Course website for Fall 2010 edition of CSP 19: LGBT Rights in the Era of Obama and Google.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Historic Day: Congress Passes DADT Repeal
There's a great diary over at DailyKos explaining the significance and historical context of today's final passage of a bill to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. This picture is of Leonard Matlovich, who came out as gay during the 1970s after being a decorated veteran in the Vietnam war.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Images! Wow!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
The Final Version of My Paper
http://theworldofthepino.blogspot.com/2010/12/elevation-to-equality-critical_12.html
On a side note, if you are into poetry, check out the rest of my blog "The World of The Pino".
VICTORY
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Gay Youth
I've been thinking a lot about the gay teens and children of our generation, who are coming up into such a judgmental society. I've found many websites that have resources for gay teens, places to talk and blog, and to get help. But with so many progressions in law and society, I really hope the gay youth of our generation will eventually see true freedom. Primarily in their right to marry, because too many people have been discriminated against thus far. It's time to see a generation of people who are embraced for their diversity and self expression.
Check out some of the gay youth websites to see where we're at currently with supporting our peers. There is no time like the present to show our peers of any gender, race, or sexuality that we are truly accepting and supportive of each other. We all need support and love. I want nothing more than to live in a country and society that agrees.
The Future of Gay Rights
Our class isn't the only group of people predicting the future for gay rights!
This is a prediction focused on gay marriage. This particular group has guessed which states will legalize gay marriage in what year, but they are all in the near future. Based on legal cases, societal views, and the progression we've seen so far, it's safe to say that gay marriage is on its way to freedom.
This is a positive outlook on the future, and I'm sure many people have opposing views, but I agree that we are in for many changes in the next few years.
It's time to live in a truly free country!
Anti-gay Music
This article is about Beenie Man, a Jamaican rapper who incorporates hateful gay statements into his music. "Well I'm think of a new Jamaica, me come to execute all the gays." His defense against these lyrics is that being gay is much different in Jamaica, and he was referring to rape. This either demonstrates a need to cover up what he truly means, or a misunderstanding for homosexuality as an act of rape. If there aren't many openly gay men in Jamaica, he may only see it as an act of male rape.
This reminds me that a lot of society that is anti-gay, is often misinformed. They only see homosexuality as a negative, based on their upbringing, lack of knowledge, or closed minded-ness.
By placing anti-gay lyrics in one's music, they are putting those negative ideologies in the hands of the public, and will further allow people to think gay discrimination is acceptable in our nation. We need more artists to come out with music that demonstrates their acceptance for our entire society, not just the majority!
Paperzzzzz
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Nature or Nurture?
Sex Appeal in Music Videos
Britney Spears' Circus 64,254,589 views
Sunblock's Baby Baby1,576,282 views
N.E.R.D.'s Lapdance 2,086,127 views
Lady Gaga's Alejandro 107,710,824 views!!!!!
I think that a discourse about sexuality is really valuable because it creates discourse about all kinds of sexual preferences. Sex in the media, especially the candid kind of sexuality in Gaga's videos, makes it shameless to be a sexual being. And we are all sexual beings. I think the shamelessness is a good thing. To me, it is an amazing thing that the media has the power to eliminate taboos. During the Motion Picture Production Code (1930-68) discourse about anything explicit was banned. Sex was not talked about and a lot of sex was taboo - especially gay sex.
I like when girls kiss girls
Pittsburgh Slim has got himself 4,047,545 views on Girls Kiss Girls. And regardless of how you feel about the theme in the video, you gotta admit that a viewing of this size is pretty phenomenal.
heres the vid
Thoughts???
Comedic Relief?
Thai Rivera is a gay comedian and his work has very interesting implications. In light of the recent stress of over-blogging, I thought I might brighten up some people's day by posting a comedic act on gay rights. His gay jokes are somewhat harmless but the idea of having a homosexual make fun of homosexuals is a very interesting topic in it of itself. Do you think that the minority group should have the "right" and "liberty" to make fun and joke about themselves? If a heterosexual makes fun of homosexuals it is considered demeaning, rude, and oppressive, but if homosexuals make fun of homosexuals it is socially acceptable. What do you guys think?
Names and Gender
Logo TV
Bromance?
Is it okay to have a gay crush?
Gay Straight Guys
This is another funny video that deals with the LGBT community. In this video two gay guys are in denial about their sexual preferences. They make-out several times and but still insist that they are straight. At some point they come close to admitting their homosexuality but then they right back into denial. The video is pretty funny, check it out for yourself here.
Bar-Sexuals
Well first, let me tell you what/ who they are. Bar-Sexuals are women who are predominantly heterosexual and go to bars and to gain attention from men, after having a few drinks, they will experiment with each other and do things such as make out or play with each other's breasts to impress and visually stimulate guys at the bar. There was a whole segment on the Tyra Banks show about these self-proclaimed 'Bar-Sexuals'.
More Cartoons!
Another article states:
"Political cartoons have their own particular style of humor however, and this
style is based on a certain blending of serious topics and humor. The origin of
political cartoons is believed to date back to the 16th century, and from that
time on, political satire has been used as an effective means of criticizing the
establishment. "
Check out the articles, and enjoy these cartoons!
Fighting Ignorance with Humor
Sometimes we just have to take a step back and have a good laugh about our misfortunes. This is what this video makes us do in regards to the LGBT community. This is funny clip about gay protest signs. Even if not everything’s going as well as planned we can still have a good laugh about what is being done. Also like the clip’s description reads we can be “Fighting ignorance with humor”.
Provincetown, Mass
The happiest place on earth to some, to others, a tourist spot. It is honestly an experience to remember! As you can see in the photos above, people are free to express themselves as the wish without any concern about public scrutiny. In Provincetown, being a member of the LGBT community is the norm. Walking down the streets, shopping, sight seeing and eating out, you can see a multitude of people just being their happy selves. I have not seen more muscular guys with great tans and tattoos walking hand in hand with little pomeranians or shitzus ever before in my life. The rainbow LGBT flag is hung and displayed ALL over town and it is a known spot for LGBT community members. There are parades every Thursday and people who dress in very ornate costumes. This town is on the beach and is also a town that offers whale watches on the water. All the pictures above are from my two trips to P-town with my boyfriend and his parents over the summer on the Cape. Dame Edna was by far the funniest comedian we saw there!
LGBT Churches
Before I took this course I had no idea that there was such a thing as gay churches. In my mind religion and homosexuality were as far apart as they could be. However, once I did learn about them I was very interested and I wanted to find out more. I did some research and found out that gay churches are very much like regular churches. There is not a large difference at all. To see what I mean see this site.
The New Woman
Throughout the years the typical role of a woman has been to be a stay at home mother. However, more recently, this norm has been challenged and we’ve been seeing more and more women leaving the house to join the workforce. This is a great thing because it means more and more women are become independent and not having to rely on their husbands to support them. And while it’s a great thing that women are becoming this independent it can also be hard for them to learn how to balance work and family life. I searched online to see if there were any sites that offered any help to women who were having trouble balancing their job and family. Right away I found a very informative site.
Workingmother.com is a site especially designed for women who are working and have families. This site is meant to help women balance their family life and their work. If you know any working women with families I recommend you inform them about this site, it’s very helpful. Check it out for yourself here.
Beautiful No Matter What They Say...
There couldn’t be a video that exemplifies more the term of acceptance than this. This is Christina Aguilera’s Beautiful and it depicts how all individuals are beautiful regardless of what others think. Whether society accepts them or not doesn’t matter, like Christina says, “'Cause you are beautiful no matter what they say/Words can't bring you down, oh no/You are beautiful in every single way/Yes, words can't bring you down, oh no/So don't you bring me down today”. Check the video out!
FCKH8!!
Martin Luther King Jr. & Harvey Milk
I happened to be thinking about Martin Luther King Jr. and the way the contributed so much to the African American civil rights movement when I asked myself: who is the Martin Luther King Jr. of the gay civil rights movement? The first name that immediately popped into my mind was that of Harvey Milk. I decided to do some research on the two and see how many similarities the shared. I came upon a very interesting blog. To check it out click here.
"Acting White"
Suicidal Thoughts...
Sexuality has become a rather daunting aspect of life for LGBTQ youth. Many young people struggling with gaining social acceptance have contemplated, if not attempted, suicide. LGBTQ students are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual counterparts. "Gay and lesbian youth represent 30% of all completed teen suicide: extrapolation shows this means a successful suicide attempt by a gay teen every 5 hours and 48 minute." On top of that 30% of all gay and bisexual males have attempted suicide. The fact that one's sexuality has been driving so many people to suicide, it says a lot about the society that we live in. If 2010 has taught us anything its that society needs to be a lot more sensitive and accepting of gay youth. Prior to the media coverage of the LGBTQ suicides, the statistics were probably just numbers that we tried to conceptualized mentally, but there's no need for that now because we have actually been seeing this happen of the past year. Its about time the people, specially faculty, administration, and students within schools, become more inclusive in order to eliminate suicides that are occurring because of people's sexual orientation.
Abolish the "N" word
Throughout the semester we have been discussing the wrongful use of the word gay to mean bad or something similar. However, a similar word that we haven’t talked about is the “N” word. To this day the “N” word is still tossed around like nothing regardless of the historical significance it has. Since we hadn’t talked about it much in class I decided to do some research on it and I found a great site with plenty of information. This is the site of an organization whose mission is to abolish the “N” word. When you first open the site you’ll see a great introduction with really strong images and phrases. It really makes you think about why we still use the “N” word. Then you go on to the main page where you can find out more about the organization, its mission, and its history. You can also join its mailing list and learn more about it. Click here to check it out.
Cooking, cleaning. And Vaginas.
This is video of a song that I casually heard the other day, and while I found it hilarious because it was so ridiculous it also shows some underlying feelings of male supremacy. This can even be seen in the highest rated comments. One of these comments is “Cooking, cleaning. And Vaginas.” This is referring to a portion of the lyrics that reads “Women are only good for three things: cooking, cleaning, and vaginas.” See it for yourself.
Being Gay at School
Dream Act: Dissected
Unless you are directly interested in politics it can be confusing keeping up with all bills going through congress. I know this for a fact because I’m always at a loss when I’m watching the news or reading the newspaper and see something dealing with the Dream Act. The Dream Act is the single most important piece of legislation to me. The Dream Act is an act that gives illegal students who meet certain requirements an opportunity to enlist in the military or go to college and in this process be set on a path to citizenship. I strongly support this act simply because I feel that if it isn’t passed a great deal more talent that our country can benefit from than has yet to be wasted, will be wasted.
However, as passionate as I am about this act I sometimes find it difficult to keep up with its journey through congress. And if I’m this disoriented about the Dream Act I can only imagine how confusing it could be to other individuals. Because of this I decided to do some research and found a very helpful site that broke down exactly what the Dream Act is. This site discusses what the purpose of this act is, what it takes to qualify for it, and what would happen if the act were passed. If you want to learn more about the Dream Act you should definitely check out this site.
Family Support
How Women are Portrayed
Something that has always bothered me is the way women in the music industry have to portray themselves in order to be successful. They basically have to wear diminutive outfits, showing large amounts of skin, and depicting themselves as pieces of meat in order to sell albums. This does not only lower the credibility of said artist but also degrades what it is to be a woman. By wearing this type of attire the artist is basically telling their public that their talent isn’t sufficient enough to be successful so that they must use the help of their body. Also, by using this dress, these artists are further objectifying women more that they usually are. And if that weren’t enough, artists that wear this attire are also influencing young girls into doing dressing this way. If you haven’t seen what I’m talking about here’s a Ninel Conde video, a latin artist that exemplifies the way women in the music industry portray themselves.
Obama on Gay Civil Rights
Throughout this whole semester I had been hearing a lot about the promises our current president, Barack Obama, made to the LGBT community before he was elected. I wasn’t sure of all that he had promised so I decided to do some research. Something that I found was this very interesting clip. In it Obama speaks for gay rights and about what he plans to do for the LGBT community. I recommend you take a look at it.
Eating Disorders and the Media
La Mujer de mi Hermano
This weekend I saw a great movie, La Mujer de mi Hermano (My Brother's Wife). This movie is about a woman, Zoe, who cheats on her husband, Ignacio, with her husband’s brother, Gonzalo. Ignacio neglects her, always keeping himself busy with work and designating Saturday as the only day out of the week when they have sex. Because of this Zoe turns to his brother, who gives her sex and temporary comfort. At first Zoe is lost as to why her husband neglects so much. She believes it might have to do with the existence of another woman. However, at the end of the movie she learns that the reason of her husband’s neglect isn’t the result of the existence of another woman, but instead of another man. This is a great movie with many surprising twists and turns. I strongly recommend everyone to watch it. If you want to learn more about it, here’s the trailer.
Homophobia vs Ignorance
Sexialization of Women
According to this article, when a group of girls were asked to give responses to overtly sexual ads many said it was no big deal. This suggests a normalization and tolerance for this depiction of women, that needs to change.
Marriage v Civil Unions
Before I took this course I didn’t understand the difference between marriage and civil unions. I always wondered why the LGBT community was so persistent about legalizing same-sex marriage when it could just opt for civil unions. However, after taking this course I have learned that there IS a difference between marriage and civil unions.
To begin with, marriages are recognized across countries, cultures, and religions; civil unions are not. Civil unions are not recognized in all states. This means that if a couple gets a civil union in state and moves to another state, that state might not recognize the civil union. This depends on the state’s policy. Also, in a marriage a citizen can sponsor his or her spouse for immigration into the U.S. Citizens with a civil union can’t do this. Lastly, the federal government doesn’t recognize civil unions. This means that couples that get civil unions aren’t able to file joint-tax returns. They have to file individual tax returns. They’re also not are eligible for tax breaks or protections that the government provides married couples with.
These are the reasons why the LGBT community will not conform to civil unions. If you want to see a more extensive explanation on the differences between marriages and civil unions see this helpful article.
Kyle Allums
FACEBOOK attempts to stop anti-gay bullying
In addition to that they have inlisted celebrities like Vinny from Jersey shore to help spread the message.
Gay Education
I found this video called "Gay Education" which attempts to refute common misconceptions about homosexuality. I really liked the video because I felt that it addressed a lot of these misconceptions but in an academic and eloquent way. For instance toward the end of the video, it points out the several scientific institutions that have proven and claimed that homosexuality is not a choice and that others shouldn't attempt to fix it.
However, a few things that made me uncomfortable about this video. For instance, I really didn't like how it didn't even try to address the issues of female sexuality. I don't believe that there isn't enough research to at least present these issues and talk about it. Second, I really didn't like how it tried to claim that the more male babies a woman has, the more her body will try to feminized the male fetus. So feminizing a boy makes him gay? What does that even mean? It seems like this video reinforced male gender roles, in the sense that masculinity means you are straight but if you are "feminized" that makes you gay. Thats how it seemed like to me, what are your thoughts?
Women and Educational Attainment
Sexism in Music Videos
Who Taught You To Hate Yourself
Here is a clip of a speech by Malcolm X called, "Who Taught You To Hate Yourself".
Its really like this clip and when I thought of it, it really reminded me of the movie we watched a while ago, Ethnic Notions. We saw how the media has been involved in perpetuating derogatory racial notions but we never discussed how damaging these notions can be to that community. I think this speech demonstrates how these notions really affect the community. When you are surrounded by media that constantly mocks you or imply that because of who you are you are ugly and inferior it has a terrible affect on your psyche. You internalize these notions and start to see yourself this way.
Hate Crimes Against Sikhs in The Bay
Protests Against Transgendered Character on Degrassi
Some trivia on Nickelodeon’s Degrassi Character Adam:
- Adam is the first transgender character to be featured on Degrassi.
- Adam is the first scripted transgender teen character in television history (not including documentaries or one-time guest roles).
- Adam is an FTM (Female to Male) transgender.
- Adam’s birth name is Grace “Gracie” Torres.The original birth name was planned to be Chelsea.
- Adam is one of three characters who caused self-harm to themselves. Others include Ellie Nash and Darcy Edwards, who both cut themselves.
- Adam’s grandmother doesn’t know that he’s transgender.
John McCain at it Again
Gay Right Statistics
Sexual Violence Against Women in Fashion Ads
Gay Rights Info
- Adoption: 19 states allow gay and lesbian couples to adopt children in a complex and expensive two-step process, in which one parent first adopts and then the second can petition for joint rights.
- Ceremonial Marriages: Same Sex Marriages may be officiated by church officials, or anyone else, but ceremonial marriages in and of themselves involve no civil laws and carry no legal benefits or responsibilities.
- Domestic Partnership Registration: is a means by which some cities allow opposite- and same-sex couples to go on public record as a non-married couple. The major benefit is used to establish legal responsibility for debts after a relationship ends.
- Domestic Partnership Affidavit: Many private employers and municipalities offer domestic partner benefits to their workers, based on signing a legal affidavit that defines an economic relationship.
Civil Unions - In Dec. 1999, the Hawaii Supreme Court reversed a 1996 ruling, and defined marriage as between different sex couples.
- In April 2000, the Vermont House of Representatives gave final approval to same-sex marriages. Gays and lesbians may join in "civil unions," which are no expected to be recognized by other states and will not entitle the partners to federal benefits. The Vermont Supreme Court had ruled in December that gay and lesbian couples denied the right to marry were suffering from unconstitutional discrimination.
- In June 2000, the Supreme Court let stand a New Jersey ruling that allowed the Boy Scouts to ban gay scoutmasters.
- In July 2000, Vermont began offering a separate form of marriage, conferring about 300 spousal rights to same sex couples.
- The Civil Union license is obtained from town clerks. There is a $20 fee. The Unions are "certified" either by justices of the peace, judge, or willing member of the clergy. Civil Union couples also have the right to dissolve their unions through a "dissolution" process in Family Court.
Civil Unions Benefits - Definitions: Use of State laws that confer benefits or rights to people based on their marital or family status, such as family landowner rights to hunt and fish, or definitions of family farmers.
- Adoption: Entitled to all the protections and benefits available when adopting. Same-sex couples already are allowed to adopt, but laws would reflect that those couples would now be treated as spouses.
- Compensation: Use of victims' compensation and workers' compensation related to spouses.
- Discrimination: Use of laws prohibiting discrimination based on marital status.
- Health Care: Able to make medical decisions for incapacitated partner. Able to visit hospitals visitation and be notified of a partner's condition.
- Insurance: State employees are treated as spouses for insurance or continuing care contracts.
- Lawsuits: Able to sue for wrongful death, the emotional distress caused by a partner's death or injury, and loss of consortium caused by death or injury.
- Property: Entitled to joint title, transfer from one to the other on death, and property transfer tax benefits.
- Probate: Use probate law and procedures.
- State Tax: Treated as an economic unit.
- Testimony: Not be compelled to testify against one another.
Federal rights NOT Covered by Civil Unions - Immigration Rights: Cannot have a non-U.S. spouse become a full citizen.
- Social Security: Cannot collect benefits upon death of a spouse.
- Federal Taxes: Cannot file jointly as a married couple
Gay Rights
Family and RelationshipsDo We Intervene?
Okay recently I wrote about "What Would You Do" a television show that test people's moral consciousness and pushes them to "do the right thing" and intervene when they see something wrong. This is an ad about domestic violence. The supposed "experiment" serves to point out that many women are murdered in their own homes meanwhile their neighbors may have heard it and never did anything about it. It's a stark contrast to the fact that neighbors are quick to complain about music noise, but not when they hear a woman getting brutally beaten.
I guess my point is that, would would you do if you were the neighborhood and heard this next door? We live in a society where violence against women is very common and I believe it's because we live in a society that does not respect women's bodies. So although I may be playing devils advocate (because this is the opposite perspective of my other post), do you think this is a situation of which we need to be active and stand up against or passively ignore it?