So we all know what a stereotype is, and if you’re kind of unsure what stereotype means, it’s a fixed idea about characteristics or qualities of a certain group or individuals. Well, one of my major concerns are the stereotypes that we as a society put on homosexuals, and how it’s affecting our worldwide communities. Is it really right for one to judge another on his or her sexual preference? Personally I don’t believe so, and I really think it’s been taken too far.
Where did people start to think that is was okay to judge someone on who they are? There’s a recent case in an issue of People Magazine of March 17, 2008, about a young 15 year old boy by the name of Larry King. Eighth grade, at E.O Green Junior High School in Oxnard, California, this boy was murdered by a 14 year old classmate for being a homosexual and being thought of as a young effeminate girl. Working in his computer lab first period on February 12, Brandon McInerney the 14 year old boy, walked up behind Larry in perfect sight of students, pulled out his father’s handgun from his waist and shot Larry in the back of the head twice. Honestly, what has society come to! Who ever thought it was right to murdering or bullying someone for something that may even be all based on genetics? When is it ever right!? If stereotypes were never made, issues such as Larry King’s case would never have happend.
Even our media perpetuates the stereotypes of homosexuals, in television shows such as NBC’s “Will and Grace”, whereas characters such as Will and Jack are both homosexuals but Jack is played as a masculine homosexual and Jack is played as the “flaming queen”. Even the television show “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”, gives off the stereotype that gay men are fashion mavens and neat freaks. All of these shows with homosexual characters contain stereotypes! How did it even come to this? Where did we get the idea that homosexual men are flaming queens, beyond effeminate, shoppaholics and beauty freaks? And for the homosexual females where did we get the idea that they’re all trying to be masculine and tough? Society has labeled all homosexuals with these titles! And yes, some homosexuals to tend to carry themselves that way, but more today than ever because of our stereotypes! And what people don’t understand, is that there are millions of homosexuals that do not fall under those categories! What’s so wrong about all of this is that no matter what people say, it is not possible to determine anyone’s sexual orientation just by looking at them and how they act, but because of stereotypes, people suddenly believe they can. Not all gay men listen to dance music, or like fashion, and not all gay men have high-pitched voices, or ‘limp’ wrists, and not all gay females try to take the role of a male, these are all stereotypes that society has made up. It’s not fare that their being judged and some being punished for it, there’s no rule to whether or not men have to like women and vise versa . I just think the whole situation has gotten way out of line and people need to stop and realize what their actually doing to people, it’s cruel and it needs to come to an end.
- Kayce
Where did people start to think that is was okay to judge someone on who they are? There’s a recent case in an issue of People Magazine of March 17, 2008, about a young 15 year old boy by the name of Larry King. Eighth grade, at E.O Green Junior High School in Oxnard, California, this boy was murdered by a 14 year old classmate for being a homosexual and being thought of as a young effeminate girl. Working in his computer lab first period on February 12, Brandon McInerney the 14 year old boy, walked up behind Larry in perfect sight of students, pulled out his father’s handgun from his waist and shot Larry in the back of the head twice. Honestly, what has society come to! Who ever thought it was right to murdering or bullying someone for something that may even be all based on genetics? When is it ever right!? If stereotypes were never made, issues such as Larry King’s case would never have happend.
Even our media perpetuates the stereotypes of homosexuals, in television shows such as NBC’s “Will and Grace”, whereas characters such as Will and Jack are both homosexuals but Jack is played as a masculine homosexual and Jack is played as the “flaming queen”. Even the television show “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”, gives off the stereotype that gay men are fashion mavens and neat freaks. All of these shows with homosexual characters contain stereotypes! How did it even come to this? Where did we get the idea that homosexual men are flaming queens, beyond effeminate, shoppaholics and beauty freaks? And for the homosexual females where did we get the idea that they’re all trying to be masculine and tough? Society has labeled all homosexuals with these titles! And yes, some homosexuals to tend to carry themselves that way, but more today than ever because of our stereotypes! And what people don’t understand, is that there are millions of homosexuals that do not fall under those categories! What’s so wrong about all of this is that no matter what people say, it is not possible to determine anyone’s sexual orientation just by looking at them and how they act, but because of stereotypes, people suddenly believe they can. Not all gay men listen to dance music, or like fashion, and not all gay men have high-pitched voices, or ‘limp’ wrists, and not all gay females try to take the role of a male, these are all stereotypes that society has made up. It’s not fare that their being judged and some being punished for it, there’s no rule to whether or not men have to like women and vise versa . I just think the whole situation has gotten way out of line and people need to stop and realize what their actually doing to people, it’s cruel and it needs to come to an end.
- Kayce
34 comments:
Good post, Kayce. I have another question for you.....Why does it seem that the mainstream media
doesn’t care about the murder of gay teens? This killing is appalling, yet the first I heard of it was from your post (good job by the way). I did some research (just like I want all of you to do) and I found an awesome article asking this exact question. There are also some comments from Ellen (herself gay) and a YouTube clip from her show.
Read it HERE - 'Why the Hate?'.
It seems that mainstream media likes to showcase homosexuals in cookie-cutter, stereotypical ways, yet ignores the real issues of abuse, bullying, and violence that homosexuals still suffer to this day. This definitely is an issue that needs discussing.
Here is another great article from MTV.....
Lawrence King -- Student Who Was Murdered For Being Gay -- To Be Honored With National Day Of Silence.
this is completely trueee. and i can definitely relate, i have a friend who acts "gay" (as some people would say)and some people make fun of him for it.. but he isn't gay. so basically the sterotypes have determined who he is without anyone even hearing him out. it's as if these stereotypes put a big sticker on everyone's forehead saying "STRAIGHT" or "GAY".
i dont think these stereotypes can determine what a person's sexual orientation is...we've just been attacked by media stereotypes to believe what types of people act like this and which ones don't etcccc.
My friend sent me the link to Ellen's show and i was almost in tears. this boy was only 15. i couldn't believe what i was hearing. And what is sickening the boy probably got the idea form his parents, friends or the media,that it was okay to have so much hate for someone else just because he was gay.
People even use gay or fagget as a diss, no wonder people think being gay is so wrong. Being gay is no different than being straight. love is love even if its towards the same sex.
i'm so happy you made this blog. there needs to be more awarness on this topic.
this ties in completely too with what we're learning in class with the whole "us" and "them" right vs. wrong topic. of course "us" is the "norm" i guess you could say.. but that doesnt't make anyone else who's gay wrong. and the larry king incident is SO disturbing and definitely a reality check that discrimination isn't "imaginary" it's right out there in the open. i am shocked that i havent heard about this before... ?? why wasnt sometihng like this on the news, something like this has to be brought to our attention so we can educate generations to come not to discriminate.. because this type of behaviour isn';t exactly being brought to shame as it should.
Kayce, I totally agree with everything that you're saying . This is such a good topic, I'm glad you did it everyone needs to realize the importance of it. And the Larry King incident really helps people to see how serious discrimination actually is and how it could affect us all. This makes me so upset that this boy would kill an innocent boy just because he asked him to be his valentine! What is our world coming to?! And about all the stereotypes, it's so true, I met a guy and he acted completely "normal", unlike the stereotypes, I would have never even known he was gay if someone didn't tell me, and there are so many people that are like that, not all act like the stereotypes. And tanja made a really good point, this is just like what we are learning in class with the "us" and "them". We think that we are normal or right just because we are straight but that doesn't mean other people aren't normal just because they are gay.
I totally agree with everything tanja and kelsey have said.
and the fact that these types of cases aren't portrayed as a big deal in the media is also an issue...at least i think so
i agree with javariyaa about agreeing with tanja and kelsey.. gay are people too and they should have equal rights just like everyone else... why should we hate? Why do we look down upon them just because they are a little different. I think the case study kayce used was very doog and i like how she agrued her point. Well Done =]
*javariyya
**good
sorry about the spelling
To start, i totally agree with briar about the whole "People even use gay or fagget as a diss..." I can't lie. It's wrong to say it but most of us do.
Like when we say "your so gay".What are we really saying =S It's funny to use at the time, but what if one day we accidently said that to someone who really WAS gay =S That would be pretty rude.
I think the boy that got killed for simply being gay is terrible. Just because someone has a different sexual orientation doesn't mean anything. They may be the nicest/funniest person in the world yet someone who is completly biast against gays would never know that becuase they would never take the time to actually get to know them.
Heres a clip from a tyra banks show on a lady that is against homosexuality
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrJbSb-6tUg&feature=related
I won't go into the morality issue, but I agree with you about the stereotypes. Stereotypes are just ridiculous. Not every homosexual acts that way so it's not smart to think of them all that way. It's not worth taking away the life of someone else just because they are a homosexual. The teen should have just ignored the other and moved on with his life, but he didn't. It surprises me that a life was lost just because of homosexuality.
People never seem to get that everyone is different. If someone disagrees with homosexuality then they should just ignore it. Creating stereotypes just makes things worse.
I personally think that because comming "open" with homosecuality is pretty new to society, and things such as the gay marriage only just got passed in England, that people are still trying to hide homosexuality and pretend as if it doesn't exist. I think that's why cases such as Larry King's case aren't broadcasted on the news or known by many.
- kayce
Kayce's made a good point. It is quite new and it disturbs a lot of people. Since the majority of the world are not homosexuals they are trying to forget homosexuals are in this world, but it is common on television so it gets confusing.
Yeah, I'd have to say that I don't agree with these stereotypes,because I do believe that there are millions of homosexuals out there who don't fall under these categories. But I think the one's who do are only supporting it, which isn't wrong either because they are proud of who they are. I don't know for sure but I believe that there must be some serious tension between the two or more groups. For example, I bet there are homosexuals out there that hate other homosexuals for emphasizing the stereotypes and the ones who are like that must be criticizing them because they are not as open about their orientation or they don't fit those stereotypes.
true, accepting homosexuality is rather new in our society and it's hard for some people to accept this...
of course, it is easy to say these people are rude.. but there's always two sides to a story. some heavy christian believers have their beliefs, and a right not to support or accept homosexuality if they choose to, but once these beliefs turn into actions.. that is when it has crossed the line and turned from acceptable.. to unacceptable. Killing this boy doesnt have "two sides" , and if it even does have two sides.. both sides are evil so there is nothing that can explain this boy's actions. nobody deserves to die because of their sexual orientation. However, at least society does have the support of their leaders.. for example
Bill Cliton released the following message:
I was deeply saddened by the recent death of 15-year-old Lawrence King who was killed at his school in Oxnard, CA. No one should face intimidation or violence, particularly at school, because of their sexual orientation or the way they express their gender identity.
(http://www.crimerant.com/?p=1499)
.. at least we have the building blocks to start the acceptance of homosexuality, because this is NOT going to go away.. it isnt something you can just "push" under the covers.
homosexuality isnt new. it has always been around. It has been mention people from history may have been gay(hmm sorry ill find out who it was). Homosexuality isnt new just media is new and we are starting to hear about it more now. Like the right to be married to the same sex.
Well since media is new and homosexuality and the stereotypes that go along with it aren't, I think that there IS something that's worth looking twice at. There is a man, who claims he is pregnant, well he's LEGALLY classified as a man but he still has a uterus. But if one did not know better (like lets say a kid) they would believe that a MAN is actually pregnant. If you don't believe me here is the article, its not too long at all:
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/health/newsid_7317000/7317311.stm)
Thomas has broken one kind of stereotype for sure.
Homosexuality has been an issue for people for many of years. It was never fully excepted. They do steryotype people and ts all around us. People make "gay-jokes" but the jokes can be takin to a certain extant aswell. This was not a joke. A 15 year old....YEAH FREAKEN 15!!!! died. And for what reason cuz the other boy who shot him doent have the same veiw or atraction as the other boy. Being homosexual is not hurting anyone. The media pumps it out. How? we see it in popular videos on youtube. for example:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=LWSjUe0FyxQ
In this video it shows a "tipical gay teen's" actions. In my opinon this teen is acting out this video how "everyone" thinks a gay guy acts. Also, the show "Dawsons Creek" is a more positive look at gay people. In this show an actor by the name of Jack is gay but is excepted and is not acting like a "tipical gay man"
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5fZuEU84NAk&feature=related
I really don't get all this hate towards gay people, and why they're portrayed in a way, yeah, I admit to making "gay jokes" which have the potential to hurt someone, but who in their right mind could shoot a person for being gay? it might be more understandable if this gay boy tried to rape him or something, but all he did was ask to be his valentine. We really need some action to destroy this stereotype, because seeing them could possibly make gay people think that's how they're supposed to act. But this isn't the only stereotype that should be removed, does this kid think he's a "real man" for shooting someone who he saw as "an effeminate girl?" Another thing I realize is how this hatred for gays seemed to spawn from the catholic church, which states men and women are the only couples that should exist, and even though so many people have no faith in that religion, they still seem to enforce the belief that being gay is wrong? It's completely stupid, if you have no faith, yet you still enforce the religion's rules, you're a hypocrite, which personally, I think is MUCH worse than being gay
-DP
This is a huge topic in the Media today. I don't think anyone who makes fun of people for being gay really see why they're making fun of someone.. is it because the gay person is wrong for liking the same sex? or is it because they see that person as a freak, and it makes them feel better about themselves? I think this is the reason for why people are so trying to hide the fact that they're gay. They're afraid of the fun that's going to be made of them, and for what they're going to be labelled if they come out with it. I, for one, applaud everyone who is gay and proud, because it shows people that no matter how many times someone calls them gay, it won't stop them from doing what they like. I am someone who thinks that Ellen is HILARIOUS! I absolutely love her comedy, her sense of humour, and the kind of person she is. When I heard that she was gay, I kind of shrugged it off, anf kept watching her show, because it doesn't matter to me that she's gay, I truly think it's the person inside who makes them who they are, not their sexuality!
~Nickie
There are a lot of homosexuals out there but they are people too…Why does it matter if you’re “straight” or “gay”? I remember when everyone found out that we had lesbians at our school.. They talked about it for days… so what if they’re lesbian are they affecting you in any ways .. . no!!!. Tanja has a point though “some heavy Christian believers have their beliefs, and a right not to support or accept homosexuality” they we’re raised that way to believe that homosexuality isn’t acceptable. There are a lot of gay people that don’t say they’re gay or keep it on the down low… but there is a lot of people that are proud of what they are like CHRIS CROCKER
This is his point of view of gay people http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR24YaCEqqc
PS. Don’t mind the language :P
Well, personally, I'm all for being proud and stuff, but to me it seems like that Chris Crocker guy is trying to reinforce the stereotype, and basically say if you're gay, you can't be manly, but you're not allowed to talk about how gay you are. It seems pretty messed up to me
-DP
I 100% agree with aleks. The homosexuality stereotypes aren't new but the media is and they make the stereotypes seem even worse. People are trying to hide homosexuality and i really don't understand why, there's nothing to be ashamed of. I didn't believe that there was a pregnant man until i saw a whole show on it, but like aleks said what if a child saw that, they would actually think that a man is pregnant.
Here's the website for video clip off ellen's show if anyone hasn't seen it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcMEL3_YsVI
why cant people accept homosexuality. people are judging others on their sexuality like they judge people on their race.
i was debating with my mom, and she told me judgement is human nature you cant not judge people. but why! i wish people could look at someone without judging on just the appearance.
no one can honestly say they havnt judged someone else by the way they look.
Briar, everything you said is so true. If someone says they've never judged someone else before they're definitely lieing. Because everyone does it even if they don't realize it.
Topics like this really get me pissed off. I mean, what are we all? Kids? Is it really going to ruin your life forever if someone out there in the world is not of your sexual orientation? Why do u care if they aren't? It isn't like you're living their life or you have to be them. I say leave them in the privacy of their own lives that they deserve as human beings and allow them their own freedom of choice. Isn't that what we support and believe in? Freedom of speech and choice? There should be no limitation or boundaries of what this right includes. Basically, people who are against other peoples beliefs and sexual orientations should get their noses out of other peoples business and let them live their own live and stay in your own. There are worse things happening in this world to be worrying about other than who someone finds companionship or partnership in. This is no more right than racism. I don't understand where people are getting these ideas these days and why it is so important to protest against, whine about, complain about, exclude and categorize human beings. What's wrong with a little more love in the world?
i totally agree with everything jessica has said above! arent we suppose to believe in freedom of speech and choice? if so then why do some people think they cant express themsleves without something happening to them like the little boy that got shot? what does this say about our society.... that we believe in rights and freedoms but when u express your freedom there is a chance you might get shot? people only judge what they dont understand... maybe thats why people have so many different opinions on homosexuality
When people enter a clothing store and they see a male sales representative walking around, with a girly posture to them. What’s the first thing that strikes their mind? He could possibly be gay, or a homosexual is the first thought which crosses their mind. Do we realize what makes people assume this? It’s the media around us that teaches us about these personal traits of individuals that are homosexual. After viewing the case regarding the 14 year old boy getting murdered in a case regarding homosexuality, I am very stunned to hear of an incident like this. Something, which we all must realize is that every individual in this world is human, therefore we must recognize that not every human is going to be attracted to the opposite gender there are going to be some individuals that are attracted to the same gender. That is the way god has created some minds and there is nothing we can do about it or change to fix this issue, all we can do is help these individuals with what they are trying to achieve. As it was outlined in the blog regarding television shows which promote this type of situations, for example “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” These are example which influence children at a young age, as they are exposed to such television shows this changes the way think and make decisions because as they are growing up their brains are still developing. Therefore, those people who don’t fully concur with individuals that are different from the rest and are attracted to the same sex also have diverse characteristics which separate them from the rest of the people in today’s society, should not be treated differently in any type of manner.
Agreed,
we are all humans no matter what we look like, how we talk, how we dress, or in this case, what our sexual orientation is.
We need to just accept the fact not everyone is going to be our crazy image of "perfection". There will always be people that are different, strange, or not our idea of normal and we just have to learn to deal.
Just because someone is gay does not make them any less of a person than you are.
mal and jessica i tottally agree with what you've said.
i was reading an article in cosmo, a while ago, and it was saying how a 15 year old boy was bullied until he commited suicide. this boy was bullied and name called. the one boy 15 years old also bullied him the most calling him horrific names. when the other boy took his own life, and cosmo tried to get a statement from the bully they saw on his myspace account that his sexual orientation was also infact HOMOSEXUAL!
so why is a gay teen bullying another gay teen till his death. i was disgusted when i read the article. i thought i would share it on here in case some people dont read cosmo.
racism towards gays need to stop!
Mal, I totally agree with what you have said about not everyone being equal in today's society there are always small situations like these that create barriers with other people. Social classes in schools and in public are excellent example of methods, which create barriers within other people and ethical backgrounds. Therefore, it is evident that we must eliminate these barriers and accept everyone in society as they are today, no matter if they are gay or straight.
I totally agree with nickie! As cheesy as it sounds.. people should be judged by their personality, not their sexuality. I understand what tanja said about “Christian’s having their beliefs” and that’s fine. But that is THEIR opinion and THEIR perspective and they should keep it to themselves. There is absolutely no way a person should be bullied or tormented into their death. That is completely unacceptable. At the end of the day, we are all humans and we need to stick up for each other.
I discovered that 1,488 suicides are committed each year in the US my homosexual teens. In addition, 46, 000 teens are being bullied for their sexual orientation. If homosexuality is such a common occurrence in today’s society, we should learn to accept it rather than fight it.
oops! forgot to cite my statistics!
Robinson, B.A. “Suicides Among Gay and Lesbian Youth.” 31 March, 2008.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_suic.htm
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