Girlfriend. The word flows out of my mouth so easily, so beautifully. I feel such confidence racing through me, with a newfound pride in my identity. This newfound strength and the pride in my identity that garners dissolves away so quickly as I look around. Older women stare at me with uncomfortable smiles that read, “You mean your friend who is a girl, right?” My peers turn their noses up in disgust. My mother holds her breath. My heart yearns to sing the notes of Sappho’s song, yet I sink into myself, tasting vinegar on my tongue.
Going through life as a lesbian is hard; going through high school as a lesbian is nearly impossible. Society's indoctrination of expectations insinuates itself into the subconscious minds of adolescents who
A relationship? Something meaningful? Forever? HA! All ploys and devious schemes devised by horifically cruel creatures, in order to have their every wish granted for all of eternity. These terms were created to destroy our lives, they were created by the most evil and demented of all creatures, The Female. Ask any boyfriend, or should I say "slave", and they will tell you that the Female is a very mean creature that gets her every way without any questions. They turn us into their servants and force us into a permanent relationship, or a permanent "slavery", as I prefer to call it.
The LGTBQ community have faced the extreme challenge of being accepted by society due to the dominating heterosexism of the American culture. Heterosexism is defined as “the overarching system of advantages bestowed on heterosexuals based on the institutionalization of heterosexual norms or standards and founded on the ideology that all people are or should be heterosexual, which privileges heterosexuals and heterosexuality, while excluding the needs, concerns, cultures, and life experiences of lesbians, gay males, bisexuals, pansexuals, and asexuals” (Adams et al., 2013). Those that identify as transgender have had a difficult time because of heteronormativity. Whereas, heterosexual people may not be able to understand why someone would want
“Heaven on earth” is a phrase almost everyone has probably heard, but few, if not, none, have actually found it. This idea of an earthly heaven is represented by Evelyn Waugh satirically in his novel, “The Loved One.” Through this satire, Waugh pokes fun at the concepts and values of society developed through the rise of Hollywood. Waugh brings attention to the issue of society’s increasing superficially and attempt to create a perfect reality through his contrasts between Whispering Glades and the Catholic view of heaven.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bi, and Transgendered (LGBT) youth population is one of the most vulnerable groups in our community. Being gay does not lead to risky behaviors or bad decision making, rather, societal stigma and discrimination can lead LGBT youth to seek emotional outlets. Today’s society has improved immensely towards the LGBT community, although it has not always been this way. Society can affect a person in shocking ways, influencing one’s unhealthy and unsafe physical and mental behaviors. This current vulnerable population deserves a voice and the simplicity of someone listening to them in order for both sides, accepting and non-accepting, to find a common ground and settle the violence.
In Julie Maroh’s book Blue is the Warmest Color, the author illustrates the life and reality of a young teen, Clementine, who is starting to notice her feelings for women, as a lesbian, and also coming out. Coming out is a process which begins when we first admit to ourselves that we are lesbian. By either acting on your true feelings or living the rest of your life a lie depends on when you admit to yourself. In this research paper I will be focusing on lesbian stereotypes, family views and how people are treated once they come out. Even in todays world, most women who are lesbian, choose to hide their sexuality behind dating or marrying a man. As well as hiding their sexuality from family and friends.
In seventh grade, Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" came out, and I was hooked. However, my enjoyment of the song led my friends to label me as a lesbian, which I found deeply troubling in my Catholic school environment. This experience highlights how societal and religious norms can shape an individual's perception of their sexuality, leading to defensive reactions and a suppression of genuine feelings and desires. Moreover, according to Keiley and Timm (2011), "[g]reater differentiation in and of itself may not lead to sexual and marital satisfaction, but it may allow individuals to talk more readily about sexual issues with their partners, which then, in turn, contributes to sexual and marital satisfaction" (p.215). In this context, the pressure to conform to societal norms may have hindered my ability to discuss my feelings and desires with others, including potential romantic partners.
The research question for this article would be how is the justice system equipped to deal with sexual minority girls and their issues of trauma? Trauma happens to be a big risk factor for delinquency and other emotional and physical problems. This article reviews the very little amount of empirical research done to look at the trauma in the interpersonal form of the lesbian and bisexual girls in the juvenile justice system. Lesbians and bisexual girls may have an increased risk of harmful behavior and traumatic experiences due to parental rejection, school bullying, and violence. When a member of LGBTQ youth enter the justice system, there is a lack of programs and services that tend to their treatment needs. Another issue with having LGBTQ
Adolescents in general are often faced with many obstacles throughout their teenage years however; when homosexuality is in the equation this can make issues more complex. Adolescent who do not fit the “norm” because they are questioning their sexuality; they often experience discrimination, substance abuse, higher rates of suicide and victimization. As a result this group is considered to be a high risk population. When communities lack Gay- Straight Alliances also known as GSA adolescents are often shunned and are forced to hide their sexual orientation in social isolation. Increasing GSA support groups will help LBGTQ youths develop a positive self-image.
Gay and Lesbian research is inquiry that focuses on the lives, experiences, and meanings of those who are socially identified as lesbians; this identity label is temporal, culturally determined, and socially constructed. Today, lesbian refers to women who are primarily sexually and romantically attracted to other women. Lesbian research is indebted to the advances and insights of feminism, a movement for social justice centered on women. Reflecting on this historic connection, lesbian research has attempted to redress the imbalance of attention to dominant groups in traditional
In this paper I am discussing the racial and prejudice issues of homosexuals. In the present day, homosexuals are being accepted in a better light than thirty years ago. Although, there are still racial slurs, non-acceptance issues, and violence that the homosexual communities are dealing with on a daily basis. In this paper I am discussing Lena. She is a lesbian trying to feel approval of the social world, and her family; by which she is trying to fit into the society. Therefore, the helper is directing Lena to take notice of
Young lesbian women experience oppression differently than a poor, single Latina mother. It is impossible to thoroughly apprehend the true experience of a woman unless we take into account the every layer of oppression she faces simultaneously and, even further, analyze how these oppressions intertwine. Identifying and studying these unique experiences is critical to understanding and practicing feminism. However, as Lugones and Spelman argue on page nineteen, “Systematic sustained reflection on being woman...is most likely to be done by women who vis-a-vis other women enjoy a certain amount of political, social and economic privilege because of their skin color, class membership, [and/or] ethnic identity.” (19)
The results of this study concluded that adolescents who were raised in lesbian-mother families since birth demonstrated healthy psychological adjustment. The children of lesbian parents were rated significantly higher is social, school/academic, and total competence and significantly lower in social problems, rule breaking, aggressive and externalizing problem behavior than their aged match counterparts (Perrin, Siegel 7).
Even though in today’s society being a lesbian isn’t a big deal, there are still people that have to face discrimination just because they like the same gender. However, if you think about it, is it wrong to do something out of the norm? Is it wrong to have different views on things than other people? Some people think it is wrong, but is it really wrong to live your life on your own terms? Although living life on your own terms can be a hard path to follow because it means that everyone might not support your decisions in life, it doesn’t mean it’s not right to do so. Jeanette proves this in the book, “Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal,” Jeanette Winterson faces many difficulties that relate to my friend Nina, these difficulties include: lack of family support for both Nina and Jeanette, however, religion wise Jeanette’s family is more strict than Nina’s.
Yuriana Cortez is straight and married with two daughters. Her major is Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resource Management. She interviewed Aracely and Jessica. Aracely is a 27-year-old female who manages a McDonalds and is a lesbian. She wishes others would know about lesbians is that they are humans like everyone else and have feelings and emotions too. They don’t hate men and in people tend to believe that in every lesbian couple there’s one person who has to be the man, is not true. Aracely faced challenges with her family’s acceptance and work acceptance. They all were not the most supportive at first. Society acceptance is another challenge she has dealt with and also trying to receive the same respect she shows to others is a challenge she has endured. Changes have already been made like able to marry the same sex, support groups for parents/family which was a huge thing within the LGBT community. As for diversity Aracely quoted former president Bill Clinton, “All of America loses when any person is denied or forced out of a job because of sexual orientation. Being gay, the last time I thought about it, seemed to have nothing to do with the ability to read a balanced book, fix a broken bone, or change a spark plug.” She says this quote is not only for sexual orientation it can also be for age, disabilities, religion, and race etc. Aracely’s advice for the class is to be yourself. “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” Dr. Seuss, words can
Sexuality is an issue that has been widely discussed and has often been misunderstood by society. It has often been a misconception by members of the heterosexual community that all lesbians want to be men. Through applying common sense, it can be understood why people may think gay women want to be men when looking in on the lesbian community, some lesbians prefer to express themselves and their sexuality through the way they dress and act; their short hair, masculine clothing, wearing no make-up and their macho