CHAPTER 37 - QUEER THEORY

I clearly feel that there is (as the image says below) absolutely NO PLACE FOR PREJUDICE. Regardless of your gender and sexual identity, you are a human first and foremost. However, media does not necessarily depict gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders as human beings. Often they are portrayed as something less than human. However, that depiction is slowly changing. Look at the show Brothers and Sisters, clearly this is a family of the year 2009, openly accepting their children for who they are. This show sends a positive message. By media sending a message of acceptance, society as a whole will begin to see these people as just human beings, with all their differences. Regardless, whether they are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.

More and more it is becoming socially acceptable to see two-parent families that are either headed by two men or two women. Perhaps, this could possibly be due to the fact that the media is beginning to be more socially accepting of everyone.

The lecture on Monday, March 23rd, 2009 about Queer Theory really drove home a lot of points for me. I found part of the lecture offensive (I might add through no result of what the professor had to say). Rather, I found it offensive the way Kosofsky and Butler constructed their Queer Theory. They state in the textbook that this theory promotes the self as a non-conformist, and that gays are odd or unusual. How sad that they see gays this way. I do believe that it is not just Kosofsky and Butler that view gays this way. I would say a large part of society (although not as many people as you would have seen forty years ago), believe that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, just do not fit into society. I believe strongly that now more than ever they most definitely do fit into society because of the way we have grown to accept people of difference, and in particular those with gender and sexual identity issues.

The professor brought up a question in class that made me think a lot. "Why are lesbians more tolerated than gay men?" As one student mentioned in the class, "men have a fantasy about lesbians having sex in front of them." As well as the fact that society as a whole, does not regard women as unusual because they kiss each other in public, it is more common to see women kissing their friends. Whereas, men clearly will not demonstrate this kind of affection to their male friends. It is just unheard of. Perhaps this answers the question why lesbians are more tolerated. However, I pray that the future will bring a world that is accepting of all differences, as my son is gay, and he is definitely not odd or unusual. I love him the way he is, in all his beauty! I know that media will play an important role in making our world become a better place-what a wonderful reality to think about!