Preview

Skeletons In The Closet Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
601 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Skeletons In The Closet Analysis
his article by Patricia Hill Collins is one of the many which she has written. It focuses on Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals & Transgenderd people which she refers to as LGBT. She states how American historians point to the signifigance of sexuality to belong to slavery (pg-235). She categorizes racism and heterosexism as the prison and the closet. One would agree on this metaphor because even though minorities have come a long way since our earlier history, racism still exists in our community. The term prison is used as a form of feeling isolated from society and those who have racism toward them would feel trapped within themselves so the word suits. The word “closet” is self explanatory as the term of having “skeletons in the closet“. If one …show more content…
The state in support of racism had laws that regulated where black people could live, work, and attend school. Racism and heterosexism also share the same practices such as marriage which many do not accept. So in that case the government is forced to regulate it. If marriage was normal between two straight people of the opposite gender and if it occurred naturally within racial categories there would be no need for laws against it. That is clearly not realistic nowadays so a senses of laws have been passed all designed to regulate marriage, An example of that would be how in the past the tax system has rewarded married couples with tax breaks that everyone else has been rejected to. With that being done, it was clearly a good idea to get married for your own financial reasons. Up until 1967 is when the state overturned these laws and created new ones to keep LGBT people from marrying stating “legal union between one man and one woman” (pg-237). Many might not agree with the governments decision about marriage and have petitioned against it. Marriage should be based on the love that one finds in another with no boundaries and the gender of the two should not be an issue. Over the years some states such as Conneticut and Massachusettes have actually legalized gay marrriage and the gay community couldn’t be anymore pleased. It is only a matter of time before the whole country allows gay

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Throughout history, the state has tried to suppress and contain homosexuality. Even “as early as 1656, the New Haven Colony prescribed the death penalty for lesbians” (Rich 634). This shows how severe the punishment was if found to be in a non-heteronormative relationship. The article, “The Straight State” by Margot Canaday states, “There was a policy against being homosexual, and it was federal in nature. States and localities generally policed homosexual acts, but […] it was the federal government that gradually developed the tools to target homosexual personhood or status, the condition of being a homosexual” (Canaday 6). Demonstrating how homosexuality was regulated and controlled, the state constructed the condition of being a homosexual. After creating this construct using characteristics, the state used it to oppress and discriminate those who were considered homosexual. The article continues, stating, “Those suspected of homosexuality were purged from the civil service and military in astounding numbers at midcentury. They were also barred from certain federal benefits, faced increased FBI and Post Office surveillance and explicit immigration and naturalization exclusions, as well as the stain of alleged political subversion” (Canaday 2). As homosexuality was considered to be an unnatural…

    • 1034 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sectionalism In The 1800s

    • 1024 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In American History, we are currently studying the concept of sectionalism. Sectionalism is division within a country based on regional beliefs and interests. In the early to mid 1800’s, sectionalism in America grew as slavery divided the nation. Slavery was ignored, compromised and argued about by the states until the conflict drove our country until the Civil War. Although regional differences are not as distinct these days, many issues are currently causing division among the states and people of our country. These issues lead to what our history class describes as “modern sectionalism.” One such issue is Gay Marriage.…

    • 1024 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    WGU GLT1

    • 878 Words
    • 3 Pages

    There is growing attention to the issue of marriage equality for gay people in this country. As of the writing of this paper, 16 of the 50 states in the United States of America have legalized gay marriage, either by legislation or by popular vote (Wisniewski, 2013). The discourse regarding the issue becomes quite contentious largely because of non-secular ideology that has demonized the concept of homosexuality for many years. As a sociological issue, the conflict has become a divisive force for many, from political powers as far down to the family level. The constitution guarantees equal rights for all in this country; freedom of religion, speech, etc. yet appears to stall when equal rights for the gay community are involved. There has been significantly more popular support for the cause recently, but the stigma and prejudice continue to linger. Is this a moral debate or has an outdated ideology become so embraced by many that the battle has only just begun?…

    • 878 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Even though in the U.S. Constitution it does not specify anything about marriage whether it is homosexual or heterosexual, the constitution was designed to ensure that a federal government was established and to ensure equal rights to all citizens of the nation. In 1996 the Federal Defense of Marriage Act prevented any states from legalizing gay marriage however that was proven to be unconstitutional because it restricts the states to define marriage and prohibits gay couples the same rights and benefits as heterosexual couples. (Lavoie, 2012 Gay Marriage Law…) This all boils down to one underlying statement that many gay rights activist are battling for every day and that is that denying homosexuals the equal right to marry just as their heterosexual counterpart has the right to marry his or her significant other, is unconstitutional discrimination and that by prohibiting such an act to a certain group of people is not only in…

    • 1566 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Gay marriages have been one of the hottest and controversial topics in our society. There are still problems concerning this issue of homosexuality and gay marriages. Same sex marriages are legal in Hawaii, but in all other states couples must be of the opposite sex to form a marriage. Hawaii’s decision to legalize same sex marriages is considered a milestone victory for gays and may cause a ripple affect for similar action in other states. Those who support gay marriages justify their position by the concept of love. These supporters of gay marriages feel as though gay people are being deprived of their right to love. Many people believe that gay people deserve the right to love and to take that love and form a marriage. These people believe that gays want to feel justified, meaning that as a couple they should be able to define their own marriage for themselves and make their own set of rules. Supports of same-sex marriages feel as though homosexuals are being deprived of their God given right to get married. They believe that arguments against same sex marriages are unconstitutional, and they simply do not justify a ban on same sex marriages. It is not the idea of two people of the same sex getting married that frightens people so much, but it is the thought of change and the fact that the federal government will redefine marriage to allow same sex unions. When people picture the results of same sex marriages, they see images of unstable homes. Everyone would probably agree that homosexuality has changed our society, and legalizing same sex marriages is not likely to be an exception. It would be an injustice to discriminate against a person if he or she were…

    • 305 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    “Because African‐Americans have already encountered a very traumatic experience with oppression, one could safely assume that African‐Americans would be more sensitive to socially oppressive practices such as being gay so most decide to conceal it. Sadly, African‐American homosexual males are largely viewed by Black heterosexuals as: not really Black, deviant, a disgrace, an embarrassment and, worse yet, an agent…

    • 2948 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Slavery was to the 1800s as gay marriage is to the 2000s. Slavery used to be governed by the state and depending on what state you lived in determined the legality of it. The difference between slavery and gay marriage is a very significant one though. If you wanted to own slaves but your state said it was illegal prior to the civil war and the writing of the 13th Amendement, you could move to a different state that stated it was legal and purchase slaves and contuine to live your life. However, with gay marriage as now one could choose to move to a state that recognizes it but no matter where you live in the country, the federal government will not recognize the marriage. According to Steve Chapman, “Under federal law, there…

    • 662 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Not allowing homosexuals to marry is considered a form of discrimination. If our country has fought so hard against discrimination, why do people turn them into a minority group and not respect their rights? Homosexuals are law-abiding citizens as well who deserve the same respect heterosexuals receive.…

    • 568 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The history of the United States of America has thoroughly demonstrated an opposing but equally passionate support in favor (and against) the rights of homosexuals. In the New York Times article “A Brief History of Gay Marriage,” Alex Altman discloses that the first time issue of the legality of same-sex marriage gained national attention was in 1993 in Hawaii, where judges discovered that the Constitution of the United States need more convincing arguments and compelling reasons to deny homosexual people the right to marriage. Furthermore, he described how, in 1996, Congress pushed and effectively passed the Defense of Marriage Act, which restrained same-sex…

    • 2354 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    should be legal in all states because everyone should have the right to marry the one they love,…

    • 1492 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    This case note will examine the 1967 landmark Supreme Court case of Loving v. Virginia. The Loving v. Virginia case touched on constitutional principles including equality, federalism, and liberty. Just over 30 years ago, it was a crime for interracial couples in Virginia to marry, or to live as husband and wife. Prior to the 1967 case of Loving v. Virginia, many states had laws that banned the intermarriage of whites with black or other minorities. The United States has a long history of the existence of anti-miscegenation laws that forbid interracial marriage. The case presents the constitutional question whether a statutory scheme adopted by the State of Virginia to prevent marriages between persons solely on the basis of racial classifications violates the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. The right that is guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, contains the right to be treated the same, legally, as others in the same situation. The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth amendment of the U.S. Constitution forbids states from denying any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws . The equal protection jurisprudence in the United States has evolved greatly. Well-known cases covering the Equal Protection Clause are Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, considering the de-segregation of public schools and Korematsu v. United States in 1944, when the Court first articulated a strict scrutiny standard for laws based on race-based distinctions. This strict scrutiny standard was applied again in the Loving v. Virginia case in 1967. In 1967, the Supreme Court’s had to decide if these anti-miscegenation statutes were unconstitutional. The Supreme Court declared, in a unanimous decision, Virginia's anti-miscegenation statute, the "Racial…

    • 1579 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lgbt Discrimination

    • 862 Words
    • 4 Pages

    According to the law currently in place called DOMA, the federal government will not accept marriage licenses granted to same-sex couples, regardless of state laws. The DOMA denies federal benefits available to married couples such as adoption, social security and inheritance.(Social Problems page 126) There are a few good reasons to allow gay marriage, first being fewer physical and mental health problems. When a persecuted group is no longer persecuted, but allowed to live like everybody else, they enjoy fewer health problems. A recent study published in The American Journal of Public Health found that 12 months after gay…

    • 862 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Just recently our nation has taken initiative into changing the gay rights that our nation lacks by repealing the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy that was established in 1993 by our former president Clinton. In the United States there are only five states, not including District of Columbia, that have legalized same sex marriage. Lawmakers ignore the fact that legalizing gay marriage has economical benefits. If the state of New York were to make gay marriage legal, it will result in a positive net impression on the state’s budget as it did for Vermont according to the article ‘The Economic Impact of Extending Marriage to Same-Sex Couples in Vermont” by Christopher Ramos, M.V. Lee Badgett, and Brad Sears of the William Institute. Specifically for New York, according to The New York Times article, “Would Gay Marriage Help the State Economy?” By Jeremy W. Peters, the state’s economy would gain $210 million over three years.…

    • 574 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Supreme Court has heard arguments of same sex marriage, wedding cakes not being served. Colorado voters passed a reform, which made a guard against anti-gay discriminations, and which the Supreme Court later they got into the problem. The religious timid people who persuade sought to go behind their back civil rights protected in another way. They say that the Constitution gives them the right to discriminate against gay people.…

    • 1162 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Same Sex Marriage

    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages

    When you think about America you think about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That is what we are taught as a young American and try to live by. One document helps us understand that and that document was called the declaration of independence written by Thomas Jefferson, one of our founding fathers. Another document that makes sure we the people feel free and have rights as individuals are the Bill of Rights and our amendments. Brought to the U.S’ attention by James Madison. These documents have been what has kept Americans from ripping each other’s eyeballs out. Sometimes when we feel our rights have been violated we usually find a way to be heard because we feel it might have been unconstitutional. That may sound a little too farfetched but at times it is unconstitutional and certain groups feel that way here in America. The 15th amendment is a prime example, passed in February 3, 1870, helped those who couldn’t vote based on race, color or religion. Mainly directed towards African Americans. Well today another group of people are still not fully getting rights as the Americans they are. The gay community is this group of people I am referring to. Since as far back as when the U.S was being founded same sax marriage has been frowned upon and same sex couples as well. Some say it’s unconstitutional and just plain out wrong. Wrong some say yes some say no but as for it being unconstitutional you decide. This being said lets go over these aspects.…

    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays