The Imitation Game ( 2014 ) Directed By Morten Tyldum

Part of the problem comes from a lack of understanding of LGBT identities. Before the 19th century, there was little to no awareness of LGBT identities, and even in the present, misconceptions are extremely pervasive. Same-sex attraction was classified as a mental illness in the United States until 1973 (apa 1). Censorship in media—LGBT characters are often inherently viewed as more “adult” than other characters—has also been a problem. While some characters were able to slip past censors in early years, the Motion Picture Production Code, a law created to censor films, quickly ended any references to LGBT characters. More commonly known as the Hays Code, the code policed subjects considered to be too inappropriate for audiences, including “sex perversion, or any inference to it” (Motion 3). Yet even after the code was no longer in effect—it was only in effect from 1930–1968—the issue of LGBT representation prevailed. Allen Young, a gay activist and writer, comments, “When I was a young person…the words ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’ we're almost never in the media. It was like we didn’t exist…if there were any gay people in the media, they were usually either villains, or portrayed as clowns, or tragic figures” (Young 1). The lack of positive, diverse representation that non-LGBT characters received was not granted to LGBT characters. Although

Ever since filmmakers started to explore the idea of focusing the story idea around ‘queer’ figures, people in society have been having mixed feelings about them. ‘Queer’ figures are basically people who are not within the male-female dichotomy. It is a term used to refer to homosexuals, transgenders and others who are unclear about their sexual preference. The queer film phenomenon was introduced in fall 1991 at Toronto’s Festival of Festivals, the best spot in North America for tracking new cinematic trends. (Rich 2013, Page 16) This got the ball rolling for more filmmakers to make films of different genres and subjectivity on this group of people. In this academic essay, the following thesis statement will be discussed – “The violence and

Life for most homosexuals during the first half of the Twentieth century was one of hiding, being ever so careful to not give away their true feelings and predilections. Although the 1920s saw a brief moment of openness in American society, that was quickly destroyed with the progress of the Cold War, and by default, that of McCarthyism. The homosexuals of the 50s “felt the heavy weight of medical prejudice, police harassment and church condemnation … [and] were not able to challenge these authorities.” They were constantly battered, both physically and emotionally, by the society that surrounded them. The very mention or rumor of one’s homosexuality could lead to the loss of their family, their livelihood and, in some cases, their

Moses Kaufman is the producer of the successful play “The Laramie Project” after a horrific incident that occurred in Laramie. Members of the artistic group of Kaufman 's, traveled to Laramie to find out more about the horrific incidence. The main aim of the whole project was to find the emotions, reactions, and reflections that the people of Laramie manifested concerning the beating and subsequent death of a twenty-three-year-old college student (Gale, 2016). A lot of questions were raised concerning the death as people had different point of views. Some thought it was a hate crime, others thought it was just a brutal assault or a form of robbery. Four hundred interviews were conducted so as to come up with the reasons behind the brutal murder straight from the town folks. The main issue was how homosexuality was defined in the crime. The Laramie Project, questioned the rights of the LGBT+ group. For example, why were Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgenders discriminated by the community and the society as a whole even though their rights were constitutional?

“Sex was something mysterious which happened to married couples and Homosexuality was never mentioned; my mother told me my father did not believe it existed at all ‘until he joined the army’. As a child, I was warned about talking to ‘strange men’, without any real idea what this meant. I was left to find out for myself what it was all about.” Mike Newman, who was a child during the 1950s America recalls how homosexuality was perceived during the post-World War II era (F). This sexual oppression was not only in Newman’s household, but in almost everyone’s. While the civil rights movement began in the mid-1950s and ended late 1960s, the LGBT community started to come out of the closet slowly. The gay rights movement stemmed from the civil rights movement

In this article Roxane had lead me through a pathos appealing reading that aroused many feelings and emotions towards the aspects of her lingering thoughts and perspectives of privileges being different and that the way people used the word it is seen as it has become white noise. My goal in this paper is to analyze her discussion, as Gay begins with her credibility; with personal facts; reputable sources; citing convincing opinions, and successfully employing emotional appeals. However, her

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 for men to sexually explore within the male community, post-World War II extended the freedom of exploration but also created a subsequent backlash against homosexual practices. Vining and Duberman’s diaries document an extension of gay freedoms in the post-World War II period. Although Vining and Duberman give contrasting accounts of their lives as gay males in the postwar period, common themes could be drawn in the form of friendships, sexual activity, relationships, and backlash by heteronormative society.

I have recently watched the movie called “The Laramie Project.” The Laramie project is about a young gay student named Matthew Sheppard, who was murdered in Laramie, Wyoming by two boys from the town named, Aaron McKinley and Russell Henderson. The evidence and testimonies from the case suggested that Matthew was attacked, because of his sexuality as a gay man. Matthew was beaten, tied to a fence and left dead in Laramie, Wyoming in 1988. This movie captures the reaction of the murder and draws on hundreds of interviews conducted by the theatre company with the inhabitants of the town, company members, own journal entries, and published news reports. After watching this movie, I reflected on my own perspectives and thoughts about a few issues in the movie, such as hate crime, the phrase “Live and Let Live,” and “flaunting it.”

American rhetoric about LGBT+ issues underwent major changes in the late 60s and early 70s. While for years homophile groups such as the Mattachine Society dominated queer rhetoric, in 1969 Carl Wittman’s “Gay Manifesto” redefined the LGBT+ rights movement’s voice and goals (380). Using shocking language, his authority as a gay man, and emotional appeals to his queer audience, Wittman and his “Gay Manifesto” utilized a confrontational, liberationist tone to communicate his views on sexual identity and heteronormative culture. While opponents may argue that Wittman’s profane language and emotional appeals weaken his argument and alienate the audience, his rhetorical choices prove perfect for engaging queer readers. Wittman’s “Gay Manifesto” spoke to queer people and offered a new perspective in LGBT+ rhetoric.

As the changes in gender and sexuality emerge into today’s society, the dominant ideologies are present in the films that are published during that specific time period. Gender roles have dramatically changed in the past century and are apparent in the movie All That Heaven Allows (1955). These gender roles follow the typical idea that a “woman pleases her man”, which was soon to change in the following years. Conversely, today sexuality seems to be a large focus in the media and has begun to appear in our government as well. These ideas were challenged in the movie The Kids are All Right (2010), where the emergence of gay marriage is growing in America.

The topic that the proposed book focuses on considers the contentious impact of the 1969 Stonewall Riots upon the struggle for LGBT+ rights. This potential monograph, entitled “Riots for Rights: the Debatable Influence of Stonewall,” pursues to furthermore enhance the argument concerning whether the 1969 Stonewall Riots began the public LGBT+ movement for further rights, or if the converse occurred, wherein this momentous protest instead the culminated the LGBT+ efforts of the previous years, merely pushing it further into public discussion. In the modern era, LGBT+ rights still undergo fierce argument and debate, and so the proposed book’s topic certainly holds relevance in both a historical and political context that continues into the present day. Furthermore, another key importance for the publication of this monograph stands that while the voluminous documentation of the progression in LGBT+ rights Post-Stonewall exists, serious evaluation and comparison of the rights already developing before the 1969 Riots became widely publicized. “Riots for Rights: the Debatable Influence of Stonewall” would expand upon these facets and further the historical understanding of the still-evolving history of the modern-day LGBT+ movement.

In My Murdered Cousin Had a Name (June 29, 2015), Charles M. Blow argues that he wants society and law to change their view on L.G.B.T.Q people and to not criticize a person’s dignity based who they are attracted to or who in communion with. He supports his claim by first stating how his cousin died just because of living as a gay human-being, then states that if you are a black gay male you have a higher risk of being attacked by homophobes, then states that a black person who is gay to society can be hunted just because he/she is black; it intrigues danger for all black people, and finally M. Blow wishes that all L.G.B.T.Qs could and should be gratified for their difference. Blow’s purpose is to persuade readers in order to clarify the problem between racism and homophobia. He creates a righteous tune for the media and the homophobes.

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.

When analyzing both the documentary and the mainstream film, one must first determine some of the important facets in gay cinema. Images about gay people seem to be more varied and recognizant of homosexuality though they may obscure other stereotypes or sectors of the LGBT community (Filaire 11). This is something both films may do in the end, since bisexuals or transgender are not present, but it serves as a

Peripherally, the poem “Homo Will Not Inherit” through the use of sarcasm, a flattering and condemnatory tone, and biblical allusions, Mark Doty proudly asserts his supposed impending, prideful downfall and damnation as a homosexual. However, the nature of his assertion drew attention to a larger, deeper underlying problem: the concept of perceived authority and perceived freedom. To declare oneself free from the clenches of opposition involves a decision, and the route often taken is the route of hatred towards those who stand against one’s own interests. Yet, two potential faults exist in the approach of those who choose a path similar to Doty’s route to freedom: does the simple, closed-minded, radical hatred of things that don’t align with one’s personal convictions make them any better than their oppressors and is there actual freedom in hateful resistance? Mark Doty may have intended to display his bravery in his prized sexual orientation, but he also displayed a glaring issue with resistance movements: they, in their pride, imprison themselves.