Homosexuality

Paper Summary:

This paper examines male homosexuality with an emphasis on cross-dressing. Perceptions of gays throughout history are presented, as well as a look at how gay men express themselves and how they are perceived by the heterosexual world. Individual accounts of cross-dressers are presented as well as a general look at this subculture. The tone of the article is very positive toward gays who cross-dress, encouraging openness and acceptance.

From the Paper:

"Once it has been genuinely adopted as a method of self-expression, cross-dressing can express a profound sense of personal and communal gay pride. The drag queen revels in her differentness from the heterosexual community, and at the same time, creates a style and a savoir vivre that is often the envy of those - both gay and straight - who do not possess the same amount of personal courage and sense of security in their own identities that enables the drag queen to so freely be herself. As much as the drag queen was once the stereotype par excellence of the gay man in the heterosexual mind, so now has this image been so completely taken up by the gay world that it can be used as a potent force for good in the community, and even beyond. If people like to look at you when you are wearing you best and most glittering gown, why not put all of that popularity to work for the public good? This was exactly what a man named Charles did in New York - the culmination of a long, and often painful processing of coming out, and at long last discovering his true identity."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Balch, D. L. (Ed.). (2000). Homosexuality, Science, and the ''Plain Sense'' of Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
• Hammond, J. (1996). Drag Queen as Angel Transformation and Transcedence in to Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar. Journal of Popular Film and Television , 24(3), 106-115.
• Hibbert, Christopher. (1987). The English: A Social History 1066-1945. New York: W.W. Norton and Company.
• Kahn, A. D. (1997). The Many Faces of Gay: Activists Who Are Changing the Nation. Westport, CT: Greenwood.
• Kates, S. M. (1999). Making the ad perfectly queer: marketing "normality" to the gay men's community? Journal of Advertising, 28(1), 25.

More papers on Homosexuality:

• Essay # 37174 : "Homosexuality and Two Eastern Faiths"
• Analytical Essay # 141848 : "Is Homosexuality Ethical?"
• Analytical Essay # 33734 : "Homosexuality and Social Justice"
• Analytical Essay # 135568 : "Homosexuality in "The Bridegroom"

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