I Want to Know What It's Like

Because sometimes a dramatic performance of poetry is what it takes to make a difference in the world.

Andrej Pejic and His Impact in the Fashion Industry

          A gorgeous model named Andrej Pejic is making moves socially due to both his beauty and for his androgynous modeling style. He has modeled clothes intended for both men and women, and is extremely successful at both. At the young age of twenty, Pejic has been on the “covers of 14 magazines last year” as well as walking in fashion shows by top designers such as Marc Jacobs and Jean Paul Gaultier.  He is one of the most strikingly beautiful people I have ever seen, and his ability to model without remaining strictly within the realm of masculine or feminine is something that provides a representation of gender queer people in the fashion industry.

By pushing the boundaries surrounding gender roles, Pejic allows for the modeling industry to start becoming more accepting of non-gender conforming people.  Many people in the fashion industry would consider him transgender, however, Pejic is not trying to transition into a woman, he simply just does not comply with typical views of gender. Bonnie Gosh says “He is seen as a bit of a maverick, someone who has embraced his sexuality without any need for explanation or justification.” I think what makes me look up to him the most is that he is not doing this to increase his popularity, or to get extra work, but because he just wants to represent who he is, without the pressures of remaining in a singularly female or male representation.  His success in the industry has caused a sudden rise in the number of models who are considered androgynous, which also makes it more difficult for him to remain at the top of the industry in his field. However, by pushing the envelope to the point where more transgender and gender queer individuals can enter the modeling field, he has started “to challenge.. negative attitudes about what it means to be [different.]” (101) In her article addressing homophobia, Barbara Smith declares that publicity and courage are the necessary tools to make “pervasive taken-for-granted homophobia” (101) cease to exist in our society.

Pejic talks about how he grew up as a refugee from Bosnia, and his family’s flight to Australia where he was able to grow up in a better environment. He talks about how he has always had more of a traditionally female mindset, “for instance, preferring Barbie dolls over toy cars” and being caught shoplifting makeup during one point in his teenage years. Although Pejic is accepted in the fashion industry, which is seen as a more open minded realm, when reading about this I wondered about how it was for him growing up in Australia. Children are often the harshest people around, and I can imagine that growing up and leaning towards feminine things exposed Pejic to a lot of bullying.  Pejic did however say that his family and friends were all extremely supportive, and that helped him to know that it was okay to be himself. Cherrie Moraga discusses how “men and women who transgress their gender roles... are territories to be liberated.”(150) Feminism, and the activism involved with it, is essential to the acceptance of people who are not within societies created gender boundaries. Andrej Pejic has been able to become successful due to his persistence, the open mindedness of the fashion industry, and by feminism working to combat the ideas of a homophobic society.

Heres the link to the article for anyone who is interested

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/46332627/ns/today-style/t/gender-bending-model-pushes-limits-runway/#.T0W-gPUcBoE

Gosh, Bonnie. “Gender-bending model pushes limits of the runway” Associated Press, 2012.

Moraga, Cherrie. “Queer Aztlan: the Reformation of Chicano Tribe” from The Last Generation South End Press, 1993.

Smith, Barbara. “Homophobia: Why Bring it Up?” from The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. Ed Henry Abelove et al New York& London: Routledge, 1993.

Lack of Media Coverage is the Homeless Queer Youth's Greatest Enemy

To make a change upon the lives of homeless queer youth in our nation, we need to raise awareness amongst the public. However, we must ask ourselves this question- what is the level of awareness that we need to raise in order to create an impact? A report from CBS Eyewitness News covered the topic of LGBTQ youth out on the streets, as well as a few people who try to provide support for them. This report attempted to cover this topic in approximately five minutes. I do not believe that a mere five minutes could even come close to saying anything about the broken life of a boy who was thrown out of his house at the age of seventeen. Through the analysis of the “Homosexuality and American Society” article, as well as the “Monster, Terrorist, Fag” article, I argue that the media does not provide enough coverage for homeless queer youth, due to the anti-gay sentiments that have pervaded our society for so long.

I believe that our society and culture have always privileged heterosexuals over homosexuals, and for this reason, the media is generally reluctant and ambivalent towards broadcasting about the LGBTQ community. In the article “Homosexuality and American Society: An Overview,” John D'Emilio takes us on a journey through the annals of our nation's history, focusing on the way that society has treated homosexuals. During the World War II era, we feared anyone who was foreign, deviant, and of course, gay. The author states that “...most Americans at that time [would not] have considered the treatment accorded homosexuals and lesbians a form of social persecution” (D'Emilio 10). People were getting beaten, evicted from their homes, and forced into mental institutions against their will, yet somehow, society managed to turn a blind eye to all of this. D'Emilio also talks about the “medical model,” a pathetic attempt by the public to understand the homosexual identity. The medical model labeled homosexuality as a disease or a flaw that can be cured, “...[reinforcing] the cultural matrix that condemned and punished persons who engaged in homosexual activity”(D'Emilio 17). Society also made it difficult for homosexuals to “come out,” doing everything in its power to eliminate an entire identity. This social persecution, to me, is in itself almost a form of identity genocide. Homosexuals in the contemporary world are much more liberated; however, society still refuses to fully accept the LGBTQ community. The “Monster, Terrorist, Fag” article supports the idea that American society still fosters anti-gay sentiments, especially after September 11^th. After the 9/11 attacks, a surge of patriotism swept over the nation. However, this so-called sense of patriotism was also intertwined with the upholding “...of heteronormativity, [and] white supremacy...” (Puar and Rai 117). In a world that was not too different from the one that D'Emilio described in his article, post-9/11 America became hostile towards anybody who wore a turban, or was simply different from the “ideal,” Aryan, heterosexual person. It seemed as if this country embarked on a crusade to fight against anything was different from the norm, lumping Sikhs, homosexuals, and other deviants into one single category. Such deeply-entrenched aggression within our society, therefore, makes it difficult for the media to take a stronger stance towards helping the members of the LGBTQ community such as homeless queer youth.

The news report mentions a few people who provide support for the denomination of homeless queer youth, such as Barbara Poppe (Executive Director of the U.S. Council on Homelessness). However, there is no mentioning of the CBS news network itself donating money or doing anything else to support the cause. The report states that a “shocking” 20 to 40% of the approximately two million homeless youth identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Apparently, people are startled by this statistic because a link between teen homosexuality and homelessness is usually unheard of, thanks to the lack of media representation.

D'Emilio, John. Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities: The Making of a Homosexual Minority in the United States, 1940-1970. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1983. Print.

Heffernan, Danny. "CBS Affiliate in Miami Reports on Homeless LGBT Youth." GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation). GLAAD Blog, 21 Feb. 2012. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. <http://www.glaad.org/blog/cbs-affiliate-miami-reports-homeless-lgbt-youth>.

Puar, Jasbir K., and Amit S. Rai. "Monster, Terrorist, Fag: The War on Terrorism and the Production of Docile Patriots." Social Text 20.3 72 (2002): 117-48. Print.

Gays and Lesbians on Television

Recently the LA Times published an article called “A gay-friendly ‘Sesame Street’?” Jarrett Barrios, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation says, “As more and more loving and committed gay and lesbian couples begin families, it is important that their children see representations… Sesame Street has a long history of teaching children about diversity and acceptance, and I don’t expect that our community will be left out of that education (Maerz).” The exposure of gays and lesbians on mainstream television has created a sense of belonging for queer individuals, but not all denominations of the LGTBQ community are being represented.

Although Sesame Street’s vice president of corporate communications says that they are not consciously trying to appeal to gay viewers, the LGBTQ community is feeling support. Sesame Street along with other television shows have recently began to expose gay and lesbian celebrities as well as gay and lesbian characters (Maerz). The effect that this phenomenon has on the LGBTQ community is significant. For heterosexual individuals, this is an opportunity to become aware of sexual diversity, but for the LGBTQ community, this exposure is an opportunity to find community and a sense of belonging. Seeing your identity being represented makes you feel a part of a larger community. In the case of queer youth, a sense of normality is experienced when they are exposed to others who are just like them. Youth watching these television shows become more aware and accepting of the differences there are in respect to sexual orientation. Youth can learn to accept themselves and accept others. This mixture of queer and heterosexual individuals on television create a community in which both groups can get along. It is essential for queer individuals to find a community. Martin Manalansan writes about the way in which Filipino gay men attempt to “negotiate and represent their collectivity to themselves and others (Manalansan, p.280).” Manalansan also discusses the effects that racial and social class identities have on the formation of community. These different identities are not always seen in the representation of queer individuals on television. For example, Modern Family and Glee portray the gay community as dominantly white middle class males. While most queer youth benefit from the subtle and not so subtle representations of LGBTQ individuals, not everyone is being represented. On another note, to be tolerated is not the same as to be accepted. The media may play a role in the process raising awareness, but it does not necessarily fully embrace the gay and lesbian community. The LA Times article also raises another issue on whether cartoons and children television shows should portray openly gay and lesbian characters. In 2005, when Sesame Street was a part of PBS, it came under attack after featuring young people with lesbian parents (Maerz). Since 2005, people may have become more tolerant, but in my opinion trying to push for Bert and Ernie to come out of the closet and for a gay or lesbian Disney couple, is too much to ask for at the time. Small steps are being taken to get to an environment in which all sexual identities are accepted with love. In her article, Mary Gray writes bout the struggle for gay and queer individuals to find space in which to express themselves. Queer youth struggle with the same problem, except that in Gray’s article she is specifically referring to youth in rural areas. The only place that these individuals feel safe to express themselves is in a consumer setting (Gray, p.55). They are protected because they are consumers not because they are queer. That is also the case with the media. The reason that many television shows try to appeal to gay community is to make money. It is uncertain whether these big companies have sincere intentions of supporting the LGTBQ community or are simply doing whatever it takes to bring in more viewers.

Overall, the media’s portrayal of gays and lesbians is having a positive effect by raising awareness, acceptance, and a sense of belonging for the youth audience. But there are issues when it comes to who exactly is being represented and for what reasons.

References
Gray, Mary L. “From Websites to Wal-Mart: Youth, Identity Work, and Queering of Boundary Publics in Small Town, USA.” American Studies, Vol.48, No.2.
Maerz, Melissa. “A gay-friendly ‘Sesame Street’?” Los Angeles Times. 2012.
Manalasan IV,Martin. “Searching for Community: Filipino Gay Men from New York City.” GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies. Routledge Chapman Hall, 1993. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-gay-friendly-sesame-street,0,3387719.story

There’s No LGBTQ in La Familia

On the television show Glee, Santana Lopez is a confident young Chicana who struggles as a lesbian high school student while gradually coming out to her family and friends. In the episode, “I Kissed A Girl,” Santana faces the challenge of coming out to her abuelita, meaning grandmother in spanish. In the beginning of the scene, Santana and her grandmother’s relationship appears to be loving as they talk and laugh over lunch. Santana shows her love for her grandma as she begins the conversation with, “I’ve watched you my whole life, and you have always been so strong, done exactly what you believe, and never cared what anyone else thought of you.” She then tells her grandmother that she “loves girls the way she is supposed to love boys.” After disclosing her secret to the one person she thought would love her under any circumstance, her grandmother tells her to “leave this house, I don’t ever want to see you again...it’s selfish of you to make me uncomfortable. Go! Now!” Santana’s experience with her abuelita, although heartbreaking, is not uncommon in Chicano culture. In chicano culture, the tradition of “la familia” and the concept of “machismo” dominate, and openly gay men and lesbian women have never been accepted. Santana’s story is a good example of the rejection of homosexuality in the chicano culture, and highlights the deeply rooted values centered around the traditional familia.

The Chicano people have a long history of oppression as they began to immigrate in large numbers into the United States during the twentieth century. Their frustration came to a head during the Chicano Movement in the 1960’s, which is when the idea of Chicano Nationalism was formed. Chicano Nationalism was a “commitment to preserving the integrity of the Chicano people,” but it was centered around the idea of “machismo” and it was blatantly heterosexist (Moraga 147-148). The heterosexism in Chicano culture stems from machismo, which is strong masculine pride. Openly gay men, especially openly femme gay men, are seen as threats to machismo culture so they are rejected by Chicano culture. Chicano youth are growing up in a culture so against their identity that it instills fear into expressing who they are even to their own family and friends. As seen in Santana’s case, these values are so deeply instilled in members of the Chicano population that people, such as Santana’s abuelita, reject their own family because they do not fit the cultural norm.

Another important aspect of Chicano culture is the idea of “la familia.” Tomas Almaguer explains that “Chicano family life remains rigidly structured along patriarchal lines that privilege men over women and children...At all costs, la familia must be preserved” (Almaguer 546). The traditional idea of family consists of a dominate male father and a passive mother. This type of family is the only acceptable form of family in Chicano culture, and “lesbianism, in any form, and male homosexuality which openly avows both the sexual and the emotional elements of the bond, challenge the very foundation of la familia” (Almaguer 546). Homosexuality is seen as betrayal of the sacred Chicano culture, which is another reason fear is instilled in queer youth growing up in this culture.

Machismo and the concept of the traditional family are two large forces in Chicano culture that makes life difficult for the queer youth population. From a young age they are taught that homosexuality goes against everything that is most important, and that is unnatural, not normal, and completely unacceptable. These values are so deeply rooted in their community that queer youth are rejected from their own families and are forced to chose between expressing their true identity or hiding it in order to be accepted by their own family and friends. These adamant values are represented well in the character of Santana’s grandmother when she banishes her own granddaughter just for coming out as a lesbian. Santana may have been rejected by her family, but she finds comfort and support from her more accepting peers at McKinley High.

References

Alamaguer, Tomas. “Chicano Men: A Cartography of Homosexual; Identity and Behavior.”

Social Perspectives in Gay and Lesbian Studies. Peter M Nardi and Beth Schneider, 1998.

Moraga, Cherrie. “Queer Aztlan: the Reformation of Chicano Tribe.” The Last Generation. South

End Press, 1993.

It Really Does Get Better

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000176 EndHTML:0000010175 StartFragment:0000002433 EndFragment:0000010139 SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/annareese/Documents/ItGetsBetter.doc

Anna Reese

FemSt 80

2-22-12

It Gets Better

            While it’s relatively new, the It Get Better campaign has momentum.  It was started in 2010 by sex columnist Dan Savage, in response to the spike in LGBQT teen suicides and rampant bullying.  The website describes its mission, “The It Gets Better Project was created to show young LGBT people the levels of happiness, potential, and positivity their lives will reach – if they can just get through their teen years. The It Gets Better Project wants to remind teenagers in the LGBT community that they are not alone — and it WILL get better.”  It is a campaign with a beautiful message.  Anyone can make an It Gets Better videos, in fact there are thousands of uploads on YouTube with many celebrities making videos as well.  This project shows the strength and diversity of the LGBQT community.

            In her article “Homophobia: Why Bring it Up?” Barbara Smith writes about the need for different ethnic groups and genders to come together.  She describes an incident at a gay bar with a primarily African American attendance.  The police came and harassed the patrons.  Smith writes about the “isms’ of this situation, “As a Black woman, a lesbian, a feminist, and an activist, I have little difficulty seeing how the systems of oppression interconnect, if for no other reason than that their meanings so frequently affect my life” (Pg. 78).  There needs to be solidarity within the gay community.  This is what the It Gets Better campaign attempts to do.  In a New York times article titled, “Campaign Offers Help to Gay Youths, Brian Stelter explains, “Some say the videos also represent an important moment for the gay rights movement. The sharing of coming-out stories has long been a tool of solidarity among gays as ‘a way to say that we understand each other because we had to come out under fire or because we struggled with it,’ Mr. Sprinkle said.”  This campaign goes even beyond the scope of the gay community. Many youths find the message inspiring. 

            In her article “Queer Aztlan: The Re-formation of Chicano Tribe,” Cherrie Moraga discusses the way intersectionality ruled her existence.  Moraga writes, “Although I could not express how at the time, I knew I had a place in that Movement that was spilling out of barrio high schools and onto police-barricaded streets just ten minutes from my tree-lined working class neighborhood in San Gabriel. What I didn’t know then was that it would take me another ten years to fully traverse that ten-minute drive and to bring all the parts of me – Chicana, lesbian, half-breed, and poeta- to the revolution, wherever it was” (Pg. 146).  What Moraga could not have then, teenagers everywhere have access to the It Gets Better campaign.  There is a community for everyone. 

            The project can also be attributed to saving lives.  On the It Get Better YouTube page it provides them information for the “Trevor Project.”  The Trevor Project is an organization that has a toll-free telephone line and online chats for gay youth who feel lonely, depressed, or suicidal. 

            This project is really quite beautiful.  It has become mainstream so many youth watch the videos and understand the message, but most importantly is provides solidarity to a very diverse community. 

Works Cited

1.) Moraga, Cherrie. "Queer Aztlan: The Reformation of the Chicano Tribe." The Last Generation (1993). Print.

2.) Smith, Barbara. "Homophobia: Why Bring It Up?" The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader (1993). Print.

3.) STELTER, BRIAN. "Campaign Offers Help to Gay Youths." The New York Times. The New York Times, 18 Oct. 2010. Web. 22 Feb. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/19/us/19video.html>.

4.) "What Is the It Gets Better Project?" It Gets Better Project. Web. 22 Feb. 2012. <http://www.itgetsbetter.org/pages/about-it-gets-better-project/>.