WORK IT

WORK IT

Trans and gender non-conformative themed film and media are few in comparison to Gay & Lesbian centered films. Up until last year, the United States understood Trans through mainstream movies such as Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, Boys Don’t Cry, and most recent characters in sitcoms such as Ugly Betty or RuPaul’s Drag Race. However, on January 3rd 2012, ABC channel aired a new show that received criticism for inappropriately generalizing, stereotyping and mocking the lives and experiences of Trans and  gender non-conformative folk. In the sitcom, “Work It”, creators Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen tell a story of two middle-aged men, Lee Standish (Caucasian) and Angel Ortiz (Puerto Rican), which are unemployed due to the rising number of women in the job market.  In response to the economic recession, the two alpha male characters attempt to cross dress and pass as women in order to survive in the work force. After two episodes of “Work It” aired, viewer ratings dropped 1 million and ABC Channel discontinued the show.

            Reich and Cohen’s show received news coverage by the “Por Que Si Magazine: An LGBT Latin@ Multimedia Publication” (XQSI) for a number of problematic images portrayed on screen in particular relating to Puerto Rican culture.  In an open letter to ABC the XQSi addresses a particular line in which Puerto Rican character Angel Ortiz blames his ethnic culture for his own transphobia: “I don’t know man, you have to understand this kind of thing doesn’t really fly in my culture” (Olvera).  Not only does this transphobic comment separate gender non-conformativity from ethnic identity, but also renders the lives of Puerto Rican trans and non-conformative people invisible. As discussed by Professor Ellie Hernandez, society will normalize heterosexuality and allow micro aggressions against gender, class, and racial minorities to go on without any protection (Hernandez).  Similarly, Martin F Manalasan IV’s article: “Searching for Community: Filipino Gay Men from New York City" also questions the notion that “gay men regard identity as a static given and construct ethnic identity as a polar opposite of gay identity” (Manalasan). Manalasan breaks down this notion that a person of colors ethnic identity is inseparable from their sexual identity and highlights the Pilipino LGBT communities that emerge and thrive in New York City. Moreover, Manalasan argues that “immigrants constantly negotiate both dominant/hegemonic and subordinate (minority) cultural products and practices into meaningful arrangements that inform their lives” (Manalasa). In other words, the failed show “Work It” not only offended the lives of Trans and Gender non-conformative people but also showcased fallacies about gender and racial identity.

            Media coverage like “Work It” sends false messages that teach homophobia and gender non-conformitivity as comedic subjects. Although the television show did not center an actual transgendered person, “Work It” intertwines with the systems of oppression in our lives that tell us that homophobia is almost non-existent. Barbara Smiths’s essay: “Homophobia: Why Bring it Up?” also discusses the “misconceptions and attitudes which I find particularly destructive because of the way they work to isolate the concerns of Lesbian and gay men” and in which media ignores the stories and experiences of Trans people like Gwen Araujo (Smith). Smith’s elaborates on the same form of homophobia seen in the creation of “Work It”, that is, people are generally threatened about issues of sexuality, and for some the mere existence of homosexuals calls their sexuality/heterosexuality into question” (Smith). This misguided show is a form in which institutional homophobia writes of systems of oppression and once again ignores the realities of people’s lives, namely Trans and gender non-conformitive folks.

Bibliography

Hernandez, Ellie. "Microaggressions." lecture. Fem 80. Girvetz, Santa Barbara.

1/30/2012. Lecture.

Manalasan, Martin F. "Searching for Community: Filipino Gay Men from New York

City." GLQ: A journel of lesbian and gay studies.. (1993): n. page. Print.

Olvera, Danny. "Open Letter to ABC: Transphobia is not Puerto Rican." 01/13/2012.   XQSi Magazine, Online Posting to XQSi Magazine. Web. 8 Feb. 2012.                            <http://xqsimagazine.com/2012/01/13/open-letter-to-abc-transphobia-is-not-                   puerto-rican/>.

Alicia's Blog Post #1

Lesbians in TV: Gender Expression

With the rise of gay rights and same-sex marriages headlining newspapers and websites, we see a trend in popularizing LGBT characters within film and television that were, for the most part nonexistent, however, patriarchal norms and gender expression still dictate how lesbians should be depicted in both society and the media.

Megan Evans’ article, “Femme Invisibility” briefly discusses how an increase in “femme” lesbians is a stray from the “stereotypical image of a butch lesbian”, but representation of lesbians within popular culture continues to be controlled by male-perspective and the idea that lesbians can only be butch (Evans).

In our society, there are many unspoken rules and strict guidelines of how we should express our gender, which is usually assumed contingent with our anatomy. Therefore, by having discordance with gender and sexuality, you have discordance within society. As a femme lesbian herself, Evans comments on fictional femmes’ struggle with femme invisibility, with other lesbians telling them they “don’t belong” and heterosexual males saying, “But you’re too pretty to be gay.” But what does that even mean?

            Because a woman who desires women that essentially dresses and acts typically feminine, her gender expression somehow makes her less gay? By not choosing to defy gender norms socially constructed by our patriarchal society, her feelings toward other lesbians are doubted?

Evans’ examples of upcoming femme lesbian television characters include Santana (Glee), Emily (Pretty Little Liars), Callie and Arizona (Grey's Anatomy), three of which, interestingly, are queer women of color. Of these women’s series, we see the ways in which men respond negatively to their “chosen” sexuality which counters their gender expression of femininity, often claiming that these women are rebelling against the heteronormative societal constraints because they hate men. This leads into what Adrienne Rich calls “male power” and the misconception that “women turn to women out of hatred for men,” (Rich). Lesbians seek both emotional and sexual relationships with women because they desire women, not because they dislike men, or have had negative previous encounters with men, and they ways in which women choose to express themselves, (feminine, masculine, androgynous, etc.,) have no direct connection to their sexual preferences.

Evans’s other concern is the “great lack of lesbian role models” within the screen media history (Rich). In television series, we have the cast of The L Word, of which served as the main source for lesbian programming during the mid-2000’s. More recently, we have appointed Ellen Degeneres as our widely worshipped and best known lesbian icon, but one woman does not represent the extremely diverse group of lesbians, not only in gender, but in race, class, ethnicity, and experience. Even more disheartening, much of television programs available to lesbians were made by and for heterosexuals, cementing unrealistic and stereotypical ideas into society’s understanding of lesbians. Even the historical context of the word lesbian has medical undertones, which circles back to the old view of homosexuality as a “mental health problem requiring psychiatric treatment,” (D’Emilio). It appears that much of the limited lesbian history has been removed or omitted by society's editors and conservatives, many, no doubt, are enforcers of male power.

Too many of people have fought to erase these misconceptions of lesbians, there needs to be more focus on the ways in which we live and love as people, how we defy gender and societal constraints. Appropriately representing lesbian characters within television and film continues to be a frustrating and slowly-progressive process that is hindered by stereotypical and patriarchal views on women’s sexuality and gender expression combined with the lack of positive historical context.

Bibliography

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.

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.

Evans, Megan. “Femme Invisibility” The Huffington Post. Web 28 Jan 2012. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/megan-evans/femme-lesbians_b_1237648.html

Carla's Blog Post #1

Gay teens: Do they belong on the tween networks?

As more LGBTQ teens are represented in media, media critics, viewers, and producers must address the question of visibility in media for various age demographics. While there are more and more LGBTQ teens in television, they are not very visible in pre-teen media. Armstrong addresses the lack of gay teens on networks such as Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, and the responses from the creators of such media are unfortunate. One network says that representing such characters would be “inappropriate” for the age bracket. There is an ever-present paradox regarding the visibility of heterosexual characters and LGBTQ characters in media. Characters are automatically assumed to be heterosexual until proven otherwise, and pre-teen media reflects that. The lack of pre-teen LGBTQ characters is a result of the compulsory heterosexuality present in society.

The presence of gay teens in media should not be an issue, considering the fact that television is meant to imitate life. Historically, heteronormative media has left little room for representation of any sexual minorities. When LGBTQ individuals have been represented, it has been considered out of the ordinary. Slowly, more and more networks appear to be representing gay teens – though even those representations are often controversial. Recently, there have been issues regarding unequal displays of intimacy on television shows between same-sex couples in comparison to opposite-sex couples. Fans of the popular television show Glee often criticize the writers for the disproportionate intimacy between same sex couples (i.e. Brittany and Santana, Kurt and Blaine) and opposite-sex couples (i.e. Sam and Mercedes) on the show.

Homosexual intimacy is considered by some to be deviant behavior, out of the norm (Rubin). While heterosexual characters can acknowledge “crushes” on characters of the opposite sex on pre-teen shows, it is somehow unacceptable for the same to occur for homosexual characters. Since homosexuality is not considered to be on the same level of importance or normalcy as heterosexuality, presenting such characters to young viewers would be representing what some deem to be deviant behavior. Representing LGBTQ youth to an earlier age demographic would mean allowing for equal representation, and possibly changing the heteronormative nature of the media.

The LGBTQ community has historically been identified by sexual acts rather than an identity (D’Emilio). As the community progressed, an emphasis was placed on the individual rather than the act. If networks can identify their heterosexual characters with “crushes” on the opposite sex without the need for sexual contact with another individual, the same should be possible for homosexual characters. Leaving it to the viewer to “interpret” a character’s sexuality takes something from young LGBTQ viewers – if the characters that they may identify with cannot have open “crushes”, they may feel as though that identity is not something that can be openly expressed.

Ultimately, the representation of LGBTQ characters should not be a question. The mere need to ask whether or not a particular group should be represented in media makes it clear that they are not well represented. Not allowing LGBTQ characters in media only silences an entire group and reduces visibility for the community as a whole. Not only is it offensive, it feeds the current heteronormative nature of media. Introducing such characters in an atmosphere where they can have an identity that is not necessarily defined by sexual activity could possibly change views of sexual orientation as a sexually based identity. There is nothing innately inappropriate about a heterosexual character pining over a character of the opposite sex, and the same should apply to a homosexual character and a character of the same sex.

Bibliography

Armstrong, Jennifer. "Gay teens: Do they belong on the tween networks?" PopWatch 21 January 2011. Web, 7 February 2012.

 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.

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

Queer Bullying and Suicide: A New Perspective

Queer Bullying and Suicide: A New Perspective

            The abundance of queer youths who have committed suicide since September of 2011 have received an incredible amount of media attention. While bringing the strife and struggle of queer youth to light is very important the media coverage of this recent phenomenon has not been a completely positive practice, portraying queer youth in a very limited and confining manner.

The first issue is that these news stories broke after queer (and perceived queer) youth had already committed suicide, and the focus and continuing attention grew with every suicide, however comparatively very little focus was on bullying itself until after five suicides in September 2011 (Meadow 2012).  This shows the reactionary nature of the media and how queer bullying did not become a newsworthy issue until a great deal of tragedy occurred. Bullying is a major issue, especially within the queer community, one that media coverage has picked up only recently and still does not necessarily portray correctly or helpfully. Nan Stein brings up several issues with how media as well as schools have dealt with bullying in her article “Bullying, Harassment and Violence Among Students”. One major issue is that many evaluations of bullying do not accurately account for sexual harassment or gender based violence, a very important category as most youth who are chastised for being queer are perceived and not known to be queer, so it is violence based on gender expression (Stein 2007). Stein shows that bullying is reported at 30% while sexual harassment was reported at about 80% in surveys and research, one area of proof that labeling so many things as bullying is detrimental and leads to underreporting, more abuse, and less cohesive consequences since bullying can be characterized as so many things (Stein 2007).  These issues and many other nuances of the harassment and turmoil queer youth face are not explored by the media, likely because they are intellectual and not easily sensationalized like other ways of portraying queer youth.  This leads to another problem: the media possibly perpetuating queer youth suicide and self-harm by only covering negative stories and not focusing on instances of tolerance, success, or any other aspect of the lives of queer youth.

Media is often considered to be a mirror, one that replicates our culture but it is undeniable that the media also has a part in shaping our culture; from story lines on sitcoms to news reports, media can have a big influence on how we view things. Unfortunately the view of queer youth that news coverage and other media sources have focused on has been incredibly limited and negative. This is upsetting because of a phenomenon called “suicide contagion” which is when the publicizing of suicide leads to increased suicide, however this can be combated with a change in media coverage that shifts the focus from negative to positive, with new stories focusing on resilience, strength, and tolerance in the queer community (Meadow 2012). While the mainstream media has not had much positive news on queer youth the “It Gets Better “ Campaign has begun to put out a positive message for queer youth. The problem with the “It Gets Better” Campaign is that it has not acknowledged the “intertwining Isms” laid out by Barbara Smith in “Homophobia: Why Bring It Up?”.  The biggest criticism of the “It Gets Better” campaign is that it does not explore the lives of queer people of color or lower class queer people, rather focusing on how fame, career success, and white privilege serve to erase many of the pains of homophobia. This ignorance of the struggle of non-white, non-rich, non-male queer people does nothing to address communities that already have a generally tougher time due to beliefs like ones that Barbara Smith lays out as problematic.  Beliefs that homosexuality only manifests in white people, often leading to more stern, painful, and homophobic ideas of sexuality in communities of color, as well as beliefs that gay people are never thought to be poor, disabled, people of color, and often times women (Smith 1999). These identities and their intersectionality all need to be recognized if queer bullying, suicide, and other forms of oppression have a chance of being combated.

Bibliography

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

Stein, Nan. “Bullying, Harassment and Violence Among Students” Radical Teacher 2007.

Meadow, Tey. “Queer Children Are Dying… But Many More Are Living” The Huffington Post 20 Jan 2012.Web, 2 Feb 2012

Eduardo's Blog Post #1

Prayers for Bobby

                       Coming of age and gay themed films have had a huge role in helping LGBTQ members figure themselves out and also helping them feel a type of connection with someone that they can relate to. These types of films have only recently started being made. This is not to say that members of the LGBTQ community were not in other films, but the time period where LGBTQ members actually have dreams and happy endings has only recently began. There are films like Beautiful Thing, directed by Hettie Macdonald, and Edge of Seventeen, directed by David Moreton, that don’t leave their audience at an angry or mournful ending. Instead they are left at a more cheerful and/or hopeful ending that can help inspire one who watches it. One film that does have a mixture between these mournful and hopeful themed endings is Prayers for Bobby, which was directed by Russell Mulcahy. After watching the film, I was left with this mixed feeling between being upset but also relived due to the fact that even though Bobby committed suicide in the middle of the plot, his ignorant mother has a sudden realization and sees the mistake she had made for not accepting her son. She then goes on to become a symbolic ally to the LGBTQ community. The film portrays Bobby as a young adult who is struggling with his sexuality due to the fact that he lives within a religious household. Jordan Mattos’ article, “Prayers for Bobby: Blurring out the most painful aspects,” sheds light on the fact that the transition from the book to the film left out several of other details that could have changed the way we viewed both Bobby and his family.

          Mattos explains how Bobby “had lively friendships with many gay and lesbians his age, and had a guilt-ridden but active sex life. He also worked as a prostitute, sharing the earnings with his unsuspecting mother, and expressed hatred for himself and others at the drop of a hat” (Mattos, 2009). Throughout the film, Bobby is presented with a bit more innocence and when finally interacting with the LGBTQ community, it is shown as more like a bird jumping off the nest and flying on its own for the first time. This whole new idea of thinking of Bobby as a sexually active prostitute and almost bipolar attitude does change the way I first thought about Bobby as an individual. He’s really not as innocent as they had portrayed him in the film. It’s not the fact that he is not as innocent that catches my attention, but instead the fact that they decided to leave all of this out of the film.

All of this hiding of sexual desire and sexual exploration can easily be tied back to the restrained views people had about more provocative issues back in the late 19^th century. There were these “educational and political campaigns to encourage chastity, to eliminate prostitution, and to discourage masturbation, especially among the young” (Rubin 1993, 4). These types of groups would work hard on trying to stop anything that did not seem “right” to them. As a result, “they have left a deep imprint on attitudes about sex, parental anxieties, and sex law” (Rubin 1993, 4). This imprint was surly seen within the film industry and the restraints they put on directors and editors on what it is they are allowed to show on the big screen. The impact that the early groups made on today’s society is not only seen in film, but also in reality. To several the word “gay” means “gay white men with large discretionary incomes” (Smith, 101). This stereotype is in a way given to Bobby in the film, even though he is not necessarily portrayed as rich, he is portrayed as an upper middle class teen that does not seem to worry much about money. It is this idea of “gay people as white, middle class, and male, which is just what the establishment media want people to think,” (Smith, 101) that draws in people to think of Bobby as the stereotype, when in reality, as told from the book, he was not.

All of these restraints that some say have gone away in today’s society are still here for the most part. Hiding certain details about some characters in films that were of importance when thinking of a character is just another example of how today’s society still has these restraints. The fact that the book was “turned down” so much just goes to show how our society is not confronted with the truth behind the struggles of an LGBTQ member and the obstacles that one must overcome.

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

Gayle Rubin “Thinking Sex: Notes for a Radical Theory of Politics of Sexuality” from Social Perspectives in Gay and Lesbian Studies ed. Peter M Nardi and Beth Schneider.

Mattos, Jordan. "Prayers for Bobby: Blurring out the Most Painful Aspects." World Socialist Web Site. 21 Jan. 2009. Web. 08 Feb. 2012. <http://wsws.org/articles/2009/jan2009/pray-j21.shtml>.

Melissa's Blog post #1

                                           A Film Festival Revisits an Audience’s Outcry

LGBTQ studies covers sexuality, race, identity, and gender issues and how that shapes a community today. This can be found in all forms of media such as television, movies, theater, and music. Some themes discussed in LGBTQ studies such as the topic of defining gender norms, and homophobia in relation to cultural traditions and upbringing can also be found in the New York Times article, “A Film Festival Revisits an Audience’s Outcry.” This article written in 2011 follows several film festivals and the protests that came along with them as they showed documentaries about transgender people or movies that show intimacy between same-sex couples.

The article is specifically discussing documentaries that heavily question mainstream gender norms and sexual orientation. Similar to Adrienne Rich’s discussion of compulsory heterosexuality in the article, “Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence,” the sponsors of a film said they would withdraw financing if it were shown in the festival due to the idea of a world in which people and couples were automatically gay, lesbian, or transgender. The sponsors would agree with the idea of compulsory heterosexuality, or the thought that people are automatically straight because of society. However, it was the transgender community that prompted the making of the film to begin with. This example, along with two others in the article, draws questions as to why these thoughts are still occurring in the modern day. These topics are so taboo to society, that they can’t even be expressed in independent films. The filmmakers view this as their opportunity to stop hiding their views and make their thoughts known among the public. Their films can cause the audience to question their thoughts about social norms in terms of sexuality and gender roles.

The article also discusses homophobia due to cultural beliefs, specifically in the Arab Film Festival, which showed films that discussed gay and lesbian issues, and the harshness of gender relations that brought objections from officials at Arab consulates. According to the article, some complaints arise because the films are revealing the truth behind a culture’s perspective on the matter of LGBT issues. The filmmakers argue that it is their issue as well, and they want to spread and make their message known rather than to continue to hide it or pretend like it does not exist. The homophobia found by financers of these films is according to Barbara Smith’s article, “one way to protect one’s heterosexual credentials and privilege by putting down lesbians and gay men at every turn, and to make as large a gulf as possible between “we” and “they” (Smith, 78). Their beliefs in regard to homosexuality are restricting the freedom of speech shown in these films. According to Smith, education is key to help change these attitudes and behaviors. One way to educate is through these films, which are repressed by the social beliefs they are fighting against. They should be allowed to educate the public and to try to instill change in their communities if that is what they believe is right.

While reading this article, I am reminded of the struggle the LBGT community goes through to express themselves. The goal of these films is to spark thought, provoke change, and to inform the public because common practices such as homophobia and unspoken topics such as gender norms are still visible in the modern day. 

Bibliography

Curiel, Jonathan. “A Film Festival Revisits an Audience’s Outcry” The New York Times 14 July 2011. Web, 25 Jan 2012

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?” The Interracial Books. Children Bulletin, 78. Print.

Hayley's Blog Post #1

The Confinement of LGBT Art Expression

Despite the overarching messages of unconditional love and hope religious sectors claim to uphold, a tinge of hypocrisy remains for religiously persecuted LGBT people. We live in a society that is hostile to homosexual expression, especially present when correlating queer experiences to Christian customs and “moral” traditions. John D’Emilio asserts that, “Biblical condemnations of homosexual behaviors suffused American culture from its origin” (D’Emilio 1983, 13). The notion that identifying as LGBT is a sin against God, or unwelcomed in the field of Christian belief creates a tension between religiosity and queer experiences. In this blog post, I discuss how the lack of LGBT artistic acceptance throughout societal institutions, and specifically pertaining to the my chosen article, Claremont Church’s destroyed nativity scene, is being displayed via discrimination that exists in religious art, and hate crimes that directly target LGBT people through physical desecration. I am essentially arguing that the absence of LGBT prevalence in the media and arts gives rise to cisgender privilege, where certain advantages are inherently granted to those who fit into our heteronormative society’s favored identities.

The article “Attack on LGBT Christian Art: An Ugly Trend Continues” by Kittredge Cherry explores the uneasiness that burns within people who both identify as a member of the LGBT community, in addition to, a Christian or member of the religious specter; attributing inner conflict to the lack of proper representation and portrayals in the media, in which Cherry specifically focuses on Christian art within certain communities. Cherry reports that this December, Claremont United Methodist Church hosted a progressive interpretation of the infamous nativity scene, portraying a gay and lesbian couple, along with a heterosexual couple, exhibiting open-mindedness and acceptance in their more inclusive celebration of a traditional Christian message of love. However, the gay and lesbian silhouettes were vandalized, causing $3000 dollars in damages, and conclusively revealing the lack of willingness to accept LGBT-positive Christian images and demonstrations. This hate crime, which specifically targeted members of the LGBT community, is not uncommon when involving queer religious art, as Cherry mentions that there remains a discord in “LGBT Christian art as religious freedom clashes with freedom of expression” (Cherry 2010). Many religious taboos, such as the Biblical parable of Sodom and Gomorrah in Levitcus that denounces LGBT behavior, “Men who lay with men commit an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them,” irrationally give rise to our heteronormative society denouncing LGBT Christian experiences as blasphemy (D’Emilio 1983, 13).

According to John D’Emilio, “homosexual behavior was excoriated as a heinous sin, the law branded it a serious crime, and the medical profession diagnosed homosexuals and lesbians as diseased” (D’Emilio 1983, 13). This negative association, labeling people via medical terms with clinical connotations, has infiltrated society with the common belief that being LGBT identifying was abnormal, unnatural, wrong, and/or problematic. Cherry’s article highlighted the reality that many artists who choose to create LGBT religious art often face discrimination and social threats, demonstrating the realm of intolerance surrounding queer performance. In addition, when groups of people are labeled as generalized others, thus being marked as undesirable in certain spaces or institutions, transgressions emerge and contribute to a society that persecutes those people that are marked as deviating from the recognized norm. Adrienne Rich labels the unquestioned assumption that all people are heterosexual until they “choose” to become identified alternatively with the concept of compulsory (forced/obliged) heterosexuality (Rich 1995, 182). The lack of visibility that remains for members of the LGBT community permeates society as “just the way it is”, highlighting the hegemonic belief that LGBT representation should be closeted in order to sustain a primarily (admitted) heterosexual society.

Religious attackers should delve within themselves to better exemplify Christ’s own message of love and compassion, as he, too, was a victim of societal persecution and animosity. I find that the lack of LGBT representation in the media, paired with the hate crimes that occur within LGBT artistic depictions illustrate a society that is intolerant of queer expression in religious and public realms. The underlying deficiency of municipal acceptance that lingers for members of the LGBT community have resultantly stigmatized their identities paired with religious beliefs, as an entire population of people are seen as not fit for equal representation in both the arts and media, and thus, the social world, which ultimately stems from the unchallenged heterosexuality our society perpetuates (Rich 1995, 182).

Cherry, Kittredge. “Attack on LGBT Christian Art: An Ugly Trend Continues?”

Huffington Post 24 Jan 2012. Web, 5 Feb 2012.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kittredge-cherry/lgbt-christian-

art_b_1229585.html

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.

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.