Thinking it Out

   Although how you perform your gender doesn't make out your sexuality, the father partook in a lot of 'feminine' activities like decoration and gardening plus he was very fashion conscious.

   This reading was interesting and eye opening on how the gay/drag culture came about in the lower Manhattan. I hated the continued use of the word degenerate for homosexuals. The people who are out there and being true to themselves and are being ridiculed get labeled as less than worthy but the ones doing the bullying are normal? They would just go all tourist mode to go slumming in the red light district.    I knew what a bathhouse, tearooms or red light district is but I didn't know where in NYC it was located. I assumed that there would be more interactions with the working class and that the middle class would see it as something beneath them to take part in but still entertaining. I found it cute but not in a funny way that the guys were called fairies but I supposed due to gendering that's why that label was socially constructed for homosexuals being overly feminine. Like were there homosexuals who wore suit and tie to gain favor instead of dressed in drag.    The era 1890-1940 was a time were they knew close to nothing on the true nature of homosexuality that we do now that lead to unfair treatment.

   I didn't like how homosexual acts was describe as morbid or abnormal and over time yeah heterosexual acts was just described as equally not accepted if not for baby making goals but it was held higher. The hierarchy power pyramid is brought back of hetero trumping homo. Also, I guess I'm biased in thinking that heterosexual shouldn't be the only term labeled erotic or passionate since homosexual acts can get steamy too. Then again I read a lot of yaoi.

"- white woman daring to venture into a contemporary "heart of darkness" to bring back knowledge of the natives." In Hooks chapter Is Paris Burning which focuses on the film of the same title, it looks into the subculture of drag queens, trans and basically outcasts of society. When she starts of talking about how black comedians make a mockery of black females by talking and dressing up like them, I was lost on the connections this oppressive act had with the film. I didn't look beyond the film and the implications or areas they didn't diverge into. I assumed everyone knew that they have a hard time being out in the open while not facing society's scrutiny and that blood family life is almost nonexistent. I personally would have loved to hear more on the life stories, even if no one loves to talk of death. I found it shocking that the film wasn't adapted in memory of Venus either.    Back to the beginning of the chapter, my mind always goes back to imagining a gender pyramid when power standings are brought up. Black males are emasculated from white supremacy and maintain their place over black females by degradation to not seem so effeminate to bump them from their place of power. But how drag queens and gays openly celebrate and participate in balls to express their fantasy to be part of the white high life and be like the white women was both eye opening, sad but interesting with how much heart they put out to make their mark.

This article or chapter basically revolves around the topic on gendee we've been discussing in class. Its socially constructed and the meaning changes with yhe times. The terms transgender and transsexual were synonymous to each other and first started to be acknowledged and observed around the 1990s. In the introduction, the fact that evwn today people are so uninformed and believe that there are only two genders/sexes or refuse to be open-minded to bend their views is disappointing. The eight beliefs that constitute natural attitudes about gender were spotbon and infuriating. Treatment of transgender and intersexuals is unfair for no reason just because people don't understand and are confused since they don't know how to handle the issue. Like having an intersex infant go through surgery at such a young age to know how to address your child when you are going to love the child anyways. I didn't really understand what was being said in the Queering Gender section. I can understand why feminists at the time would be against the transgender since they see it as either a betrayal for F to M or as mockery for M to F. Its going against what they knew and maybe it was a distraction to attaining the goal. But that brings up the notion of body and identity and the extent we pratice and apply the standard we apply to each gender.  Like the roommates situation or marriage, we don't put people through examination to see if they meet what we assume goes to that setting/situations.

   Those who really are disabled are written off in most known circulating history when they are part of our culture. The term disabled is used as an excuse to keep ahead and hold power over other genders and races.

(Age was apparently the only foreseeable problem anyone of my elementary schoolers could see with gay marriage.)

Me: Officer, it's not my fault he was killed. I mean, he WASN'T wearing a bullet proof vest. It's his fault that my bullet killed him. It's not my fault at all. How dare he walk around with his body vulnerable to bullets.

   Right off the bat I agree that sexuality is a practice and not a drive or identity. Who or how you have sexual relations with is different for everyone and no judgment should be held against you. But in the real world that isn't so and you're under a watchful eye.    This section of the article held a lot of intersectionality on the topic of abstinence revolving around race, class and gender. As always White people trumps color and men are more privileged than women. Abstinence is a practice that was claimed more done by Christian middle class whites.    Throughout the reading I was mostly reflecting on my own view of sexual acts and that its not far off on the standards that abstinent followers follow by but I think I'm more open-minded. I'm a Hispanic roman catholic that went throughout my highschool career thinking I don't want to be a statistic and remained a virgin for myself, not God. I thought I was just acting mature in how I viewed sex, I'm young I have time to do it when I want instead of dishing it out to everyone. I didn't have issues in finding a guy, I wasn't the most beautiful but I liked how I looked even if I was chubby. I was in two year relationship because I couldn't be romantically abstinent since the guy made me happy.    Sex is everywhere and more advertised today. I do think young people should be educated on the matter because they're going to make the choice of whether they want it or not so they should at least have the knowledge to make the BEST choice to protect themselves. That way it won't be something you have to regret or be ashamed of. Instead just feel that towards the person you did it with. I personally do think its a gift and should be given to that special person but life happens and things don't always work out. Also I question if people who save sex for after marriage are as sexually fulfilled since its new to two inexperienced people so you don't know what you want or how you like it. But I guess it more morally/spiritually fulfilling so it balances out? I'm not sure.

   But for the African-American population, dressing up and being able to dance reinforces their male ID and is admirable.  This just makes me wonder where cooking and artist fall under between races.

   These three concepts are used to measure how much of a man a male is and where there place is in the gender hierarchy. In order to get rid of the deep gap between males and females you have to eradicate what measure a man between males in their groups. If they can’t change the ID they use for themselves first then how will they stop judging themselves apart from women so much. At the moment a man is a man because he is not a woman. So exactly how long will men’s only clubs with no girls allowed continue to exist?