This week nothing really popped up to me about what to talk about. So I looked back through some of the articles we read and came across something that made me think. It's the idea of "coming out" and proclaiming yourself as something (in this case homosexual).
In Yep's article, I read a section discussing the point that "homo/heterosexual binary is only an issue of enormous importance for a relatively small, discrete, and fairly fixed homosexual minority". To me, this statement sends the impression that the difference between hetero and homo is only a big deal to the people who are homosexual. Meaning that this idea of being "homo" is important to those who are, but everybody else (hetero) doesn't seem to mind much of the idea. I can even take that farther and say that the idea of "coming out" is significant/important because those who "come out" make it significant. Would you agree or disagree? If you agree that could even build farther saying that homosexuals kind of bring it upon themselves the importance of their sexuality, leading to their peers making it a big deal that they are homosexual (this isn't the only reason why people make it a big deal). I don't see heterosexual people talking with friends and mentioning how they're straight. Now I'm not saying that ALL homosexual people claim themselves as "gay" in a "coming out" way, but for those who do, why? Because I feel like by them doing that, they're the ones drawing the attention to their homosexuality. I could say that "coming out" as gay is like an African American "coming out" that they're African American. It's like the idea of, if you don't want people to treat you differently for your sexual orientation, don't act like it's different.
I know that when I characterize myself, I might say outgoing, athletic, family-oriented, but I wouldn't say heterosexual; I don't draw attention to my heterosexuality. But that could just be because hetero is seen as the norm. Yep also said that, "heterosexuality is considered a 'default identity' achieved without much effort, thought, or struggle". So maybe I don't draw attention to my sexuality because it's just seen as a "default identity". You could even say that hetero people don't take their sexuality serious enough (me). Maybe you could argue that sexual orientation is "underrated" and should be emphasized more among people (introductions, characteristics of each other, etc.).
I'm not saying that my ideas are right here, that I'm right for not saying I'm hetero, or that homosexuals are wrong for "coming out". I'm just throwing a few things out there, please don't take them the wrong way.
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Dylan,
ReplyDeleteI see where you're going with your post, but I have to say I disagree to a certain level. I think that coming out as a homosexual is completely different than stating your race, or other things that may define you. As you put it, claiming that you're a homosexual means going against the norm, working against what society expects you to be. A person's sexuality is something that is very intimate and personal, and because sexuality has been made into such a huge factor of other people's perception of someone, it's hard to simplify it. I do think it's interesting what you said about emphasizing sexuality, because although it sounds silly, it may solve a lot of people's problems of being biased initially when the meet someone.
When I read Yep's article I had the same reaction as you. I almost never think about my own sexuality (hetero) but I think that's because I never questioned it, I just was, and I think the main reason I don't think about it is because it's never questioned and it's never condemned by society. Heterosexuality is the norm in our society and with normalization comes violence against the "others," being homosexuals. Coming out and being a homosexual in our society is a huge deal and a scary one to those who have to go through it because being different in our society historically means being subject to violence. Our society is fearful of those who are different and a lot of times that fear is manifested into rage. Coming-out would not be such a big deal if we lived in a world where individuality was accepted.
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