Roxane Gay A Tale Of Three Coming Out Stories Analysis

On February 14, 2014, actress Ellen Page delivered a speech at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Inaugural Time to Thrive conference. This speech was a thank you to those who have dedicated their lives and their time to helping LGBT youth. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, “represents a force of more than 1.5 million members and supporters nationwide” (“HRC Story”). This organization is recognized as the largest LGBT civil organization in the United States. Having a celebrity of such a caliber as is reflected by Ellen Page is not uncommon. However, this speech was quite groundbreaking. Ellen Page’s speech at the Time to Thrive conference effectively creates a sense of solidarity between those in the Hollywood community and those

Mainstream media’s portrayal of lesbians is one that is constantly evolving and should be monitored because it holds an incredible influence on how one perceive certain types of individuals that one does not normally interact with. Organizations like the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) are dedicated to promoting the fair and accurate representation of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals in the media. The group itself became better known in the 80’s in light of the AIDS crisis. Over the years GLAAD’s efforts have had an impact in the media. Ranging from the years of 1989 to 1996 they managed to get the New York Times to change its editorial policy to allow the use of the word gay, they protested CBS commentator Andy Rooney for a remark that he said, which resulted in him being suspended, and also partnered with Drug-Free America to alter the public service announcement that seemed to imply that homosexuality was worse than drug addiction.

Within the 1990s there is a persistent problem of Gay culture. Early in the 1990s it was hard to come out and let the world know that you are gay. Within the early 1990s The Wedding Banquet (1993), although it approached the issue of Wei-Tung Gao trying to tell his parents that he is gay and still accepting as who he is. Contrastingly within the late 1990s it becomes more acceptable to society by having celebrities coming out like Ellen Degeneres during her tv show Ellen. The two kinds of media contrast as a form of whether or not to come out as a gay or not during a time when AIDs was prominent and new.

Whenever I got spare time, I usually watch one of the most famous show called The Ellen Show. This program is popular all over the world because of the very talented host, an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, Ellen Lee DeGeneres. Besides then her talent, some people believe that her show became more famous because of the popularity she gain in 1997 when she admitted that she is Gay, and announced in public. After announcement, she started to became a faithful and strong advocate of LGBT rights. Her announcement become the big news sensation on all over the country because on those years people from LGBT community were used to afraid to come out on a public. Another reason behind her announcement

It was the late 1990’s when one superstar took that power back, even if it was more for herself than the gay community; that superstar being Ellen DeGeneres. It was 1997 when the sitcom Ellen featured an episode with an entirely new twist. The main character, Ellen Morgan, came out as gay on an episode late that year. In that time of history gay culture wasn’t part of many discussions, evident since the network went back and forth on whether or not to air the content. They were presumably aware of the power their media had on the public and what seeing a minority group might insinuate. But Ellen did it anyway. She went on later to explain how free and liberated she felt being out about her sexuality. Yet what was really happened here was Ellen got back the power she didn’t previously have. LGBTQ communities were rendered powerless because they were never visible but the second Ellen came out on the platform that the world tuned into, she gained that power back. She was seen and heard and now everyone knew. There was no hiding in the same way the media hid gay culture. “Foucault’s claim…to enter the confession ritual may be seemingly to escape from one power relation only to enter another (Dow 127). Even though representations may not always be accurate, this example of Ellen shows that even a little representation can give one and his or her community power; an aspect often

The common thought has been bullying is a normal reaction to school. Studies show that bullying is the result of underlying issues. Traditional bullying was a common thug trying to make a place for themselves, whereas now it has gone to new heights, it now includes physical trauma and even death. We find that bullying affects the bully as well as the victim. The victims tend to have more problems in school with attendance and achievements within the academic world. This is not just about the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students, it involves all students that don’t fit societies idea of normal then the person gets bullied. The amount of attention given to this issue is a direct result of this escalation in events within the school system from grade schools to universities. The most pressing problem with getting the bullying policies changed is the conservative communities that school boards serve and convincing them that these policies need to be

Historically, queer lives have tended to exist outside of the mainstream. In their rejection of society’s preoccupation with a heteronormative narrative, they’ve shunned outlets that have pushed it. Yet, employing more mainstream channels as part of your cause can mean reaching people who, otherwise, would not know where to look. LGBTQ+ celebrities, such as Olly Alexander, are proving this. That an overground voice is not necessarily an assimilated one. Indeed, ‘since popular culture both reflects current values and teaches them’ the need for affirming representation there cannot be overlooked (Peele, 2007).

Photojournalism has inspired numerous movements within society and highlighted areas of life that are easily misunderstood or unidentified by the public, be that through war, social class, race, religion, sexuality or transgenderism. This chapter will underline how various photojournalist have contributed toward the recognition and acceptance for the LGBT population and how their work has inspired change.

Dr. Don Clark, clinical psychologist and university professor, boldly expresses his views on the changing nature of the gay and lesbian community in his text, Loving Someone Gay. Clark describes how far gay people have advanced in the last thirty years, moving from isolated and fearful existences to lives marked by political power and potential. Indeed, the gay community, and lesbians in particular, have transformed into large and respected

To start off with, people all over the world are struggling with sexual orientation discrimination. Whether it’s at school or work people still being harassed. In addition, no matter what grade kids are in, they are getting bullied in schools because of their sexual orientation. People who have experienced violence can greatly affect their education and health which could lead to suicidal thoughts. According to a HRC survey, LGBTQ kids are twice as likely to be harassed verbally and attacked than their heterosexual peers. Which could lead to educational and mental problems later on. Additionally, no matter how old they are, instead of focusing on their grades and career, LGBTQ youth spend more time worrying about being bullied and harassed.

“Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior in which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort (American).” Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals, along with many other sexual minority young people, usually experience more bullying, violence, harassment, and degradation at school, than their heterosexual peers. Much of the information I have found was shocking due to the fact that I was not previously aware of the extent to which the struggles LGBT Youth face, regularly. Chosen by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), the Harris Interactive Survey “of more than 3,400 gay and straight students and 1,000 educators, 65 percent reported verbal abuse or physical assaults rooted in homophobia and prejudice (Robinson 1).” When you think about this statistic, it’s unbelievable to imagine how many people actually struggle in their daily lives at the account of others and their ignorance.

People are also resorting to violence against LGBT people just because of their choices. Statistics from HRC say that LGBT youth are twice as likely to be physically assaulted. There aren’t any laws or type of enforcement being taken to help these kind of people. In addition to that, people already in school don’t feel welcome enough to open their true selves. LGBT people in school have to hide their secrets and live with the fear of someone finding out. With

most likely kids to be bullied are gay or are perceived to be gay, and in a nationally representative sample 1/3 of 3,500 students were bullied due to sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation. Thereby, illustrating that even though times are changing, there are still several issues concerning sexual orientation. Though the LGBT community has made headway, especially with the Obergefell v. Hodges case decision, they have had to deal with a large amount disparity, much more than there heterosexual counterparts’ relative to issues of love, marriage, intimacy, and relations. Ultimately, there are still issues facing the LGBT community, but with the ruling in the Obergefell v. Hodges case, there is evidence of those issues, as they pertain to equality, being addressed.

Since the release of Paris Is Burning, many have come, credulously, to believe that both queer rights and queer representation in media have evolved in favor of queer individuals: same-sex marriage became the lay of the land in 2015, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was repealed nearly seven years ago, and trans people are now able to serve openly in the military (“LGBT”). Further, non-queer people claiming “wokeness” are becoming vested in queer issues, bringing them to the forefront of mass

With the research and statistics given, one can conclude that youth whom identify as LGBT have a greater chance of being mistreated than their heterosexual peers. Those children suffer from a tremendous amount of depression and suicidal thoughts due to the inconsideration of their peers. Understanding that when it comes to statistics( generally) and regarding the surveys given to the students mentioned in the literature review, some of those students may or may not have been 99.9% truthful,. However, taking into consideration the sample amount, for example, the 75,344 youth surveyed, the results were recorded and submitted into a national database. LBGT youth are targeted for reasons that could well be infinite. Although, the one I mentioned out of Dr. Nassem’s article on Why Do Children Bully when she mentions popularity are one of the many explanations a bully could conjure to validate their victimization of another human being. Valid point from a psychologists points of view, yes maybe to explain the mental process of a young child or adolescent, but valid for the person being victimized. The numbers showed the results of negative actions performed by adolescent youth and the reaction of