Abstract This paper discusses the issue of transgendered people and looks at the studies of Wison and Hammond 1996 and Kreiss and Patterson 1997. People who identify as "transgendered" are recognized by the mental health community in two significantly disparate categories. Wilson and Hammond identify transgendered youth as "at-risk" for a multitude of physical, emotional, and social health problems. They state that during the past decade, there is ample documentation of how these youth have a higher-than-average rates of depression, suicide attempts, substance abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, school failure, family rejection, and homelessness. This raises an important question about desire, choice, and how these are regulated by psychological and psychiatric authorities, and the implications of this persistent regulation of sexuality and gender.
Abstract This paper examines sexism, racism and children's literature. Like all literature, children's literature reflects the dominant culture of its origin. This means that many 'classics' of children's literature contain unacceptable bias. This paper examines three examples of this situation.
Abstract This paper explains how much progress has been made in the fight for gay rights and in society's tolerance for gays but much discrimination still exists.
Abstract This paper refers to three works of Foucault's in order to demonstrate his views on power hierarchy. These works are "The History of Sexuality", "Madness and Civilization" and "Discipline and Punishment".
Abstract This paper shall compare and contrast the use of imagery that conveys sexual connotations in the works "Mrs. Dalloway" by Virginia Woolf and "The Hours" by Michael Cunningham.
Abstract The author discusses gender differences, discrimination and several types of professions that used to be reserved for men and women have entered and become successful. Gender difference pros and cons are discussed as well as solutions. The benefits of having dual genders in all professions are also outlined.
Abstract This undergraduate paper is an argument against the inclusion of gays in the military. It focuses on the estranging effect that gays have in units within the military. It asserts that homosexuality, while seemingly generally accepted within many arenas of general life, is completely incompatible with the military. It uses the incident of sabotage on the U.S.S. Iowa by a gay sailor as a primary example of the worst that can come from gays in the military.
Abstract This analysis of Ginsburg's poem, "A Supermarket in California", examines the work line-by-line. The paper discusses Ginsburg's linking of Garcia Lorca and Walt Whitman to himself, identifying with their homosexual tendencies, imagination, and writing skills. Also, the paper looks at the structure of the poem, citing alliteration and assonance, where present. The supermarket is presented as the American Dream and not Ginsberg's ideal.
From the Paper "Ginsberg mentions the carefulness in which Walt Whitman checks out of boys working at the store in lines 10 through 12, in which the narrator, spying on Whitman, discovers his wandering eyes. ?I saw you, Walt Whitman, childless, lonely old grubber, poking among the meats in the refrigerator and eyeing the grocery boys.? Whitman is acting interested in all the flashy images, while only truly finding interest in what he most likely cannot have: the grocery boys. Ginsberg's narrator, following closely behind, perhaps has the same desires, for he has forgotten about the "hungry fatigue" (line 4), which brought him into the supermarket to begin with."
Abstract This paper examines how, in "In How Good People Make Tough Choices", Rushworth M. Kidder argues that men and women have differing moralities based on three specific differences. It shows how men focus on ethics of justice, while women focus on ethics of care; how men focus more on equality, while women focus on ensuring nobody gets hurt; and finally, how women focus more on networks of lateral relationships, while men focus more on hierarchical structures. By researching each of these three specific factor,s it shows that men and women do have different moralities, while also showing the basic differences in the genders that account for these differing moralities.
From the Paper "The first difference is that men focus on ethics of justice while women focus on ethics of care. Ethics of justice refers to a focus on rights, while ethics of care refers to a focus on responsibilities. The main difference between the two approaches is that the ethics of justice makes the decision black and white. When looking at a situation based on justice, a person can determine clearly and definitely whether a decision is right or wrong. In contrast, the ethics of care makes the decision much less certain. When considering responsibilities, the decision becomes gray with it difficult to justify the decision being made. A person making a decision based on ethics of care is likely to say that they did what felt right."
Abstract This paper discusses how the nature of knowledge and human nature may be considered to be interchangeable, but how, in many places and at many times, the question of how we know what it is that we know about the world has not been a search for the nature of humanity, but a search for the nature of man. It examines how epistemology is not exempt from the fundamental sexism that is one of the defining aspects of so much of human history. It explores how human nature and the acquisition and accuracy of knowledge are linked and how conceptions of human nature and conceptions of knowledge are both gendered.
From the Paper "Masculine science, at least in the West (where the majority of science is produced and so where most of modern knowledge is also produced) creates a context for the production of knowledge in which is it possible (and even necessary) to argue that science (or "pure science") is a distinctly different activity from technology. Science doesn?t kill people; technology kills people. Science, Fox Keller argues, can be seen to be an essentially aggressive act ? and aggressive in a particularly sexual way. And, moreover, this has been true since the beginning of Western civilization, since the practice of science began, although whether the sexuality referenced was homosexual or heterosexual has changed as has the degree to which such references are explicit or tacit."
Abstract When James Baldwin published his novel, "Giovanni's Room", in the 1950's, he was roundly criticized and judged for its then provocative images of homosexuality. This paper shows, however, that not all critics chastised Baldwin and describes some of the more positive reviews written about the novel. The paper then offers a critical perspective surrounding the time of publication of "Giovanni's Room" and examines James Baldwin within the context of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements of the 1960s. This is followed by an examination of the metaphorical 'room' in the novel. The paper concludes with James Baldwin's views on homosexuality and his personal struggle with his own sexuality.
From the Paper "It can be argued that David, a white bi-sexual in search of his true sexual identity, torn between a gay love for Giovanni and a heterosexual love for Hella his lady friend, is himself a symbol ? through the novel ? of the alienation black homosexuals felt in the American culture. As an expatriate, David is by definition a man without a country, an outcast (which, as explained above, a gay black man like James was in the black U.S. community); and here in Paris, at the beginning of the novel, he can deceive himself into thinking he is a man with some substance. He isn"t a man of substance, because he is still in search of his own sexual identity, and he can"t rid himself of a homoerotic, friendship with "Joey" from his childhood."
Abstract This essay outlines the way in which popular representations of sexuality (i.e., masculinity) must reproduce a specific kind of 'normal' in order to appeal to the masses. It establishes the definitions and 'appearance' of the differing types of masculinity, highlighting the nature of these as social constructs, but also the continual need and perpetuation of such constructs as natural or 'fact'. The essay highlights, through the use of two modern representations, the movie, "The Siege", and the series, "Ally McBeal", the way in which differing masculinities are unconsciously propagated in modern culture. NOTE: Hilarious use of Ally McBeal material, dialogue included in appendix.
From the Paper "The mass media is produced and consumed in a commercial context. To reap the most financial gain it is therefore imperative that the material to be consumed is comprehensible for the intended audience. The more comprehensible and recognisable the material, the higher chances of consumption and subsequently, profit. This often means that representations of masculinity will continually reproduce the established conventions of masculine behaviour and norms (Bignell 1997:196). As a result, hegemonic masculinity, which can be defined as the dominant masculinity performed at any given time, is continually reinforced as dominant and therefore reasserted as normative in society (Cheng 1999:297-301). Subsequently, marginalised masculinities, which are perceived as lacking in relation to the supremacy of hegemonic masculinity, are continually presented as subordinate and therefore remain oppressed (Buchbinder 1994: 33). In the following examination of masculine representations, two dramatisations have been analysed for the extent to which their characters reproduce or challenge conventional masculine behaviour and norms."
Abstract Examines "Ellen" as a show based on the lead character and actress, Ellen Degeneres, "coming-out" as a lesbian. Discusses "Will and Grace" as the first example of gay mainstream subject matter.
From the Paper "This research examines the portrayal of homosexuals in the mainstream mass media. The research will set forth the context in which the visibility of homosexuals in popular culture has presented issue fronts for analysis and then discuss audience response ..."
Abstract This paper looks at the poet's ironic tone, her attitude towards loveless sex, and disdain for casual sex. It presents the view of people having sex without love as loving the priest instead of God.
From the Paper "SEX WITHOUT LOVE
Sex without love has become the norm for too many teenagers in this century. Sharon Olds illustrates this fact in a very beautiful way in her ironic poem "Sex without Love." Olds was born in San Francisco but lived most of her life in ..."
