Primary Source Post

For my primary source I found a court case called Lawrence V. Texas, which covers the case of two men who were charged for sodomy in Texas in 2003. I chose this source because my topic goes into looking at how the christian church has influenced different aspects of modern American society, and this court case shows that. Texas is a very religious state and is known for such, and this source really shows how religious they really are, the state was one of several that had laws condemning sex between two people of the same sex regardless of their genders. The law was deemed unconstitutional because it tramples on the citizens' right to privacy. The ruling of the case gave homosexuals in Texas the right to privacy and the right to practice as they see fit. The basis of these laws was rooted in Judea-Christian beliefs that have always existed in the united states. Thankfully, the laws preventing homosexuals from having intercourse were eventually repealed in all 50 states.

Primary Sources

Researching my primary sources the same information has been repeated. The research i have done has continued to emphasize on how Harvey Milk did not just advocate for gay rights, he advocated for any one who didn't have representation. He did not have many sponsors during his campaign  many of his followers were towns people, many from different ethnic groups. Harvey Milk was accepting of everyone and felt every citizen in American should be treated the same, with equal rights. He worked to abolish discrimination against gays; giving the gay community more jobs. More gay and lesbian teachers were being hired. He also worked to improve education, public transportation, child-care, and low income housing. Harvey Milks slogan was "Milk has something for everybody." and this is what Milk did. He took an approach that appealed to everyone, not just gays and lesbians. Milk advocated for everyone, but he had the biggest impact on the gay and lesbian community.

Primary Source

I felt that it was hard for me to distinguish between primary and in depth sources during my research. One article I found was about a study that took place which was the interviews of 12 LGBT members between the age of 18 and 21 (I think). The article talked about affective support systems that are available/ should be available to LGBT members in the school systems. I learned that there are 4 types of support that are able to be provided. The first type is emotional support which is in the form of love and trust. The second type is appraisal which comes in the form of positive feedback. The third type is instrumental support which comes in the form of something that is tangible such as money. The fourth type is informational support which comes in the form of advice or knowledge. The lack of support makes the LGBT members in the school systems feel isolated, without anyone too look up to or go to. The study found that non family members were more supportive of the LGBT students compared to their parents/family members. It also found that heterosexual peers were unable to give as much emotional support as other LGBT members. Other LGBT members are able to relate and provide contextual support with specific experiences to back it up. Many of the studies felt fear about telling people their sexual identities. One of the female students in the study said that her and her friend could talk about "pretty much anything..." and added in, "not my sexual orientation at that point at all." The study stated that a main part of high school is the development of social norms and the study found that most of the teachers and other administrators "strove to uphold the heterosexual model as normative." This is the reason why the school is seen as so homophobic, their homophobia is institutionalized and taught as normal. This is teaching a cycle of hate and discrimination. This environment that the schools have crated has lead many LGBT members to be uncomfortable with their sexuality and has made it hard for them to "come out" in fear that they will be harassed, bullied, treated unfairly, singled out, or treated lesser by their peers and teachers. This research has lead me more into the area of homophobia in the school setting rather than bullying and suicide in general.

In-Depth source

During my research of in-depth sources I found some helpful information about how the school systems have contributed to the bullying of LGBT youth. Overall I found that the environment that is set up by the institutions are often homophobic and support homophobic actions and thought. In one article I read it spoke about the difference between gender and sex of a person. Sex refers to the biological classification of someone as either male or female, while gender refers to the distinction of the two based on the stereotypical behaviors of each sex. The school systems and society in general do not support children and their identity development of gender. From the time that a child is in the womb and the sex is found out, the parents prepare for a child of that "gender." Society is determining how a child should act, dress, and be, before the child has a chance to become them self. The children who do not display this gender/sex accurate behavior are often teased in school causing a negative association with their actions. Children are often exposed to the idea that it is bad for a boy to act like a girl or the other way around. They are also exposed to the idea that being gay is bad by others saying things like "that is so gay." When people use phrases like this they are replacing the word stupid or synonyms for it with gay. This is making a link between homosexuality and stupidity in children's minds making them feel as if it is not acceptable to be gay. The article suggested ways of making schools a more gender numeral / supportive environment which focused mainly on physical education.

Primary Source

The source I read was an article from The New York Times, published in 1982. It discussed a particular film and how it showed more accurate depictions of homosexuals. It gave specific examples of how this film and its depictions were different from others. This shows that there has been progress with portraying gays and lesbians in the media. In the 80s, nothing was perfect yet and nothing was close to how it is today, but this film and the other film mentioned did have an impact on the media and the audience. It shows that writers are starting to be more realistic and respectful to gays and lesbians, which is great! :)

In my research today I learned about the spread of HIV aids throughout China. There are a large amount of people living with HIV and many people that have died from it because of the large population. This epidemic started unfolding in 2006 and again started with the use of drugs, and then got spread through heterosexual people. Now about 40 million people living there have this disease. The amount of people living with it has risen among prostitutes, due to unprotected sexual intercourse. In the article they show a chart comparing people with HIV in China to people with HIV in the United States. There are larger amounts of people in China living with or have died from this disease, this is mainly because of Chinas larger population than the Unites states.

In-Depth source

Using in-depth sources was very important in my research because so far they have helped me to identify certain more specific aspects of the topic of marriage that I previously did not no much, or anything, about. For example i am now aware, after using one in-depth source, that there is not really a stable option of true legal marriage for same-sex couples and instead most states have so far passed laws making it legal to have only a civil union or domestic partnership, which is very similar to the kind of separate but equal laws and regulations in the south that segregated blacks and whites. It is interesting how similar of a progression both African Americans and members of the lgbt movement must go through in order to achieve the rights that they deserve.

In-Depth Sources

From my in-depth source I have learned that the church is so quick to exclude homosexuals because the church strongly believes in procreation, and says that procreation is the most important aspect of any heterosexual relationship. This immediately excludes homosexuals because they cannot procreate, but some homosexuals do not abandon all faith and continue to be religious when most of the time their religions do not want them involved. This leads to different gay-christian organizations that try to create better equality in the church. This is not exactly effective, because the church is notorious for going out of its way to exclude people  who are non-normative to their traditions and values. The struggle for religious equality is scolded as being useless and pointless, which it probably is since religions aren'ts super known for changing all their ideas just so they don't sound really stupid, but if these people want to fight for that equality, then they should. Equality everywhere is better for homosexuals, versus just having equality in society and not in their places of worship.

For my primary source I found a quote from a police man that was there and trying to keep everything under control. This police officer said that "it was a situation that we didn't know how we were going to be able control." This whole riots and the one to follow caught the police and everyone else off guard. The police thought that it was going to be a normal raid on a gay bar and they would not have to deal with much fighting back. Little did they know that the crowd of people outside of the inn would grow to around 2000 people, according to another primary source. The police were overwhelmed and no one can blame them when all the men thought it was going to be a normal night.

My in depth research focused more on the after affects of the Stonewall Riots. So many things were started from this one conflict. The article I read talked about how the riots were the major starter of the gay rights movement. The article said that "adoptions by same-sex couples. Domestic partnerships. Civil unions. Shared health benefits. Same-sex marriages. They all can be traced back to the infamous bar on Christopher Street that was a gathering place for people on the fringe of traditional society." I am guessing that no one in the Stonewall Inn that night, especially the person who started the riot, ever thought that so much good would come from it. It is amazing how one little event in history can change the present and future so much.

In-depth sources

In doing my in-depth research, the same question kept popping up; “what if Harvey Milk wasn't assassinated?” Would gay rights have come sooner and more effectively? Would the fight of equality for sexuality in the US have been easier with Milk still leading the battle? We will never know the answers to these questions but through observing our history, the fight for equal gay rights did not die with Harvey Milk. His devotion in fighting for equality inspired so many people and gave them the willpower to continue this fight.  Harvey Milk being openly gay gave others the strength to come out. He advocated for no one to be ashamed of who they truly were. He brought communities together, and showed the people how to use the rights they already had to fight for more. In the article I read, The RESURRECTION of HARVEY MILK, Sally Miller Gearhart said, "He was such a neighborhood organizer," says Sally Miller Gearhart, one of the first out lesbians in the nation to become a tenured professor.” (Martin, Michael, Advocate). Harvey Milk did so much for his community and left a great impact for his followers to continue the battle gay rights. 

Today's Research

In my research today I learned about the epidemic that had been going on in Jamaica a few years back. They just recently found out about the amount of people that are living there with HIV that don't know about it. Not only does this focus on the homosexuals there but amount of drug use that causes this disease. Many people are living there with or without knowing that they are infected with this disease, and they do not have good resources to get the help they need. They say that stigma is associated with AIDS because of the promiscuity of male and women homosexuals. Another factor that adds to the epidemic is the use of inject able drugs, many people there are poor so sharing needles to feed their addiction is normal. This spreads the disease more than it could be spread through just the infected homosexuals. The article states that the stigma there is to serious that there have been many suicide cases because people don't want to live like that.

When doing my research for today i came across two very interesting and controversial documents.  The first was in regards to the current Boy Scouts crisis.  The Boy Scouts of America currently have a ban on gay and lesbian members and a majority of people want to overturn this ban.  However, if they do so they organization will lose many members as well as a large donor to their group.  I believe that because the club has failed to hold back known molesters from joining their club, as well as keeping allegations of sexual abuse a secret; the repercussions of the organization's actions are being taken out on the gay community.  I can see why some of the parents and scoutmasters are mad however I believe that they are unjustly denying gay and lesbian human beings the right to participate in their club, and it is time for change.  The other article that I read was a collection of interviews and stories from gay members in the military, reflecting on their time in service.  I believe that many people in the Army, Navy, Marines, etc. are being unjustly oppressed and excluded because they are different.  I believe that no person that is willing to fight for their country, and put their life on the line, should be in attack either mentally or physically from other people.  Both of these are very serious topics and I believe that all Americans should know what some of the population has to go through on a daily basis.

Today I focused my in depth research on equality within the military.  The in-depth article that I found mentioned a lot about diversity and how diversity does not allow for effective performance.  I agree with that but within reason.  I believe that diversity does prevent from absolute effectiveness, however I also believe that a group of people, homosexuals, should be left out of the military as a whole.  As seen with the Tuskegee airmen, they were allowed in the military, however they had their own unit.  I believe that this is the most effective way to organize our military.  In 2010 the law excluding gays from military was repealed and I believe that doing such was necessary.  Allowing another group of people to be a part or our nations military will only strengthen its protection and effectiveness.  However, in terms of organizing the military, I believe that we should group similar types of people together, as they did with the Tuskegee airmen, and by doing this we can further strengthen out military .  

The church has probably been one of the biggest roadblocks  for gays on their way to equality. Homophobia , the irrational fear of homosexuals/homosexuality, originates in the fear that homosexuals cannot procreate, therefore are "inferior" to heterosexuals. The church, being a big fan of babies, decided to endorse homophobia by using inaccurate readings from the bible that say that  christianity does not agree with homosexuality. Within christianity, there are many religious fanatics such as the Westboro Baptist Church who try to create violence with heavily charged hate speech. This is a recurring theme within the religious community. Religion has influenced much of the politics set in place that determine all of the restrictions that we have today against homosexuals and other Gender Sexuality Minorities (GSM).

Primary Source

There are many important points to be made and ideas to be discussed about same-sex marriage in the U.S. A main focus of this topic is between those for and those against the legalization of same-sex marriage. Both sides have utilized many tools to their advantage. For example in the 1990s during president Clinton's time in office, the DOMA (defense of marriage act) was enacted, slowing progress for the fight towards same-sex marriage. This was an important part in the history of same-sex marriage as it verified peoples' beliefs in preventing same-sex couples from getting married, simply because the act came from the government. However, there is an equal if not more powerful group fighting in defense of same-sex couples and their right to marry and they are making progress as well, winning same-sex marriage in multiple U.S. states.

HIV/AIDS has been a major part of the lgbt community for some time now. It started in the late 70's when Dr. Flossie Wong-Staal cofounded this disease. People automatically thought that if you had AIDS then you were a homosexual, but later on in the 80's they found out that this disease could be transmitted through heterosexual people also. Still people continuously thought that you had to be a homosexual to get the disease. In other countries they would post advertisements saying "Aids-don't die from ignorance"(Mens Sexual Health) things like this show how people treated people from the lgbt community, with such disrespect. But this all changed a little when Ryan White a 13 year old boy who was straight was diagnosed with Aids. He became a major part of this disease and he was known around all around the world when he got expelled from his middle school because of his infection. At this time the disease was not known that well and parents of the other children did not what White going to a school with their children, they would say that he had to have done something wrong to get this disease and it was gods punishment to him for being a homosexual, which in fact he is not. Today people still believe that it is only homosexuals who can get this disease, this topic needs to become more relevant to people so they can learn that its not only from them and anyone can get it. The ignorance of people needs to stop.

During my initial research I focused on the basics of homosexuality and how it is viewed by society. It was made clear that a lot of the hate towards the LGBT community stems from religions which do not allow homosexual relationships and believe that it is a sin to be in one. Religion has a large influence on people and what they believe and they have overall affected the societies they are largely popular in. Homosexuality has been viewed in cultures and societies as perverse and homosexual relationships has even been illegal in the United States, reenforcing the idea that homosexuality is not acceptable. Many people have wondered about the cause of homosexuality and have thought it could be a genetic, biological, phycological, social, or conscious choice. The possibility that homosexuality was a choice was eventually ruled out because there is no reason someone would choose to be discriminated against and victimized. According to the March 2003 article of ASHA Journal of School Health, there are four stages of ones self discovery of sexual identity. The first is "sensitization" when the person realizes their sexual identity other than straight. This usually happens at a young adolescent age and is often combated with the child hiding their sexuality from others in fear of being harassed or judged. They also often repress their homosexual thoughts. The next stage is "identity assumption" where the person accepts their sexuality and does not fully reveal it to others. The last step/stage is "identity consolidation" which is also known as coming out.  According to the group, Tolerance.com,  "Confidence and openness about their sexual orientation at a younger age, however, almost invariably exposes young people to homophobia and abuse at an early age." There is a fear of telling people in their society and their parents. Acceptance is crucial because it directly affects mental health. Homosexuals have a higher rate of dropping out of school, being kicked out of school, resorting to prostitution, drug use, alcohol use, and tobacco use. They are also two to seven times more likely to commit or attempt suicide compared to their heterosexual peers (Homosexuality and Bisexuality).

What I learned so far...

Harvey Milk was the first openly gay political figure in America. This was a huge thing during this time, being gay was not accepted in society at the time. Milk not only advocated for gays rights but for all minorities. He wanted change for all of American and brought issues to surface that Americans was ignoring. Milk once said, "This is not my victory -- it's yours. If a gay man can win, it proves that there is hope for all minorities who are willing to fight." (The Castro). Milk fought for gay rights, child welfare, and unemployment. Harvey Milk personally went through struggles such as financial, and equality issues as did many other Americans. He fought for himself and this made his protests and actions more personal and relatable. Harvey Milk was known as hero in the gay community, he symbolized hope for winning the battle for being treated equally. Even after Milk was assassinated, his actions had already made an impact. He made a strong impression on the people who carried on his fight to current day.

What were the factors leading up to the Stonewall riots?

The gays had been fighting for their liberation for quite some time leading up to the Stonewall riots. This included the staged "sip-ins" throughout New York City bars to fight against the rule that only 3 gays were allowed in a bar at any one time. After the "sip-in" the gay rights movement started and more public displays were seen. The police decided that these displays needed to be stopped so they started raiding known gay bars. The raid on Stonewall was not the first or the last raid made by the police. The oppression of the gay people for so long mixed with the increased aggression towards them created friction until it snapped. This release of friction ended with some arrests, injuries to four police officers, more riots, and a lot of growth in gay rights.

If Nobody Asks of Tells How Will People Know?

Yesterday I focused my research on the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy. This policy was raised by President Bill Clinton to stop the harrassment and discharges to homosexual members of the military.  This was put into action in 1993, and stated that no man or woman could be discharged if they are gay or lesbian, however if they take part in homosexual activity then they can be discharged.  I believe that this policy seemed very fair just looking at the guidelines because now the gay men and women in the American society are allowed to fight for their country, but they cannot ask, tell, or show that they are homosexual.  This seemed like a fair compromise from before because both the gays and the people not wanting the gays to participate in the militaryget what they want.  At this point I was thinking, how will the other military officials know who is and isnt gay, this will be very productive and affective.  Contrary to my beleif this policy increased the number of discharges due to sexual orientation.  I believe that the intent of the policy was distorted, and used in the wrong way to discharge more gay and lesbian military officials.  I believe that this policy had potential to be affective, however because it was misused it became more of a threat rather than an asset. 

Has the media affected the way we look at gays and lesbians?

Throughout doing my research, I found that there have been many common stereotypes and depictions associated to homosexual characters on television and in film. Many male gay characters were often portrayed as very feminine, sissy and weak. Gay women were portrayed as very tough and masculine. Although sometimes these depictions are somewhat true in reality, has the media gone overboard and made us have more prejudice towards homosexuals? The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation decided to get invovled because they were bothered with how gays and lesbians were being portrayed in the media. They felt that the stereotypes presented on television and in film were being brought to real life as well. They tried to get broadcasters to give more accurate representations of gays and lesbians in order to promote more acceptance and stop the prejudice. Americans were being affected by this. They were seeing the way that gays and lesbians acted on television and that did not appeal to them, so therefore they did not like gay people in general. Groups have acted to make sure that accurate depictions came into the media so that people would be more accepting and stop being prejudice. What people saw on television in the beginning were false representations.

First Thoughts
I picked this topic because it has been something that has always been talked about when I was growing up. I was surrounded by the stereotypes and everything. I grew up around people who were extremely accepting though, as my aunt is a lesbian and she has a partner and two children, so it really hits home there. I feel that the LGBT community has not gotten the amount of attention that they deserve. Schools have done more to promote acceptanceof gays and lesbians, but I feel that people need to know much more. People are still calling homosexuals fags and dykes and I dont find that acceptable at all. Gays and lesbians are also depicted in the media in ways that are not accurate. People need to understand more about this group of people and realize that they are just the same as everyone else.

First thoughts

I am excited to work on our LGBT rights project. I chose this topic because I thought it was one of the most modern or recent topics. It is a topic that is relevant to us right now because there are still groups which oppose equal rights for LGBT members. The controversy is still under debate among individuals and religious groups, political affiliations, and more. I am excited to learn about the major events and people of this movement. So many things influence peoples opinions on LGBT rights such as religion and pop culture so it will be interesting to find out how the movement has changed over the years and where it stands now. Overall I am excited to work with this modern topic which is so relevant to every day life. Gaining a better understanding of the movement as a whole can help with my understanding of it and allow me to better advocate for the movement.

First Thoughts

I am very excited to start this project. I am personally very connected to the LGBT community and I am an active member of SAGA at school. From what I know so far I know a good deal about current events in LGBT issues and religious involvement in LGBT issues. I hope to use this project to help teach other people who don't know much about LGBT history or issues, and show how those isues are so important in modern day society/politics. With Obama being the first president to okay gay marriage, I think LGBY people are that much closer to earning full equality in our nation.

First Thoughts

I'm looking forward to starting this project for American studies. I have grown up around the gay community with my family, and I am familiar with a lot of recent political controversy's. Its also a current topic in the media and something that our generation is getting involved in. I have done a lot of past research on glbt for past projects. This is a topic I am interested in and also something I care a lot about. I'm researching Harvey Milk and other historical figures for glbt. I've seen the movie Milk, and have researched some basic information about him. Harvey Milk was the first out gay political leader. He was the on the San Fransisco Board of Supervisors, Milk mainly focused on advocating of glbt rights. He was assassinated November 27, 1978 by Dan White. This was a huge loss for the glbt community, and after his death started the White riots. I'm excited to start this project and work on a topic that I care about and is going on currently.

First Thoughts

This topic has a wide variety of subtopics to research about, HIV/aids are a big part of the LGBT community. The main reason that HIV/aids is so common in this community is because of the practices that homosexuals perform can cause the spread of the disease. Most people think that it is just from your sexual viewpoint but it is not, sexualality has no direct influence on this disease. There are many sponsers trying to raise money for more research, one common one is (RED) they are an organization that helps make HIV/aids more of a known fact. 

First Thoughts

I have found a lot of general information on the subscription databases that the library has, however there was not any information on the current Boy Scout crisis.  On the Washington Post's website I found an article that gave me some good information.  I learned that since 1978 there have been no homosexual scouts or leaders allowed to participate, "individuals who are open or avowed homosexuals or who engage in behavior that would become a distraction to the mission" of the group.  Then in 2000 this was ruled constitution by the Supreme court on a 5-4 rule.  Another factor in the Boy Scouts of Americas decision is one of their large donors, after they said that they will allow homosexual scouts and leaders this donor was not happy and was threatening to stop giving money to this organization. 

First Thoughts

Overall this is an exciting and completely relevant topic. I think its totally unique in how modern it is considering most of the lgbt civil rights movement took place in the late 20th century up until now. This will certainly make the research different but I don't think that's a bad thing. It will also be unique to research certain topics that would be completely different from the other groups'. Its also important to note that because it is such a new issue, relatively, the opinions about it are strong and also highly opposing. It will be very interesting for me because i get to research the lgbt fight for marriage equality which is somewhat of a first for a social group in the way of civil liberties. The fact that most or all of the protesting and battle for equal marriage is new will lead to heated debates i imagine. Overall this topic should be quite different from other research projects I have done because of its modern timeline and small link to the past.

assigned topics

Ryan W.: bullying/ suicide

Ryan C.: Current events

Allison: Harvey Milk

Jordan: Marriage

Abbie: religion

Timmy: historical events

Philip: media

Taylor: hiv/aids