he argues how power and knowledge are both repressive and productive. In regards to power, in Part 5 of his book, Foucault contrasts two claims of power.

In The Introduction to the History of Sexuality, Foucault explains how during the 19th century with the raise of new societies, the discourse or knowledge about sex was not confronted with repulsion but it “put into operation an entire machinery for producing true discourses concerning sex” (Foucault 69). In fact, this spreading of discourse on sexuality itself gives a clear account of how sexuality has been controlled and confined because it was determined in a certain kind of knowledge that carries power within it. Foucault reflects on the general working hypothesis or “repressive hypothesis,” and how this has exercised power to suppress people’s sexuality. It has power on deciding what is normal or abnormal and ethical or unethical

Foucault states that this power comes from discourse of a subject. In The History of Sexuality he focuses on the myth that sexual repression occurred during the Victorian era. He argues that in fact sex was turned into discourse due to the occurrence of the confessional that took place in the Catholic church. At this time the catholic churches made sex and sexual desires sinful and something that needed to be told in confession in order for the individual to repent. Due to the need to confess people were forced to think about their desires and after confessing the priest’s judgement and language that was used turned the individual desires into discourse. This time in history was the way to sexuality becoming controlled. The information that was gained gave power to the priests to make these individuals repent and feel sinful for having these desires. This phenomenon is not only seen in the case of sex and sexual desires but in anything where individuals start to talk and where “professionals” take advantage of the information and feed on the need to control how individuals see

Foucault claims that sexuality became a “legitimate concern of a free and disinterested scientific inquiry” only when power established it as such. At the same time, “power was able to take it as a target” only after sexuality had been constructed through the sciences. If it were not due to the concepts of power and knowledge mutually occurring, sexuality would never have been set into “discourse.” On further reading of Foucault, it becomes clear that he believes sexuality became an “area of investigation” during the classical age. Foucault believes four main ideas emerged that founded perceptions of sexuality. First, the female body became highly sexualized. Second, suppressing child masturbation became an obsession. Third,

In the case of Spargo’s interpretation of Foucault the hegemonic ideal sexual subject is that of a straight man, who is presumably white and middle class. According to Foucault the category of homosexual emerged in the 19th century out of the development of the field of sexology, when medicine replaced religion as the primary producer of discourse on sexuality, and enforcer of (hetero)sexual norms . Foucault argues that despite their relative position individuals categorised as homosexual were able to create their own discourse (or counter-discourses) to the narrative on unnaturalness promoted by sexology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, thus finding agency within constraining discourses . In this way sexuality and sexual subjects are constructed, understood and questioned through the discourse produced by those individuals and institutions with access to power.

Foucault wrote the book History of Sexuality in 1976, where he counters the “repressive hypothesis” and describes how sexuality becomes a discourse. He explores the discourse of sexuality and what it means to us as well as how sexuality should be controlled. His theory is based off the idea that sex is tabooed and that acts or behaviors and orientation are controlled in societies. He goes through civilizations and talks about the evolution of sexuality. Stating how it has been oppressed because of external mechanisms such as the law, institutions, family, and political state, but overtime there were fewer restrictions on sexuality and how people thought of it. “Not only were the boundaries of what one could say about sex enlarged, and men compelled to hear it said; but more important, discourse was connected to sex by a complex organized with varying effects.” (Foucault, 23) Sex is tied up in networks of power and our obsession with sex changed our focus in relation to power. He describes how discourse is used to connect the relationship between knowledge and power. For Foucault discourse crystalizes into political institutions. For instance police force or prisons both compete with their own intrinsic logic on how to discipline

Foucault describes the "repressive hypothesis" as one that supposes that any increase of energy on purely pleasurable activities, such as sex, has been frowned upon since the rise of the bourgeoisie. Due to this, sex