We've probably all seen it once--two characters of the
same gender share a sultry and meaningful gaze on a show, or they seem to
definitely have more than just platonic feelings for each other, and though
these feelings seem to be talked about (more often than not, in a more "i
love you so much, brah"), what seems to be obvious queer feelings are not
realized in the show. You figure, "Okay, so it's gay subtext, I guess?
Though they're making an awfully big deal out of it." Yeah, you're right!
They are making a big deal out of this, though they're not openly admitting
feelings or doing much more than holding each other's gaze. The writers and the
directors of the show are flippant, coy, and so are the actors. They won't
tell. Yet, the "subtext" is prominent, and relentless. No one's
saying anything about any queer characters, yet there certainly seems to be
more going on under the surface.
This is called queerbaiting, and it's a way for shows to
attract and appease an LGBT+ audience while not alienating their homo- and
transphobic viewers as well. Writers use common struggles and feelings that can
often be seen in the queer community in characters, knowing that members of the
community will attach to them and call them their own, having shared a sort of kinship
with the character. However, the writers very seldom make good on it, and the
character never "comes out", so all of these feelings are under the
guise of an otherwise straight, cisgender person. Even worse, when the phobic
audience begin to suspect there might be a queer character in their midst, they
throw in a scene to soothe those worries. Usually, it's a one-night stand with
the opposite gender.
And this sucks for queer people! Representation and
viability is so low in media that we cling desperately to any scrap we can get.
Things are slowly getting better (Thank you, Orange is the New Black!), but
very seldom are there openly queer characters in mainstream media. This can
crush the hopes of many members of the community.
... And, maybe embarrassingly enough, this is where
fanfiction comes in.
Fanfiction allows a safe outlet to write your favourite
characters however you want--gay, trans, gender fluid, asexual, bisexual...
Whatever you want. You can finally write Dean and Castiel together, since the
writers seem to be too afraid of losing ratings should they do it themselves.
Fanfiction allows queer consumers of media to voice different characters, and
allow themselves to feel an even stronger kinship to that character. Not a fan
of writing? You can read other pieces as well! You can read a whole network of
stories where your favourite characters are members of the queer community,
just like you.
Hi guys! I thought it would be a good idea to go over the
different sexual and romantic orientations, as well as talk about the different
gender identities besides the ones that we know about presented in the LGBT+
acronym. So before we begin, let's talk about what the letters in the acronym
mean, as we know them!
As we know, the LGBT+ (the plus, more often than not, is
optional) acronym stands for lesbian (female-identified persons being
romantically and/or sexually attracted to other female-identified persons); gay
(male-identified persons being romantically and/or sexually attracted to other
male-identified persons); bisexual (commonly described as being attracted to
"both genders"--more on this later!); and finally, transgender (not
adhering to the gender prescribed to them at birth by the appearance of their
genitals). The plus tends to represent and group together all the other
orientations that are not heterosexual or cisgender. Despite these being the
most "well known" orientations, these certainly aren't the only
orientations.
Note: I intend this to be a short rundown about different
orientations/identities, so I won't be able to provide the large array of them,
but I will certainly try and include as much as I can, and I will also provide
some links to outside sources!
First, I'd like to continue my note about bisexuality:
though it's often described as being attracted to "both genders",
this way of explaining it is quickly going out of style, as it implies there's
only two genders, and such a thing is binarist, and ignores those who don't
adhere to the gender binary. Instead, it is much less problematic to describe
bisexuality as being sexually/romantically attracted to people of the same
gender and other gender, as it not only includes those within the binary, but
it can also those outside it. Along with bisexuality, there's also
pansexuality, in which one can be romantically/sexually attracted to a person
regardless of their gender. Many may argue that bi- and pansexuality are the
same thing, but the difference is that a bisexual may be attracted to many
genders, and a pansexual is attracted to all genders. Despite all this, many
still refer to bisexuals being attracted to both men and women.
Next, let's talk about queerness. Queer is a slur that's
been reclaimed by many members of the community to ID themselves as--however,
there are also members who still recognizes it's status as a slur, and abhor
the use of it, and it's extremely important to keep those people in mind when
using the word to describe the community as a whole. People may ID themselves
as queer as an umbrella term simply meaning not heterosexual, while others use
it as a way to describe that they do not conform to societies expectation of
sexuality/gender/gender expression. The meaning of the word is very much up in
the air as it's used, in the community, to describe many different things and
different instances.
Finally, I'm going to bundle up two often unacknowledged
identities into one paragraph (hopefully!)--aromantic and genderqueer.
Aromantic describes a person who doesn't regularly experience romantic desire,
much in how an asexual person doesn't regularly experience sexual desire.
Aromantics can still experience love, though most likely, not in a romantic
sense. Meanwhile, genderqueer describes a person who identifies as something
between, outside of, or other than man or woman, meaning that they're often
outside, or fluctuating somewhere outside of, the gender binary. Another word
for this is gender fluid, which negates the slur.
And there we go! Mind you, this is an extremely small
peek into other identities, and all of these--just like anything else regarding
gender, sexuality, and romance--are all fluid. It's always important to also be
respectful of others identities, and to not brush them off or disregard them,
no matter how "out there" they may seem! Acceptance and understanding
is always key.
The concept of gender neutrality has been very intriguing to me. Although I personally believe that there are some biological features attributed to male/female creatures; I am coming to a new understanding that much of what we see as masculine or feminine may be socio-culturally derived. This makes me wonder what a gender neutral society/culture would look like. Would biological males/females typically choose similar behaviors, or not? Would individuals be more prone to “gender neutral” behaviors or would people define their sense of being without thought of gender? Not only that, if a society was truly gender neutral, would they even understand the concept of gender. For instance, would a gender neutral society even understand the compartmentalization of masculine and feminine behaviors or would the whole range of behaviors be considered to be a normal range of all human behaviors.
But what is gender neutrality, or gender for that matter? Since the concept of gender often gets intertwined with other terms here is a quick video and term list before getting started:
Gender: Gender is a term that relates our sex to our actions in society, some behaviors are acceptable for only certain gendered types (masculine, feminine) (Kimmel & Stony Brook Staff, 2014).
Sex: Our genitalia that we are born with which labels individuals as male, female or intersex (Kimmel & Stony Brook Staff, 2014).
Gender identity: An individual’s perception of the gender that they are and express (Lehmiller, 2014).
Gender Neutrality: Treating all genders equally without prescribing social or cultural constraints on behaviors based on ones supposedly apparent sex or gender identification.
So, as seen in the above terms, one’s gender identity is not, necessarily, identical to one’s sex. Yet, despite this, individuals’ in society are frequently treated differently with respect to how others in society perceive their gender, even if that assumption is false.
And, in speaking of assumptions, look, for instance, at this photo.
In today’s gendered
culture this adorable little toddler would undoubtedly be termed as a girl. Yet,
in the 1880’s, when this photo of 21/2 year old Franklin Delano Roosevelt was taken, children
would wear dresses and have long hair until around 6 or 7 years old
(Maglaty, 2011). Today, this photo would have people assume feminine qualities of
quiet, docile and obedient opposed to masculine qualities as being assertive,
active and tough. This is where gender neutrality comes into play. Gender
neutrality hopes to combat these stereotypes of gender. We shouldn't see
dresses, long hair or pink clothes and immediately associate feminine qualities
to an individual; those assumptions, even if some happen to be true, are not based on the getting to know the real
character of that person. What gender neutrality hopes for, is not to eliminate
what we consider masculine and feminine today. Instead it hopes to allow
individuals, regardless of their sex and gender, to identify with any range of
behaviors while still being accepted in society.
Becoming More Gender-Neutral
If you
really try to imagine gender neutrality, it is difficult to even think of the
terms to use for a gender neutral society. If individuals were to become gender
neutral, what would we call them? Some propositions have been made to be formally
introduced form of zir, eir or simply they, yet pronouns are not the only
issue. Getting away from gender stereotypes is also incredibly difficult. When
you think of a construction worker, despite your best efforts, you likely think
of a man doing that type of labor. When you think of a childcare worker, a
woman easily fits into that role. Yet, the terms construction worker and
childcare worker are gender neutral in the linguistic sense;
it is our minds that our not neutral. In other words, to be gender neutral we must end
our own mental associations between gender and society (Nelson, 1994). That is
no easy task if you have grown up in such a binary environment. Yet, some
members of society are beginning this task…starting from the beginning.
Gender Neutral Parenting
Gender
neutral parenting is very controversial as there is a great worry that doing
such will create confused children who grow into even more confused and, “alienated”
adults (DiProperizo, 2013). Some individual's even worry that raising children in this way could cause them to become homosexual; yet, according to research, sexual identity seems to be derived from, "genetics and biology, not environment," (DiProperizo, 2013). As far as the long term results of raising a gender neutral child,the truth is, we really don’t know, yet. There
haven’t been many studies on the effects of gender neutral parenting, as it is a
relatively new phenomenon. Although, there was a wave of gender neutrality in the
past rise of feminism, but it didn’t gain incredible steam and only recently has gender neutrality become more visible in the media (Martin, 2005). Yet, it is true that, in the past,
children were raised with more gender neutral attire, as with FDR. Yet, when
these children got old enough they, too, assimilated into their assigned
gender. So it is not exactly the same extent as gender neutral parenting today,
where children ultimately are meant to choose the gender that they identify
with. In time, we will see more concrete effects based on what happens to these
children who have parents that are raising them neutrally.
Conclusion
Gender
neutrality causes some people ill feelings because it seems to associate it
with getting rid of masculine and feminine behaviors and having people reside
somewhere in between. Yet, gender neutrality is more about allowing all
behaviors to be acceptable, no matter what one’s sex or gender. Gender
neutrality hopes that with greater social acceptance of the variations in
behaviors that people will be able to choose and act the way they were meant to be. There is also hope that if gender neutrality is implemented on a greater scale that social stereotypes and inequities that cause women and men harm will deteriorate.
References
DiProperizo, L. (2013). Should you raise a gender-neutral baby? Parents: Meredith Women's Network. Retrieved from http://www.parents.com/parenting/gender-neutral-parenting/
Kimmel, M. & Stony Brook Sexualities Research Group Staff (2014). Sexualities: Identities, behaviors, and society. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Lehmiller, J. (2014). The psychology of human sexuality. West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Son’s.
Maglaty, J. (2011). When did girls start wearing pink: Every generation brings a new definition of masculinity and femininity that manifests itself in children's dress. Smithsonian.com
Martin, K. (2005). William wants a doll. Can he have one? Feminists, child care advisors, and gender-neutral child rearing. Gender & Society,19(4), 456-479. (2005, August 1). Retrieved August 8, 2014, from JSTOR.
Nelson, J. A. (1994). More thinking about gender; Reply. Hypatia, 9(1), 199. Retrieved from www.ebscohost.com
Our
textbook defines pornography as, “sexually explicit material, designed to
produce sexual arousal in viewers” (Kimmel, 2015, p. 682). With the increase in
computer and Internet use, many people are exposed to pornography in some form
or another. Traditional sources of pornography include videos or printed
materials. Additionally, some would consider the relatively new practice of
sexting as a form of pornography.
The debate
continues about the perceived harmful short-term and long-term effects of
pornography on sexual development, sexual expression, and male versus female
roles in society. Many believe that women in pornography are devalued or
objectified to include violent acts against women. By allowing or supporting
acts of violence against women, some people believe that sexual control is
given to men. This may lead to learned long-term behavior that society would
consider immoral.
Considering
that behavior may be impacted by pornography, can a person become addicted to
pornography? In the study by Voon et al., (2014), research results indicated
that a human brain can become addicted to pornography similar to addiction that
develops to drugs or alcohol. The term compulsive sexual behavior (CSB) refers
to a person that participates or engages in excessive sexual behavior (Voon et
al., 2014). Participants in the study were interviewed and surveyed to
determine their level of sexual behavior. Subjects then underwent MRI brain
imaging while engaging in pornographic activities. Results of the study
indicated that individuals diagnosed with CSB actually undergo brain changes
when engaged in pornographic activity; changes were similar to those changes
that occur for individuals addicted to drugs or other activity (Voon et al.,
2014). If this addiction truly exists, how difficult would it be for a person
to resist the temptation to view or participate in pornographic acts?
Something
that goes along with this topic is that people who have committed a sexual
crime claim that they couldn’t help themselves because they are addicted to
sex. This has caused problems since there is evidence that is showing that the
brain reacts to sex and pornography like the brain reacts when people are
addicted to drugs or alcohol. This can potentially create doubt if the
individual knew what they were doing when they were committing the crime or if
they are mentally incompetent when it comes to this subject.
Pornography
continues to be a hot topic of debate for society and cultures. Acceptance or
criminalization of pornography depends heavily upon how society reacts to
pornographic acts. It seems that additional research into the physical and
emotional response to pornography would be important.
References:
Kimmel, M. S. (2015). Sexualities: Identities, behaviors,
and society (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Voon, V., Mole, T. B., Blanca, P., Porter, L., Morris, L.,
Mitchell, S., ... Irvine, M. (2014). Neural correlates of sexual cue reactivity
in individuals with and without compulsive sexual behaviours. Plos One.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0102419
Older adults have a lot going against them, they forget things, their body can't keep up, people stop enjoying their company, and people have horrible stereotypes about them. Just put yourself in their shoes for once. Realize that they know they can't keep up, that they feel unwanted and that death and loneliness is the next mile stone in your life, sucks right?
One thing people don't seem to realize is that just because you are old doesn't mean you no longer have human rights. It would seem most Nursing/ Old Folks homes believe this, they don't let their residents have sexual encounters. There was one nursing home that did, both patients had dementia at some level and many issues arose from the situation.
Here is more information about that story. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2374771/Sex-dementia-Aging-population-set-rape-case-timebomb-nursing-homes-Alzheimer-rates-rise.html
As long as their is a plan of action to deal with issues that might come up with sexual encounters in Nursing Homes, I say they should go for it! I mean if it makes them happy in their later days then why not. We all have sexual needs and to not act on them is hard for anybody, but because it is easy to force the elderly to not do something, they deny them of that right entirely in most places. One less thing to worry to about for them.
Here is some information on a nursing home that is all for the residents to have sex, as they put it, it's their home. Everything you do in your home they should have a right to do in theirs. http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2013/08/01/nursing-home-sex
Can you imagine a world without AIDS? Or a world before AIDS? That is something that is difficult for our generation to understand because we grew up knowing about AIDS. A new film is out called A Normal Heart with the story of the AIDS epidemic in the US that helps us understand the fear and discrimination that the homosexual community felt when the disease was new to the world.
On June 5, 1981, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that described five young, that were previously healthy, gay men in Los Angeles that had a rare lung infection. Within days doctors from across the US reported more cases, By the end of the year there were 270 reports cases of severe immune deficiency among gay men, and 121 of those individuals died.
On September 24, 1982, the CDC uses the term "AIDS" (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) for the first time and the first definition of AIDS: " a disease at least moderately predictive of a defect in cell-mediated immunity, occurring in a person with no known case for diminished resistance to that disease.”
Daily, we hear about wars, violence, and disesase. However, something that is rarely discussed is the topic of human trafficking. Alot of our information is determined by the media. The media plays an indispensable role in educating people about the many manifestations of global human trafficking, presenting the problem in human terms and in all its painful detail. Yet media coverage is weak in many parts of the world. Some news media outlets are not yet aware of the trafficking phenomenon, or confuse it with other issues such as illegal migration and alien smuggling.
Some facts:
1. Globally, the average cost of a slave is $90.
2. Trafficking primarily involves exploitation which comes in many forms, including: forcing victims into prostitution, subjecting victims to slavery or involuntary servitude and compelling victims to commit sex acts for the purpose of creating pornography.
3. According to some estimates, approximately 80% of trafficking involves sexual exploitation, and 19% involves labor exploitation.
4. There are approximately 20 to 30 million slaves in the world today.
5. According to the U.S. State Department, 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year. More than 70% are female and half are children.
6. The average age a teen enters the sex trade in the U.S. is 12 to 14-year-old. Many victims are runaway girls who were sexually abused as children.
7. California harbors 3 of the FBI’s 13 highest child sex trafficking areas on the nation: Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego.
8. The National Human Trafficking Hotline receives more calls from Texas than any other state in the US. 15% of those calls are from the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
9. Between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the U.S. each year.
10. Human trafficking is the third largest international crime industry (behind illegal drugs and arms trafficking). It reportedly generates a profit of $32 billion every year. Of that number, $15.5 billion is made in industrialized countries.
11. The International Labour Organization estimates that women and girls represent the largest share of forced labor victims with 11.4 million trafficked victims (55%) compared to 9.5 million (45%) men.
There are many myths and misconceptions about human trafficking. More information can be found at: http://www.polarisproject.org/human-trafficking/overview/myths-and-misconceptions
The State of Alaska has laws concerning human trafficking:
1"Modern Slavery." Free the Slaves. Accessed February 25, 2014, https://www.freetheslaves.net/sslpage.aspx?pid=301.
2"UNODC on human trafficking and migrant smuggling". Unodc.org. 2011. Accessed February 25, 2014.
3"Human Trafficking Facts." National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://www.ncadv.org/files/HumanTrafficking.pdf.
4Bales, Kevin. "The Number." The CNN Freedom Project Ending Modern Day Slavery. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/category/the-facts/the-number/.
5"TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT." United States Department. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/34158.pdf.
6Clawson, Heather J., Nicole Dutch, Amy Solomon, and Lisa Goldblatt Grace. "Human Trafficking Into and Within the United States: A Review of the Literature." Study of HHS Programs Serving Human Trafficking Victims. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/07/humantrafficking/LitRev/.
7California Against Slavery. "What is Human Trafficking?." Safer California Foundation. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://www.caseact.org/learn/humantrafficking/.
8U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. "Human Trafficking in Texas." Texas Advisory Committee . Accessed February 25, 2014, http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/TX_HT_Report--ver%2050--FINAL.pdf.
9Bales, Kevin. "The Number." The CNN Freedom Project Ending Modern Day Slavery. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/category/the-facts/the-number/.
10"Slavery." Not For Sale: End Human Trafficking and Slavery. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/about/slavery/.
11"WHAT IS FORCED LABOUR?." Anti-Slavery. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://www.antislavery.org/english/slavery_today/forced_labour.aspx.
