Between their lessons on literature, music, and art, the pupils at Brazil’s new Escola Jovem LGBT (LGBT Youth School) can learn the fine art of “hairography” and “clothing customization” while also taking part in what may be the gayest glee club the world has ever seen.
[For the full article, see here.]
If homophobes designed a school according to their perception of what it means to be a gay male, this would be the kind of curriculum they'd put in place. This is an outrage, pure and simple!!!! Most of the commentators who responded to this article also saw it as an outrage, save for one who referred to himself as a "fag," among other pejorative terms.
Embodying the homophobic stereotype of gay males as uniquely effeminate, and neglecting the broad spectrum of gender expression that is shared with Straight people, consigns gay men to the netherworld of "deviant."
This example of playing into the hands of one's oppressor is part and parcel of the phenomenon of using the very same hateful epithets that one's oppressor uses as self-identifiers, and falsely and foolishly thinking that their use is somehow justified.
4 comments:
Jerry,
The people who applaud the establishment of this so-called Gay Arts school want a status quo where LGBT folk are marginalized, stigmatized, ridiculed and not allowed to participate in society as full citizens. They want to snicker and guffaw at silly drag shows, which makes it easier for them to ignore the atrocities and injustices that befall Gay men, Lesbians and transgender people every minute of every day. For evidence of this fact, just look at one of the comments on advocate.com, where effeminate men are called "queens" and "queers" and condescendingly described as "fierce". I don't think Barack Obama and his Washington colleagues see them as "fierce", do you?
Fierce? No! Pathetic? Yes!
And you got fools even in the LGBT cmmunity who promote this kind of stuff Dan Savage?) Now that's pathetic.
Hi genevieve: Only when LGBT people and allies get serious about gaining equal rights, and divest themselves of frivolity, labels, and actions that alienate them from potential Straight allies, and then get on with the work that needs to be done in the streets and in the courts, will equal rights become a reality in the foreseeable future. Take care, Jerry.
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