Gay Identity
Professor …….
Class……
13 April 2013
“Gay Identity” Throughout the years, it is common to see groups stick together and unite around a common goal or idea. Strength in numbers is the basis behind it. This is similar to the idea of identity politics. Identity politics is a way of organizing together and staying intimately connected to the idea that some social groups are oppressed. There is a general consensus about things our society labels as Taboo. The sort of topics looked down upon range from prostitution to age of consent. Most will agree that taboo issues are not morally correct or let say “Politically Correct.” But there are some things that are taboo which need a little more thought before being put into that category. Gender bending has continuously been made into a horrible thing not to be mentioned unless it is the center of a joke. The three films assigned for the essay present the real life story of gay people who come together in one desperate act of self-fulfillment. Therefore, specific behavior exhibited by this group show how their ethnicity (values, shared experiences, language) relates to their sexual identity and social class. The "silence" referred to throughout the three films is that gays (male or female), who are unable to express themselves because of the prejudices of the heterosexual society. First of all, trough out my essay I will discuss the main idea of the three films that were projected in class. Then, I will discuss meticulously the main point of all three movies. To begin with, the three documentaries dealt with the instantaneously critique of the politics of racism, homophobia and segregation as they are tangled with contemporary sexual politics. All of them collectively explained gay identity and their communities. Each had a different situation, ‘Paris is Burning’ was drag queens, ‘Harvey Milk’ was a gay politician, and ‘Tongues Untied’ was African American and gay. All of these documentaries showed communities within
Class……
13 April 2013
“Gay Identity” Throughout the years, it is common to see groups stick together and unite around a common goal or idea. Strength in numbers is the basis behind it. This is similar to the idea of identity politics. Identity politics is a way of organizing together and staying intimately connected to the idea that some social groups are oppressed. There is a general consensus about things our society labels as Taboo. The sort of topics looked down upon range from prostitution to age of consent. Most will agree that taboo issues are not morally correct or let say “Politically Correct.” But there are some things that are taboo which need a little more thought before being put into that category. Gender bending has continuously been made into a horrible thing not to be mentioned unless it is the center of a joke. The three films assigned for the essay present the real life story of gay people who come together in one desperate act of self-fulfillment. Therefore, specific behavior exhibited by this group show how their ethnicity (values, shared experiences, language) relates to their sexual identity and social class. The "silence" referred to throughout the three films is that gays (male or female), who are unable to express themselves because of the prejudices of the heterosexual society. First of all, trough out my essay I will discuss the main idea of the three films that were projected in class. Then, I will discuss meticulously the main point of all three movies. To begin with, the three documentaries dealt with the instantaneously critique of the politics of racism, homophobia and segregation as they are tangled with contemporary sexual politics. All of them collectively explained gay identity and their communities. Each had a different situation, ‘Paris is Burning’ was drag queens, ‘Harvey Milk’ was a gay politician, and ‘Tongues Untied’ was African American and gay. All of these documentaries showed communities within
Cited: Ebert, Roger. "Paris Is Burning." Rev. of Movie. Rogerebert.com. 9 Aug. 1991. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. “Identity Politics”. Colleen Butler-Sweet. University of Connecticut, Storrs. September 1, 2010. Milk, 2008. Film. Directed by Gus Van SANT. USA: Focus Features "Documentary Film" Documentary film From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia10 2012. <http://www.studymode.com/essays/Documentary-Film-1119525.html>. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDWS_UXlhs4