Maria Marquez Speech

Appearances: They Say More About You Than You Think The term “homophobia” brings to mind individuals that hate those who are homosexual. Most of us aren’t ignorant to the fact that homophobia is a problem in America. These homophobic people call homosexuals “faggots” or “dykes” with no regard as to if these people are actually gay or not. We often believe this is as far as it is taken. Carmen Vazquez’s argument in her 1992 essay “Appearances”, slightly changes the definition of homophobia (Goodreads). Her argument is effective because she offers convincing evidence of these events, uses a tone that does not attack those she is standing up against and uses pathos to gain readers emotionally. Vazquez brings the issues going on today that many of us may not be aware of to the readers’ attention; the people who are commonly abused for being lesbian, gay, bi, transgender, or simply appear so. In the paragraph before the essay begins, an important question is introduced: “Have you ever gone for a walk in the
She sets up the scene for a place called the Castro located in San Francisco, which is a key location for her essay where most of the violence she describes takes place. The way she sets up the scene in San Francisco enables the reader to picture the way Castro looks if they have not been there before. She describes what the homophobic people are doing as a type of “fun.” This implies they do not see any harm in the actions they are making. Her quoting the obscene use of name calling they use such as “fucking cocksucking faggots”, “dyke cunts”, and “diseased butt fuckers” takes readers back for a moment, making them think “who would use this language toward another person?” (Blumenfeld 490). She incorporates the use of pathos as she includes these phrases to show the reader the strong language and the emotional damage the people of the LGBTQ community are suffering