Stone Butch Blues

In the past five years, some in the queer community has received more social acceptance and legal rights, while others intrigue, confuse, yet outrage our society at large. There has been a slow rise of acceptance of gay people and the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage, however, transgender individuals find themselves diminished and demoralized in a debate over which bathroom is acceptable for them to use in public places. Transgender people do not have equal opportunities, are rejected by mainstream

If this was not a sexually charged act of intimacy, then why are they worried about being caught? This theme of what female intimacy is often portrayed in lesbian texts, for example the beginning of Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Fienberg wrestles with what it means to be intimate with a lover. Ze does this through the reoccurring descriptions about hir lover would take care of hir after traumatic experiences with police, “You drove us home with my head in your

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

An example of literature that reflects the queer phenomenon publically is presented in Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest”. Besides the scenes where Algernon is shown eating muffins and cucumbers, to represent his inability to make a decision between men and women, there is an underlying theme of secrets and things that are kept hidden. The concept of bunburying was used as a coping method to deal with the pressure of societal standards. In order to save face and not look bad, lying is

Within society today both males and females are expected to fit in, fulfil and adopt, specific stereotypes and gender roles. In the western world, women are traditionally characterised and expected to be maternal housewife’s, who are obedient and attractive; whereas males are seen to be the breadwinners, who are muscular independent and strong. These characteristics have become ‘normal’ in society, and enforce the gender stereotype roles. However, when these gender ‘norms’ are disturbed, this leads

Analysis of the Film Chasing Amy Chasing Amy is a movie that uncovers the hardships we find within the confusion of love and sex in our lives. Sometimes the line between love and sex seems almost invisible, but the differences and complications of understanding that are quite clear in this movie. The issues presented in Chasing Amy are directly related to the discussions of “Politics of Sexuality” as well as everyday life in our culture. Our culture, in contrast to Ancient Greece, uses sexuality

A time-line of transgender identities. © 1999 Drs. Arianne van der Ven Contents Summery 2 Introduction: The development of gender as we know it How does history relate to us? 3 From a one-gender system to a two-gender system, and on to ‘third sex’ categories. 3 Some specifics of gender transitions. 5 Part I: Sexology begins. Transgender Identities before the 19th century 7 The early 19th century: Enters forensic psychiatry 7 The

Jazz Albums as Art In the Process of Completing Research for This Issue, I Realized That What I Want to Say May Be Divided into Two Sections. Part One Surveys the General Topic of Album Art; Part Two (Outlined in the Accompanying Sidebar) Considers the Conspicuous Absence of Black Artists from the Process of Designing Jazz Packages: Covers, Liner Notes Etc. This Second Part Will Be Published in an Upcoming Issue.--R.G.O'M. The enclosed portfolio of album cover art springs from my ongoing

"BREAD" SANDRA CISNEROS I question whether these two people in the story are having an affair, back together after a divorce, or whatever? Something as simple as bread can lead to that answer. The bread is much like their relationship, actually exactly like it. "We were hungry. We went into a Bakery on Grand Avenue and bought bread. Filled the backseat. The whole car smelled of bread. Big sourdough loaves shaped like a fat ass"(Cisneros 84). It was an affair. They were lusting each other and finally

In a brightly-lit corner of St Peter’s Basilica, sitting behind a clear panel of glass, is Michelangelo’s Pietà. A marble-white sculpture of the Mother Mary, her eyes downcast, gazes at her Son who lies dead across her lap. She seems both devastated and deep in thought. She is young and beautiful, in line with the old belief that a perfect soul meant a perfect outward appearance (Smart 122). She is famous and celebrated, and is visited by Christians from every nation. In another part of the world