Personal narratives are a crucial tool for highlighting the unique challenges and perspectives that members of marginalized populations encounter while grappling with their experiences. In "When Brooklyn Was Queer," Hugh Ryan effectively weaves a web of individualized experiences to construct a realistic and intricate portrayal of Brooklyn's LGBTQ+ community's history. These stories give a specific perspective on the realities of queer people in Brooklyn and illustrate how depictions of queer people diverge from those of non-queer individuals. The author places an emphasis on how race, class, and gender have intersected throughout queer history. The stories of queer people of color, queer individuals from working-class origins, transgender …show more content…
In "When Brooklyn Was Queer," Ryan presents a handful of unique accounts that reveal how queer individuals have previously been marginalized and have sought for acceptance. Ryan, for instance, recounts the story of Louie, a gay man who was held and arrested in the 1930s solely because he was gay. Louie's experience is one example of the many ways LGBT people have been criminalized and mistreated throughout …show more content…
Because their biological families may not always embrace their sexual orientation or gender identity, many LGBT people will experience feelings of isolation and loneliness. As a result, queer people regularly form their own families and communities in addition to developing intimate bonds with other LGBTQ individuals. In "When Brooklyn Was Queer," Ryan shares a series of touching stories that exemplify how these groups give LGBT people a sense of love, inclusion, and support. The focal point of these communities and chosen families is typically physical sites like bars, clubs, and other places where people gather. These spaces have had an essential function in the history of the queer communities in Brooklyn because they provide sites where participants may engage, form connections, and express themselves openly. In "When Brooklyn Was Queer," Ryan provides an in-depth analysis of the rise of these locations throughout time and their value to LGBT people. Conversely, non-queer persons frequently have broader access to public areas where they can connect and develop
Brooklyn has been known to be more than just a borough. It has been known and accredited for being a community of peers. Despite the difference in areas, and environment Brooklyn is a place where people intend to look out for one another. However, some people had their own beliefs about Brooklyn itself and felt only “Poor people live in Brooklyn” (Mehta, pp1) however this is not the case. Just as Adam Bonislawski’s article “Is the New Brooklyn Economy For Real?” stated that the “New Brooklyn Economy” was in fact a place where it welcomed the passion driven, tech savvy and entrepreneurialism of the new era.
Amid the individual struggles of their past, there is hope to unify against damaging classifications and humane rights. Stone Butch Blues is a haunting butch narrative with horrific abuse from law enforcement, medicine, and society. Feinberg narrates Jess as a life full of struggle, but ends with a comment about change. By illustrating Jess’s common day tortures of living with a restrictive binary culture, Feinberg advocates for unity and change amid societal
In her article, “A Scar is More than a Wound: Rethinking Community and Intimacy through Queer and Disability Theory”, Karen Hammer examines how Jess’ traumatic experiences in Leslie Feinberg’s Stone Butch Blues becomes the foundation for her and other transgenders to find “community and intimacy” (160). In doing so, Hammer expertly highlights Jess’ constant need to establish a home of acceptance to combat the violence she faces throughout the novel. Therefore, Jess uses her traumas to form connections with other transgenders to provide a sense of community. However, Hammer fails to acknowledge the consequences of forming a community based on shared experiences of violence. Jess expresses these consequences in her willingness to give up on the
Moreover, Feinberg portrays the struggles and discrimination faced by the LGBTQ+ community, particularly butch lesbians, during the mid-twentieth century. The novel highlights how society, including law enforcement agencies and the medical establishment, viewed butch lesbians as deviant and pathological, subjecting them to harassment, violence, and conversion therapy. The absence of role models and the relentless hostility from society made it challenging for butch lesbians like Jess to find acceptance and
Society tries to create a “perfect” image on people; leading us to believe that if we are not the specific way that we created, we do not fit in. In reality everybody is supposed to create themself, regardless of what society believes. Does what we label others matter? Who are we to judge how others chose to create themselves? In David Crabb’s memoir Bad Kid, Crabb takes the readers through what it was like discovering that he is gay, and how that changed how kids treated him during school.
Often times, queer young adult literature highlights issues that plague adolescents without ever providing an account that feels authentic for its readers. Chulito by Charles Rice-Gonzalez is a gripping fictional account of what it means to be young, gay and Puerto Rican in New York City. Rice-Gonzalez is a lecturer at Hostos Community College and a longtime LGBT activist within the Bronx. Set in the South Bronx, Chulito explores a variety of themes, including masculinity, gayness, identity, and love. In this book, Rice Gonzalez highlights the importance seeing masculinity as being complex instead of dichotomous-
The article reveals the racism that gay men and women deal with within the black culture. It speaks on, an unspoken action that is ignored in the African American community. Lorde (1984) speaks about the African American women smuggles as a lesbian, Icard (1986) speaks no how the African American male is seen an inferior. Loiacano
The documentary Paris Is Burning directed by Jeannie Livingston is not only one of my favorite films, but it gives an extraordinary insight into the society of its time. The film documents the lives of gay and transgender African Americans and Latinos apart of the ball culture of New York City in the 80’s. Balls were competitions that involved dressing up and competing in themed categories. Not all the performers in these categories were drag queens, although a large percent were drag queens or trans women. These people often formed what they called houses, or family groups of similar people.
While reflecting, California saw the discrimination and abuse which children were suffering from. Specifically, in cases where children are LGBTQ+. With the help of different charities around the area, children with different sexualities can feel safer inside the foster care system. The previously mentioned groups can do this by giving LGBTQ+ children safe spaces, resources, and different outlets to express themselves. In this way, the city of Los Angeles can promote a more accepting environment for those children who might feel different or out of
Lucid Noon Sunset Blush (2016) is a film about the community and culture of queers in a small town (Texas). Not only does it show and describe some of the challenges of being gay, but it also goes into detail of the challenges one faces who is also “Black or Brown.” “The knowledge of how to survive within capitalism comes the awakening of ideas of queerness, gender, feminism, and sex work.” Living in an area that is mainly white rich people, those who are the minority need to find ways to survive with such inequality. This film also points out body shaming, and shows the reality of sex.
Community plays a very large role in Leslie Feinberg’s “Stone Butch Blues”. Jess, the main character of the novel struggles with her gender identity throughout the novel, trying to fit societal norms as well as the norms set within the butch/femme community. She also struggles with her sexuality, and finds both acceptance and denial within the gay community. Jess deals with hatred and pain from others throughout the novel. From the beginning she does not fit other people's ideal of what a girl should look like, and often faces the dreaded question “‘...’
In Barry Jenkins’ 2016 film, “Moonlight,” the theme of heteronormativity and identity appears. In this essay, I draw on the “fight scene,” where Chiron is beaten by Terrel and Kevin for his sexual orientation and use the concepts of repression and shame to critically reflect on queer youth, their experiences with bullying and the long-term psychological impacts they face during adulthood as a result. “Moonlight” gives the audience a unique look into the young man’s journey as he grapples with his identity and homosexuality in a community where it is unwelcome (Jenkins, 2016). The viewer is introduced to a young black man growing up in Miami through three distinct chapters: first, a child known as Little, then a teenager known as Chiron, and
In a New York Times’ article, author Vivian Yee shed light on how landlords would force the removal of generational residents from their Brooklyn
While white lesbians like Boyd would be welcomed into Black bars and clubs , the reverse was not true; Black lesbians were typically not welcomed into white spaces and so they had the added task of creating their own spaces for socialization. Thus, race, as well as class and social status, were crucial factors in dictating the ways in which Southern lesbians and women loving women interacted with their same-sex attraction. This emphasizes the importance of considering different people of different backgrounds in the study of the queer South, as a person’s background helps shape their queer identity and
The space to express their own feelings, thoughts, and needs spends a good deal of time with kid’s parents and peer groups. It shows the difficulties the trans youth face in making themselves understood by those around them, the obstacles closest to them must be defeated to take a big step about their lives. For a child to change their identity isn’t easy nor is it for the parents to accept the change from being ‘he’ to be a ‘she’ or vice or versa. To accept for the child’s happiness families, move to different towns to start a new life so the child can create a new social