Masculinity and Homosexuality in the Chicano Culture

When discussing problems of race and homosexuality in America, people often talk about the issues of being a homosexual minority living within the dominant white community. With the focus frequently placed on the relationship between the hegemonic Anglo- American cultures versus the marginalized communities, people often overlook the homosexual issues that are deeply rooted within their own racial community. So, in this blog post, I will be examining what it means to be gay male within the Mexican and Chicano community. Using Cherrie Moraga’s “Queer Aztlan: the Reformation and Chicano Tribe” article, Tomas Alamaguer’s “Chicano Men: A Cartography of Homosexual; Identity and Behavior” article, and a clip from comedian George Lopez’s 2008 stand up act on HBO as references, I assert that the patriarchal beliefs, gender-coded ideologies, and strong familial ties prevalent within the Chicano culture negatively stereotypes and suppresses male homosexuality.

Homosexuality in Mexico is rigidly circumscribed by the prominent role the family plays in structuring homosexual activity. Unlike the European- American culture in which the role of the family as a regulator of the lives of gay men and lesbian has progressively declined, “in Mexico the family remains a crucial institution that defines both gender and sexual relations” (Alamaguer 541). It is within our family that we develop of perception of the world and society. The ideologies that or family members believe often get passed down to the children whether through our words or gestures.

Two of the most common ideologies within Chicano families are their patriarchal and gender-coded practices and stigmatism. In the Mexican/ Chicano patriarchal culture, men dominate the lives of the “inferior, passive, self-sacrificing, dutiful women” (Almaguer 540). In terms of gender-identity, “aggressive[ness], active[ness], and penetrating sexual activity” are the “true markers of the Mexican man’s tenuous masculinity” (Almaguer 540). Hence, masculinity is attained by the negation of all that is considered feminine and by the “sexual subjugation of women” (Almaguer 540). These strong conceptions of masculinity and male dominance in the Chicano society, Moraga argues, developed in “reaction against Anglo-America’s emasculation of Chicano men” ( Morage 99). In order to preserve their masculinity, Moraga inserted that the men of the Chicano Movement “embraced the most patriarchal aspects of their Mexican culture” which gave men the most power in the family structure (Moraga 99).

The terms that are used to refer to homosexual Mexican men are generally coded with gendered meaning drawn from the “inferior position of women in patriarchal Mexican society” (Almaguer 541). In the Chicano culture, homosexuals are stereotyped as playing the passive sexual role and exhibits feminine gender characteristics and are looked down upon for not truly being a MAN. Homosexual men who are assumed to take on the passive/ receptive sexual position are viewed as having “betrayed the Mexican man’s prescribed gender and sexual role” (Almaguer). The condemnation of homosexuality within the Mexican/ Chicano culture is very apparent. For instance, in the Spanish language, the word puta refers to a female prostitute while its male form puto refers to a passive homosexual, not a male prostitute. “It is significant that the cultural equation made between “the feminine, anal receptive homosexual man and the most culturally stigmatized female in Mexican society (the whore) share a common semantic base” (Almaguer 541).

The derogatory perception of homosexuals as being effeminate, passive, and the negation of manliness are still very apparent in the Mexican and Chicano community. Such is illustrated by the dialogues of George Lopez, a famous Mexican/Chicano identified actor and comedian, in his 2008 HBO stand-up comedy performance. In one part of his act, George Lopez states a person could not be gayer if if he were to walk around with a tiny Starbucks cup in your hand and that he “might as well put a d*** in your month. Mass Puto!” And, if a person were to go around with a blue-tooth on, he might as will “get another d*** and put it in you’re a**.” Throughout the entirety of the act, George Lopez also overtly uses the punch line “f*** that puto” while talking about a malicious or hateful person. Such statements express the belief that gayness is equated with negativity, femininity and the receptive sexual position. In response to all his dialogues, the audience roars with laughter, and right after the blue-tooth statement an audience member even takes off his blue-tooth.

I am not saying that George Lopez is homophobic or bashing on homosexuals, but it is clear that parts of his act portray certain negative stereotypes about homosexuality. Such negative portrayals of homosexuality in the media are partly responsible for why homosexuals are continually equated with playing the passive sexual role and exhibiting feminine gender characteristics and are looked down upon for not truly being a MAN in the Chicano community. All in all, the patriarchal beliefs, gender-coded ideologies, and strong familial ties prevalent within the Chicano culture negatively stereotypes and suppresses male homosexuality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN-DweJfyIY&feature=related

Six Feet Under

            In HBO’s Six Feet Under, two of the main characters are David Fisher and Keith Charles, an interracial homosexual couple. David, a white conservative male, is portrayed as conflicted and weaker, while Keith, an African American, is very sure of himself and extremely masculine. In this blog post, I will be talking about the differences in characterization of the two characters.

            As the show starts out, David Fisher is a white male who works in a funeral home. He is ultra conservative and is never seen as particularly strong-willed and seemed to be very prone to emotional trauma. He initially refused to reveal his homosexuality to anyone other than his partner because he was afraid. David always suspected his own homosexuality even in his childhood, but tried to deny and fight it by having relations with women. However, he does eventually come around and comes out. He would probably relate to John D’Emilio’s description of coming out in the article “Homosexuality and American Society: An Overview.” “‘Coming out’—recognizing one’s homosexual desires, subsequently attempting to act upon them, and acknowledging one’s sexual preferences to others of the same persuasion—was a lonely, difficult, and sometimes even excruciatingly painful experience” (D’Emilio 29).

            Keith Charles, on the other hand, is portrayed as a confident, muscular, very masculine African American male. When he is introduced to the Fisher family, no one suspected him of being homosexual because of how “manly” he seemed. He does not get many grievances for being homosexual, which Tomas Almaguer talks about in his article “Chicano Men: A Cartography of Homosexual Identity and Behavior.” He says that “it is primarily the anal-passive individual who is stigmatized for playing the subservient feminine role. His partner typically is not stigmatized at all” (Almaguer 539). Although Almaguer is speaking of Latin culture, the same concept can be applied to this situation in Six Feet Under.

Compared to his boyfriend, David is obviously portrayed as the “woman,” the more effeminate one, and Keith is given the role of the man. Perhaps it is because of their races. In the article “The down loe: Origins, risk identification, and intervention” by John Barnshaw and Lynn Letukas, they mention that “since the ideal identity for non-White men is linked with masculinity and fatherhood, homosexuality remains stigmatized by Black and Latino individuals” (Barnshaw and Letukas 482). This could explain why it is more common for a white man to be portrayed in the media as feminine than it is for a black man—because it is more socially acceptable

Works Cited

Almaguer, Tomas. “Chicano Men: A Cartography of Homosexual Identity and Behavior.” Differences: A Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies 3.2 (1991): 75-100 Print

Ball, Alan, prod. Six Feet Under. HBO: 2001-2005. Television.

Bradshaw, John and Letulas, Lynn. “The Low Down on the Down Low: Origins, Risk Identification and Invervention” from Health Sociology Review Volume 19, Issue 4, December 2010

D’Emilio, John.  "Homosexuality and American Society: An Overview" from Sexual   

            Politics, Sexual, Communities in the United States 1940- 1970. Chicago, Ill: University of Chicago Press, 1983.

The L Word

The assumptions surrounding the people who identify with the LGBTQ community can be very stereotypical. People often assume these people are hypersexual, going through a phase in their life or many other various things that have to do with not fully accepting that these people can in fact lead normal lifestyles just as heterosexual couples do. In this blog post, I will be breaking down these views of LGBTQ lifestyles by referencing to the TV show series “The L Word” and two articles.

            In the TV show “The L Word,” most of the main characters identify as gay or bisexual. The characters of this show that I will be focusing on are Bette, Tina, and Jenny. Tina in this show can be described as more of the motherly type of woman. Her motherly instinct made her want to have a child with her partner Bette and eventually this does happen. She is also a career driven woman but not as much as her partner Bette. Bette would probably be seen as the person who “wears the pants in the relationship.” Her dominant attitude allows for interesting interactions between her and her more passive partner Tina.

In the midst of both of these women trying to build careers (or sustain them), they are trying to establish a family as well. Bette, who is white and African-American, asks Tina if they can have an African-American baby but there seems to be some apprehension from Tina’s side. Eventually they do have an African-American baby and the awkwardness behind the situation seems to disappear (The L Word). The fact that they are able to represent the struggles that happen within a homosexual household allows viewers to relate to the tensions that might occur between heterosexual couples and homosexual couples alike. Bette and Tina were arguably the relationship in the show that “represented” the “married couple” that had their struggles but stuck threw them until the end.

The last character that I will be talking about is Jenny. She came to the neighborhood as a straight female moving into a predominantly lesbian and bisexual community. Soon thereafter, she began to discover herself while exploring her sexual identity, which led her to find that she was capable of having the same feelings for women as she did for men (The L Word). Her tumultuous story on the show could represent the young single female who has yet to determine what her identity is. This is a struggle that all people face at a certain age. For Jenny, this struggle seems to come after she moved into this community due to the dynamics of the community.

An article by Cherie Moraga entitled Queer Aztlan: The Reformation of Chicano Tribe, Moraga describes the dynamics of being a Latina lesbian. She goes into detail about the communities and how is it hard to intersect these two identities seeing as they aren’t the highest in the hierarchy of their society. A quote from this article reads “Women were, at most, allowed to serve as modern-day “Adelitas,” performing the “three f’s” as a Chicana colleague calls them: “feeding, fighting and fucking” (Moraga 157). This shows that the view from the women who was quoted saying these three f’s feels that her society does look at her in this way. She might not necessarily believe in this but the mere fact that it can be referenced to means it must be a very prominent idea in that society.

The women seen in “The L Word” seem to counter represent this concept of women being identified as three f’s mainly because most of these women on the show only lead lives with relationship with other women. They all have working jobs. The family dynamic that is represented in some households shows the parenting aspect of lesbian communities and the fact they maintain a healthy sex life is something that occurs among all types of communities and households. Although this show disproves many of the stereotypes of women, it can also be speculated that most of the characters are mainly Caucasian and the matter of strong familial roots and backgrounds in respects to Caucasian culture might not be as strong as in Latino culture. So it can be said that when it comes to ethnicity, the view on women can be altered. It seems as though the Latino community supports a very patriarchal household and this might not exactly be the view of society in other communities.

In the second article entitled “From Websites to Wal-Mart,” the author talks about youth in the societies of small towns. She gathers from her research that young teens feel more comfortable being able to share their sexual identities within public groups where they feel somewhat safe and comfortable. Knowing that they can be themselves among these people allows them to further understand their sexual identity. A section of the article says, “…[p]rojects that use region as a prism through which to analyze how gender, race, class and religious identities intersect in the formation of queer identity … produce a more complex understanding of U.S. queer experiences …(Gray 50).”

This quote seems to describe the intersections that occur within the LGBTQ community and how the outside world shapes their identity in combination with these intersections. It seems as though Jenny was a character that experienced this in a way. The society around her possibly did shape her personal identity and allowed for complex speculation of what she really desired in her life. Her character was complex in itself but questions of how her character came to be what it was in the final moments of the show would probably remain unanswered.

These articles and this show perfectly illustrate the ways in which women in the LGBTQ community or (even in other communities) are portrayed a certain way. The intersections that some of these women face seem to complicate matters even more by creating more assumptions about their lifestyles. It is fair to say that the show might be a dramatization of the lives of lesbian women but the community created within the show as well as many other true dynamics of the characters’ lifestyles are very common among all households in the real world.

Gray, Mary. "From Websites to Wal-Mart: Youth Identity Work, and the Queering of Boundary Publics in Small Town USA” from American Studies, Vol. 48, No. 2, Homosexuals in Unexpected Places? A Special Issue, 2007

Moraga, Cherrie. "Queer Aztlan: the Re-formation of Chicano Tribe" from The Last Generation South End Press, 1993

The L Word: Seasons 1-6. Writ. Ilene Chaiken, Guinevere Turner, Cherien Dabis, and Rose Troche. Dir. Ilene Chaiken. HBO Showtime, 2004-2009. DVD.

Trapped in the Closet

            In R. Kelly’s Trapped in the Closet music video (Chapters 1-12), a representation of black men in the gay community is displayed.  The entire song does not focus on black men in the LGBTQ community but there’s a very significant portion shown through Chapters 1-12 displaying how black men will display a heterosexual lifestyle to the public while having a male partner on the down low.  In this blog post I will analyze R. Kelly’s video to demonstrate how black men don’t always reveal their true sexuality and how they are low in the social hierarchy, which causes more discrimination in their lives.

In quoting the song, it says, “I started inchin out, he says no I want you to see this, said I gotta get out this house, he said not til I reveal my secret.”  The secret he is referring to is that he has had a man that he was receiving sexual pleasures from without anyone knowing.  To the public eye he was thought to have been dating a women.  “…Black men reported engaging in same-sex activity, but identified as heterosexual.  The reasons for this behavior included financial gain from commercial sex work with other men, habitual same-sex behavior about by incarceration, and the desire to reject a homosexual identity and maintain a façade of heterosexuality within Black culture, where homosexuality is highly stigmatized.” (Barnshaw & Letukas 82.)

The character portrayed in this video fell into the third category of reasoning; he wanted to maintain a façade of heterosexuality.  As the video goes on, it is revealed that he is a pastor.  This is another reason he has trouble revealing his true identity to the world.  There is that clash with homosexuality and religion.   “Sex laws derived from Biblical pronouncements were aimed at preventing the acquisition of the wrong kinds of affinal partners: consanguineous kin (incest), the same gender (homosexuality), or the wrong species (bestiality). (Rubin 6). Further into the video he decides to expose his secret identity.  But this was not by self-motivation; it was because he found out his girlfriend cheated on him and proceeds to say, “well since we’re all comin out the closet, I’m not about to be the only one that’s broken hearted.”  This lyric shows us that the only reason he decided to disclose this information was because his girlfriend’s disloyal actions and he saw it as an opportunity to come out.

Another subject discussed in Barnshaw’s and Letukas’ article was the risk that this behavior puts on Black women.  “The down low offered a plausible explanation for how the HIV epidemic was changing from a ‘White gay male disease’ to a ‘Black heterosexual female disease.’” (Barnshaw & Letukas 80.)  In the video, it is not said that the Black women received a disease from her partner or not.  However, in reference to the quote, I wanted to point out the higher risk she is at now since her partner was engaging in same sex practice.

“Sex is a vector of oppression.  The system of sexual oppression cuts across other modes of social inequality, sorting out individuals and groups according to its own intrinsic dynamics.” (Rubin 11).  Blacks are already aware of the social inequalities the face but being black and a part of the LGBTQ community just puts them even lower on the social hierarchy.    This is also demonstrated in the video.  After the woman is caught cheating, she says,”Ok you busted me, and that much I agree, you caught me cheating, but this is a little extreme…” In this line she implies how even though she cheated it isn’t nearly as bad as him cheating because she was with a person of the opposite sex.  The song continues to say how extreme the cheating was when it was of the same sex but is laughed off with the couple of opposite sexes further showing the refusal of acceptance towards those that are a part of the LGBTQ community.

R. Kelly’s Trapped in the Closet video is an example of how people of color, specifically black men, deal with issues of being on the low down.  The portrayal of these homosexual men show us how some are still afraid to be outspoken about their sexuality because of the way society would view them.  This causes them to live these closeted life’s consisting on keeping secrets versus being open to the public with their choice of life and being much happier.

Works Cited

Bradshaw, John and Letulas, Lynn. “The Low Down on the Down Low: Origins, Risks

and Identifications” in Health Sociology Review Vol. 19, Issue 4 December 2010.

Rubin, Gayle. “Thinking Sex: Notes for a Radical Theory of the Politics of Sexuality”

from Social Perspectives in Gay and Lesbian Studies ed. Peter M Nardi and Beth

Schneider.

Homosexuality in Western and East Asian cultures

The LGBTQ community is comprised of people of all national origins, race, age, sex, gender, and social status whom commonly identify as being either lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual/transgender, or queer. Although the LGBTQ community shines light on a complexity of social issues, in this particular blog post, we will be narrowing our focus towards the relationship between homosexuality, race/ethnicity, and the influences of the western culture. Using arguments from Gayle Rubin and John D-Emilio's course reader article and an article called "Confucianism Gender and Sexuality" as references, I argue that the anti-homoerotic attitudes modernly present in many East Asian countries are not the construction of their indigenous values, but the result of having assimilated and/or adapted certain western social systems into their ethnic cultures. Let us begin by describing the western social system.

According to D'Emilio's article, Biblical condemnations of homosexual behavior has always been a prevalent aspect of the Western origin. In the Judeo- Christian tradition, for instance, "homosexual behavior was excoriated as a heinous act, the law branded it a serious crime"(D'Emilio 25). With the labeling of homosexuality as a "negative connotation" in western society, there exists a sexual hierarchy which places homosexuality and any form of queerness at the condemned "outer limits" of the sexual value system (Gayle 6). Within this sexual value system, good, normal, and natural sexuality is ideally heterosexual, marital, monogamous, and non-commercial" (Gayle 6). The sexual stratification, or ranking of social value based upon sexual orientation, reflects a power imbalance amongst the sexes and discrimination and in-acceptance towards those belonging to the marginalized sexes. In the "Thinking Sex" article by Gayle Rubin, asserts that "like gender, sexuality is political, it is organized into system of power, which reward and encourage some individuals, and activities, while punishing and suppressing others" (Gayle 17). Heterosexuality belongs to the former while homosexuality belongs to the latter.
However, it is important to note that a system of sexual stratification and the labeling of what are considered "good" or "bad" sex, mentioned in Gayle and D'Emilio's articles, were not present in pre-modern East Asia until after the arrival of western influences. Contrary to what some people may believe, anti-homo eroticism was not historically prevalent in many East Asian countries until just these past two centuries.

In the article "Confucianism Gender and Sexuality", the writer claims that, according to the teachings of Confucius, "homosexuality was discouraged, but not specifically condemned as "sinful." In addition, the hierarchy of East Asian societies was based upon familial status and "natural" patriarchy (ruler/subject, parent/child, husband/wife, elder sibling/younger sibling). Ones conceived personal identity and his/her position in his/her society is not "grounded in ones sexual activities" (Confucianism Gender and Sexuality). In fact, "no analog to the modern Western notion of "homosexuality" [existed] in premodern East Asia" (Confucianism Gender and Sexuality). This lack of a societal labeling for same-sex preferences reflects that homosexual acts were probably not of any concern as long as such affairs "did not interfere with the filial responsibility to produce heirs and maintain family lineages" (Confucianism Gender and Sexuality).
It was not until the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when contact with modern Western social values became widespread across East Asia, that the people in these traditionally Confucian societies began to "adopt systematic prejudices toward homoerotic activity" (Confucianism Gender and Sexuality). By cross referencing the familial hierarchy of Confucianism with the sexual hierarchy introduced by Westerners, East Asian countries began to view homosexuals as being in equal status as women, who are in the bottom of the East Asian patriarchal society. Anti-homoeroticism soon spread throughout the East Asia as people began to view same-sex intimate interactions as "feminine" acts that should not be practiced by men. The once asexual view of same-sex intimacy in East Asian countries became tainted by the western conception of what is considered "bad" or "good" sex.

Anti-homoerotic attitudes modernly present in many East Asian countries are not the construction of their indigenous values, but the result of having assimilated and/or adapted certain western social systems into their ethnic cultures. The fixation on homosexuality as a "socially deviant" and "morally repugnant" is alien to the Confucian tradition of premodern East Asia and "reflects the influence of Western cultures far more than indigenous values of East Asia' (Confucianism Gender and Sexuality). As Gayle concluded in this article, "in Western culture, sex is taken all too seriously" (Gayle 17).

D’Emilio, John. "Homosexuality and American Society: An Overview" from Sexual

Politics, Sexual, Communities in the United States 1940- 1970. Chicago, Ill: University

of Chicago Press, 1983.

"Confucianism Gender and Sexuality." Balanced Views of Religion and Spirituality with Faith | Patheos.

Web. 09 Feb. 2012.

Community/Gender-and-Sexuality?offset=1>.

Rubin, Gayle. "Thinking Sex: Notes for a Radical Theory of the Politics of Sexuality"

from Social Perspectives in Gay and Lesbian Studies ed. Peter M Nardi and Beth

Schneider. 1993.

Coming Out Asian

It’s common knowledge that coming out isn’t always easy for the LGBTQ community, but for some it may be harder than others. In a 2009 Northwest Asian Weekly article, “When it’s stifling to be out: Gay Asian American men say cultural values keep them from coming out,” author Vivian Luu highlights the difficulties of identifying as homosexual in the Asian tradition. Some aspects of Gayle S. Rubin’s “Thinking Sex” and Theo Van Der Meer’s “Gay Bashing: A Rite of Passage?” can be applied to the issues Luu brings up in her article. Both articles discuss the reasoning why people find homosexuality to be wrong and the ways they deal with it, which can be applied to how the Asian community reacts to homosexuality.

Luu (2009) uses the examples of four young homosexual Asian men to show how most Asian families feel about homosexuality. Though these men love their families, they feel that coming out to their loved ones is not an option. One man believes that it’s the strongly conservative values that come from growing up in Asia is what keeps his parents from accepting his lifestyle (Luu 2009). When a biological goal of life is to reproduce, any action that does not lead to that end would be seen as unnatural or at the lower end of the sex hierarchy (Rubin 1993, 5).

Having grown up in an environment where homosexuality was feared, where the “ever-present, ever-watching governments also condemn homosexuality,” (Luu 2009), at their age, it’s hard for Asian parents to overcome the stigma against homosexuality that they grew up with. In Luu’s (2009) article, one of the young men tells us that “any deviation from established norms is considered taboo,” being gay breaks that expectation of getting married and having children. Not doing any of these things is seen as failure, which in their view makes homosexuality wrong and dangerous. According to Gayle S. Rubin, this negative view places homosexuality on the “wrong” side of the spectrum of good and bad sex (Rubin 1993, 5). This wrongness is not something that is easily accepted in Asian culture.

Without being able to identify with or understand their homosexual sons, Asian parents, similar to hate crime perpetrators, fear homosexual behavior, a type of behavior they do not understand (Van Der Meer 2003, 61). The concept of anything other than the typical heterosexual couple can be so confusing and foreign that these parents assume this behavior is wrong; they consider it dangerous and feel the need to distance themselves from it, so they disown their children, cut them off financially, or may even send them off to be “corrected” (Luu 2009). Parents insist that this is the right thing to do. This is analogous to gay bashers carrying out hate crimes because they believe that homosexuals have done something wrong, and they must protect and distance themselves (Van Der Meer 2003, 60).

The hesitation of coming out in Asian culture is not unfounded. Homosexuality is seen as “bad sex” (Rubin 1993) in most cultures, but it is especially harsh when combined the idea that homosexuality is a failure, and that failure is something to be corrected or punished. These punishments, although they may not be violent, are still wrong and deeply rooted in fear and ignorance (Van Der Meer 2003).

Works Cited

Rubin, Gayle.  "Thinking Sex: Notes for a Radical Theory of the Politics of Sexuality"

from Social Perspectives in Gay and Lesbian Studies ed. Peter M Nardi and Beth

Schneider. 1993

Van Der Meer, Theo. “Gay Bashing: A Rite of Passage?” from Culture, Health & Sexuality, Vol 5. No 2, Homophobia and Anti-Gay Violence: Contemporary Perspectives (2003): 153-165

Luu, Vivian. "When it's stifling to be out: Gay Asian American men say cultural values keep them from coming out." Northwest Asian Weekly. Northwest Asian Weekly, 03 Jul 2009. Web. 9 Feb 2012. <http://www.nwasianweekly.com/2009/07/when-it's-stifling-to-be-out/>.

Oppression Against Black Lesbians

The news article titled "Color Us Invisible: In the Shadows of Communities Black and Gay, Black Lesbians Forge Lives, Loves, And Family" by Mignon R. Moore talks about the different struggles of black lesbians.  The focus on the article is the comparison of lives of women within the black LGBTQ community versus white women in the same community.  In this blog post, I analyze Moore’s article and point out the different ways that black women of color are oppressed in the LGBTQ community.

           In Adrienne Rich's article "Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence" she opens it up by saying, "The bias of compulsory heterosexuality, through which lesbians experience is perceived on a scale ranging from deviant to abhorrent, or simple rendered invisible, could be illustrated." (Rich 32).  She's saying how lesbians are thought to be going against the social norm and inspiring to be disgusted because of this lifestyle that they choose to engage in which is far from the truth.  In Moore's article it tells a story of two lesbian black women who decided to go against these social norms and struggles that come with being an African American lesbian.

            Oppression is defined by prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control.  Mistreatment is embedded within the LGBTQ community.  Whether it is by direct mistreatment or injustices that are embedded within society, it all falls under the category of oppression.  Moore's article points out obvious "economic differences among same-sex couples by race." (Moore.)  "Relative to white couples, black couples are less likely to own their own homes, less likely to be employed, and more likely to live in poverty." (Moore).  The article continues on saying black lesbians have more in common with black communities in general than they do with the LGBTQ community.  All the same hardships that black people face, black lesbians face too; they aren't an exception. 

            Also, let's not forget that they are women; women are also already seen as lower ranking status in society.  Rich says, "Women are not only segregated in low-paying service jobs, but that 'sexualization of the woman' is part of the job.  Central and intrinsic to the economic realities of women's lives is the requirement that women will 'market sexual attractiveness to men, who tend to hold the economic power and position to enforce their predilections.'" (Rich 36).  This forces some to believe that they must conceal their identity and lose their right of gender expression or risk losing their job.  For example, if their boss weren’t a fan of lesbians then he or she would easily let go of that person as a worker.  This is a form of oppression in that the boss has this control over their worker.  "A lesbian, closeted on her job because of heterosexist prejudice, is not simply forced into denying the truth of her outside relationships or private life; her job depends on her pretending to be not merely heterosexual but a heterosexual woman, in terms of dressing and playing the feminine, deferential role required of "real" women."  (Rich 36).

            "We often find it difficult to separate race from class from sex oppression because in our lives they are most often experienced simultaneously." (Smith 77.)  This is the case that occurs with black lesbians.  They fall into the category of black, lower class, and lesbian.  "Because black same-sex couples are more economically disadvantaged on average than are white same-sex couples, at the same time that they are more likely to be raising children, they are disproportionately harmed by laws that limit access of sexual minorities to certain rights." (Moore).  For example, this limits them from being able to foster or adopt children. 

            Smith goes on to talk about how activism has paved certain roads "but they have not had nearly enough impact upon the educational system itself." (Smith 78.)  This ties in with the article where Moore discusses how black lesbians are excluded and aren't a part of certain organizations.  This then has a domino affect on their lack of representation.  These are a few ways in which black lesbians are oppressed against.  Through more involvement and getting their voice heard, more needs will be met in the black lesbian community.  "…Making connections between oppressions is an excellent way to introduce the subjects of lesbian and gay male identity and homophobia, because it offers people a frame of reference to build upon." (Smith 78.)

Works Cited

Moore, Mignon R. “Color Us Invisible: In the Shadows of Communities Black and Gay, Black

Lesbians Forge Lives, Loves, And Family.” Posted 4 November 2011. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mignon-r-moore/black-lesbians_b_1075251.html

Rich, Adrienne. "Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence" from Professions of

Desire: Lesbian and Gay Studies in Literature. ed. George Haggerty and Bonnie Zimmermann. New York: Modern Language Association, 1995.

Smith, Barbara. “Homophobia: Why Bring it Up?” from The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader.

ed Henry Ablelove er al. New York & London: Routledge, 1993.

Intersectionality struggles

In society today, lgbtq issues are very taboo subjects and are rarely mentioned in one’s everyday life unless you define with this community. Sometimes even identifying with this community can seem harder if you are a different race besides Caucasian. In this blog post, I will be referring to a news article that is part of a series of articles and videos entitled “I’m From Driftwood”. I will also use two other articles, one written by Martin F Manalansan IV and one written by Barbara Smith that reiterate the idea and struggles of identifying as an ethnic minority as well as identifying with the gay community.

In the article written by Barbara Smith called “Homophobia: Why Bring It Up?” she mentions some assumptions that people often have about homosexuality. One of them being that “gay means gay white men with large discretionary incomes.” She goes on to explain how this assumption “undermines consciousness of how identities and issues overlap” (Smith 101). In a news article entitled “Black LGBTQ Stories: Are Black Gay Men Just Special Guests in a White Gay World?” a man by the name of Stephen Winters is interviewed and he talks about this same issue. He describes from his own view how one’s life is affected if they identify as a black male and gay. Stephen Winters is of Jamaican and Czechoslovakian decent. He begins to describe how society judges you on race (skin color specifically) especially when it comes to law enforcement. Winters doesn’t want to be know as the black, gay male of his group. He stated “It was a journey within myself that I went through this week, when I was trying to figure out, as someone who is perceived as gay and perceived as black... without pissing myself off, because I don't want to be the black guy” (Manske). The fact that he feels uncomfortable within himself to claim these two identities as his own shows the struggle that many people with his same problem face. As mentioned in Smith’s article that people usually assume that gay means gay, white male, Winters states these feelings as well. His exact words are “in that context, "gay" meant "white," and everybody else was kind of visiting” (Manske). People who are of different ethnicities in the lgbtq community might feel out casted not only in the “heterosexual community” but also within the lgbtq community because of their race. This statement seems to hold true for other ethnicities also. In the article “Searching for Community: Filipino Gay Men in New York City,” Manalansan talks about a range of topics including how Filipinos who identify as gay and Filipino adjust to societies in both the Philippines and America (mainly America). The article states, “A majority of informants [interviewees/subjects of this article], mostly immigrants, felt that Philippine society was relatively tolerant of homosexuality. Some informants reported very good responses from families when they did “come out”” (Manalansan 276). A supportive family dynamic in the lgbtq community is usually a desired outcome for most people that do “come out.” The fact that these informants explain Philippine society as lenient towards Filipino’s gay society shows the differences that occur within different cultures. These informants also explain how their society isn’t really able to relate to other societies such as gay Asian society seeing as they identify as Asian/Pacific Islander. This ties in with the interview with Winters because he felt as though he didn’t relate or blend in well with other gay people who were not of his ethnicity and seemed to feel discriminated against because of this.

In all three articles, they mention instances where they feel that they don’t fit in not only because of their sexual orientation but also because of their ethnicity. In the article written by Barbara Smith, she tells a story of how being black and gay allowed for discrimination from not only Caucasians and heterosexuals but also heterosexual African-Americans as well. The interview with Winters also mentions Winters's personal encounter with discrimination at a gay club. These events validate the feelings that the people in these articles have about American society. It seems hard not only to adjust to both identities separately but to deal with both identities at the same time is adversity in itself.

Manalansan IV, Martin F. "Searching for Community: Filipino Gay Men in New York City" GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies. Routledge Chapman Hall, 1993.

Manske, Nathan. "Black LGBTQ Stories: Are Black Gay Men Just Special Guests in a White Gay World?” from I’m from Driftwood Huffington Post 6 Feb 2012.

Smith, Barbara. "Homophobia: Why Bring it Up?" The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. ed Henry Ablelove et al New York & London: Routledge, 1993.

Actual Link to News Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nathan-manske/black-gay-men_b_1255861.html