Abstract
In this article the writer points out that in 'Life Beyond the Closet', Seidman shows how gay personal and pubic life has changed considerably over the past several decades, to the point that the closet is gradually fading and losing its viability. The writer maintains that especially since the 1990s, concurrent with a shift toward multiculturalism and tolerance in general, gays have secured civil rights and a sense of entitlement to basic freedoms and liberties. However, the writer discusses that normalizing homosexuals and making homosexuality mainstream falls short of achieving true equality and justice because normalization equals assimilation. Further, the writer points out that Seidman shows that gays and lesbians have a long way to go before becoming first-rate citizens of the United States.

From the Paper
"Gays have become part of the mainstream and proudly visible on television and the media. However, normalizing homosexuals and making homosexuality mainstream falls short of achieving true equality and justice because normalization equals assimilation. Without challenging the oppressive social institutions that create homophobia, prejudice, and sexism, normalization is simply not enough. Furthermore, being out of the closet can be dangerous: Seidman notes that hate crimes against gays increased fourfold between 1991 and 1998, and since the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, there has been a 70% increase in gay and lesbian military discharges. Gay liberationism remains necessary in order to confront the underlying issues that fuel homophobia, sexism and other lingering injustices in American society."

Tags:homosexuality, gay, lesbian, equality

Abstract
This paper provides a critical analysis of Susan Brownmiller's essay, "Let's Put Pornography Back in the Closet". It discusses Brownmiller's argument to remove First Amendment protection for pornography and expose its anti-feminine agenda.

From the Paper
" Susan Brownmiller's essay Let's Put Pornography Back in the Closet makes a compelling case for taking pornography out from under the cloak of the First Amendment and exposing it for the ..."

Tags:Brownmiller, pornography, First Amendment, critique

Abstract
This paper relates that Joe Wlodarz, in his article, 'Maximum Insecurity: Genre Trouble and Closet Erotics In and Out of HBO's "Oz"', analyzes the interplay between genre and sexuality in the HBO television program, "Oz". The author explains that, in an attempt at a Foucauldian reading of the series, Wlodarz succeeds and fails in making a point about the notion of seeing sexual acts as an epistemological guarantee of identity. The paper also points out that, ultimately, Wlodarz falls prey to some of the same assumptions he is arguing against. The author underscores that, by queering the genre of prison drama by describing it as soap opera, he also queers the very identities he is trying to examine based upon the 'queer' acts that they are performing. The paper argues that seeing these acts as 'queer' is an instance of submitting to the same epistemological fallacy that Wlodarz seems to be working so hard to undermine.

From the Paper
"Wlodarz writes that even in the 'love story' scenario between two of the main characters in "Oz", there are no loving sex scenes, no space between these men where sex is used as a resolution, or a place of comfort. Wlodarz argues that this is an indicator that "the series refuses to contain sexuality, to limit sexual identity, or to suggest that romantic and / or sexual relations are anything less than dangerous and destabilizing." I would argue, instead, that this portrayal of the sexual activity between men who call themselves straight and who only have sex with women when they have the option shows that they are indeed straight, despite the biological sex of the bodies of their partners."

Tags:genre, sexuality, epistemological, identity, queer, prison

Abstract
This paper discusses the economic, family, legal and religious stereotypes that often exist against homosexual individuals. It then demonstrates the effectiveness of three counseling theories and techniques in aiding a client wishing to "come out of the closet" - person-centered theory, reality theory and behavioral theory. The paper explores the strengths and limitations of these theories, as well as counseling outcomes, multicultural concerns and the ethical implications of this issue.

Table of Contents:
Client Problem
Counseling Theories
Rationale For Techniques
Implementing Techniques
Effectiveness of Techniques
Strengths and Limitations
Multicultural Issues
Ethic Concerns
Conclusion

From the Paper
"A 17-year-old male is getting ready to attend an out-of-state college in a few months. He reports spending massive amounts of energy disguising the fact he is gay. He currently attends a small, rural high school. He has never told any of his family or friends that he is gay due to fear of isolation and abandonment. He reports having limited homosexual experiences. He declares that he is tired of living a lie and being lonely. He proclaims that he is afraid to "come out" to family and friends but needs some encouragement to do so."

Tags:gay, lesbian, transgender

Abstract
Using the works of E.M. Forster and some of his critics, this paper is an examination of how he uses gender, class and societal status to explain the Victorian era's closeted and romantic notions where the objects of desire are all too often foreigners or lower class, and therefore will end badly.

From the Paper
"E. M. Forster has become a blip in the annals of British literature. In fact, most people today- if reminded- might know him as the originator of the novels which were made into films: "Passage to India", for one. And "Room With a View" for another. Of course, they were made with primarily English actors, because, Forster certainly was fascinated by the relationship between British and all the "others". These "others" included Indians, of course, as well as Italians. The key to understanding who and what Forster was and his subjects-matter and today's emphasis on something beyond- or beside- societal obstacles, lies in how differently he saw the..."

Tags:victorian era, homosexuality, class status

Abstract
This paper discusses how "Monster's Inc."(2001) is a children's film that uses the common childhood fear of monsters lurking in the closet and turns this conceit right on its head. The film depicts monsters as terrified of children and how they wait for children at night, but not to eat them--but to collect the screams of these small humans. The screams power the monster's society of Monstropolis with Scream Heat. The paper concludes that, because of their need to stimulate fear in the hearts of children, the monster's world more and more resembles in its images and structure, the society beyond the closet door.

Outline:
Introduction
Definition of a Principle or Cultural Theory That Is Present In the Film
Identify the Cultural Climate within the Film
Explain How You Would React If You Had To Exist In That Culture
Provide Analysis of What Could Be Done To Improve the Culture


Outline:

From the Paper
"The fact that people who are 'different' are often called monsters in real life creates an immediate resonance between Monstropolis and our own society. The cultural theory is the theory stressed by the film is of the dangerous potential fear of the 'other'--an entire society can be powered by a fear of difference and culturally structured around a fear of difference. But fearing something only makes what you fear all the more a part of your own culture. Because children look different from the monsters, and because the children's screams power Monstropolis, the monster's entire society must be devoted keeping the children 'out' as well as keeping children in a state of fear to generate screams. Without fear, the monster's culture and the society cannot exist. "

Tags:Monstropolis, children, power, Scream, Heat

Abstract
This paper looks at significant media attention that men who are down low, a term used on closeted gay and bisexual men, have gained due to the increasing rate of HIV infection among black women. Some of these men who have sex with other men have girlfriends and spouses who are unaware of the double lives these men lead. The paper reviews a book written by J.L King, which provides readers with a firsthand account and understanding of the lives and lifestyles of closet black homosexuals. The author explains that men on the down low mask their homosexuality as society and religion frowns upon gays. The paper next discusses the effect of these men living in deception as well as clinical and therapy methods that would aid these individuals to cope with their lives and problems.

Outline:
King's View on Down Low
Professionals, Researchers, and Studies on Down Low
Effect of being on the Down Low
Causes of Homosexuality
The Role of the Church
What the Bible has to say on Homosexuality
Clinical Strategy
Notes
Works Cited

From the Paper
"He believes that many of the bisexual men opt not to divulge their sexual preferences for fear of negative consequences that such admittance would likely cause. Numerous people are homophobic. Gays and lesbians are ridiculed by the society and it is not a widely accepted behavior in the prevailing social and religious norms. These factors contribute to men being on the down low. King further stresses that down low men's sense of self is associated with his ability to express masculinity and fulfill the traditional gender expectation assigned to men in general."

Tags:homosexuality, bisexuality, therapy

Abstract
In this paper, the author explores the topic of male circumcision in America and sheds light on the reasons that it is a firm social norm in American society. The author raises the question as to just how and why circumcision came to be so prevalent in American society. To answer these questions the author first explores the historical and religious aspects of circumcision, then the contemporary medical research and debates and concludes with the psychological and sociological aspects of this procedure. He talks in depth about each aspect and concludes that with modern research being arguable either way, circumcision should cease being the silent American tradition and should be brought out of the closet where young parents can have open, reasonable discussions with their doctors. He believes that the American taboo of remaining silent about circumcision should be reversed; after all, he states, it is just foreskin.

From the Paper
"One of the main similarities in these religious practices, and those of present day, is that circumcision almost always seems to take place at birth. It seems rational that modern day techniques simply carried on the Jewish tradition of male circumcision at birth. It seems to have always been hypothesized that infants do not experience pain in the first few days of life, therefore making it seem more reasonable to perform such a painful procedure at birth, rather than later in life. As the centuries progressed, there always seemed to be a medical rational presupposed by society for the Jewish tradition of circumcision. "It is important to note, however, that it was often historians and philosophers who made medical claims for Jewish circumcision rather than Jewish religious leaders."

Tags:religion, masturbation, hygenic, social, ritual, diseases, decline

Abstract
This paper defines the Oedipal Complex and show how it emerges as a theme in Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', through the relationship of Hamlet and Gertrude, his mother. The closet theme is shown as a major scene that reflects their relationship, as well as other scenes which show Hamlet's anguish at being replaced in his mother's affection by another man.

From the Paper
"A young boy suffering from the Oedipal Complex has sexual desires for his mother and aggressive feelings toward his father. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the object of Hamlet's Oedipal Complex, Gertrude, follows the criteria of this theory. Although Hamlet outwardly disapproves of his mother's marriage, Gertrude constantly expresses her undying affection for her son. The Closet Scene, in addition to revealing the Oedipal Complex, best exemplifies the conflict in Hamlet's relationship with his mother. "

Tags:mother, son, oedipus, Gertrude, Ophelia

Abstract
This paper examines how the definition of sexual or intimate relationships throughout the last 60 years has not changed and how the self-imposed cultural boundaries have undergone a revolution. It looks at how behavior, which was once culturally ostracized, is now considered a healthy part of expressing one's own sexual identity. It discusses how cultural boundaries regarding homosexual relationships, as well as self-fulfilling sexual behavior, are no longer pushed out of the modern mind, or hidden in the closet. It also shows how our postmodern world has moved significantly away from defining personal completion as what a person gives to another in a relationship toward defining self-completion and satisfaction as what a person receives from another.

From the Paper
"Successful relationships can be formed through many different ways but require a few common ingredients. Self-disclosure, intimacy, and respect are three of the most important ingredients in developing and maintaining a meaningful relationship. Self-disclosure is a deliberate and gradual process of revealing significant information about one's self to another that would not normally be known by others. The breadth of disclosure expands continually and extends through all the areas of life as two people choose to grow closer in an intimate relationship."

Tags:love, homosexuality, intimacy, eroticism