L15 Final Reflection LGBTQ
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Pennsylvania State University *
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English
Date
Feb 20, 2024
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docx
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Uploaded by MasterResolveGoldfish34
Nicole Gourley
ENGL 245 Intro to LGBTQ Studies
Dec 10, 2023/Fall Semester
Reshaping, Redefining, and Reclaiming
Word Count- 1437
To fully understand a community, you need to familiarize yourself with background knowledge, significant events, diversity, and transitions throughout the development of the community. As a member of the queer community, I thought I had a good grasp of what it means to be a part of the LGBTQ community. This class has shown me that the lengths I have gone to familiarize myself with those within the LGBTQ that are different from myself was not far enough, considering the amount of knowledge I have gained throughout this course. I am appreciative of how this course has taught me not only the devastations, trials, and tribulations, and changes we have gone through, but also the beauty, complexity, and acquired strength that has been gained and continuously fought for. The gratitude I have for this course and its enlightening impact it has made on my life goes beyond what I can write in a final reflection paper. However, I would like to express gratefulness for how this course has given me a sense of pride within myself whilst broadening my understanding of this community and my perspectives of other people’s stories. These advocators fought for their own rights, and in doing so, gave me my own. One major text provided to me by this course were those of Mapplethorpe and Muholi. Despite being a set of photographic artworks provided by two very talented artists, these pieces spoke volumes that go beyond words. These artists went beyond norms that society created surrounding not only sexuality, but gender, race, ethnicity, and modesty. These pieces encompassed the unique beauty of people that are just existing. They didn’t try to find beauty, the
beauty found them, and in that a million stories were captured within photographs (Muholi Archives & Mapplethorpe Foundation). These works tie together my favorite core concepts from
the duration of this course, that being intersectionality, justice, and vulnerability. These artists
wanted to put together something that would shock the audience in a way to push viewers forward. There is no solution to societal norms that lies within them, so these artists pushed beyond them. In doing so, they were vulnerable enough to know that there would be people that wouldn’t like, approve of, or learn from their work. However, this led them to produce portfolios that screamed intersectionality and embraced the differences within their clientele. By breaking the cycle of adhering to norms and societal expectations on genders, races, and sexualities, they fought for justice and the acceptance of individuals facing the injustice they’re fighting to destruct. Intersectionality is a concept that I had not known about until I had taken this course. The
impact that this lens of intersectionality left on me will be taken with me throughout the rest of my life, which is why I find it such a key concept that stuck with me throughout this course. Intersectionality is a framework that explains that, essentially, everyone faces problems within their identity with aspects that can come from their race, gender, socioeconomic status, sexuality,
and more. Some people face more severe oppression than others, and you cannot compare two individuals in the same community because of this. Understanding intersectionality is important when learning about the queer community because it reshapes our perspectives of oppression. Queer individuals face injustice in many ways, and I can fully acknowledge the importance of inclusivity, support, and understanding regarding this community (Finding Out, 2017).
This course accentuated my understanding that justice that is not fought for is not found. One objective in this course that shaped my understanding of this is when we focused on queer theory and the reclamation of this word. Queer theory helped conquer and dismantle norms of heterosexuality and gender identity in a way that was inclusive to the community, creating equality for anyone of any gender, sexuality, race, and identity. This goes along with
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intersectionality and allows these individuals to fight for justice and peace for their own identities. Justice within this community was fought for and done so by working against society to create a narrative that was accepting to anyone. This allowed to community to reclaim the once derogatory word, “queer,” and use it to celebrate and empower themselves in their own identity (Finding Out, 2017). By embracing themselves, it allowed a progression for justice, acceptance, redefinition, and reclamation of who they unapologetically were, are, and will continue to be. Although the previous span of this text has been lighthearted and inspiring, my third key concept is vulnerability, which can often be uncomfortable for many. Vulnerability is important to move forward and progress, you physically can not grow in comfort. This community faced a lot of oppression and injustice by doing nothing other than being vulnerable enough to express themselves in ways that they felt comfortable and more at home. Ensuring safety when doing so is important to protect yourself, your community, and people that support you. It’s disheartening how inhumane individuals can be treated purely because of they are different. Resilience in this community has progressed them forward through this discrimination within communities, families, and even legal setbacks. Vulnerability within the LGBTQ community is a catalyst to advocate for oneself, express oneself, and eventually live in harmony with everybody by challenging stereotypes and norms in a world that shames on diversity. This community would not have advanced and overcame hardship without taking the risk of vulnerability. I have found strength within myself throughout the duration of this course to take inspiration from others I have learned about and use it to be authentic, vulnerable, and persistent in my own identity. Vulnerability, in particular, is something I have always struggled with, due to
my own fears of judgement, discrimination, and favoritism. However, in witnessing others’
battles with oppression, self-expression, reclamation, and celebration of themselves, I felt inspired and heard, it pushed me to express myself in a way I was always fearful of doing. Sexuality is not a choice and it’s devastating that it still has to be fought for in order to be accepted, however I will do everything in my power to ensure that I am standing up for myself, my community, and the intersectionality of everyone.
I had originally taken this course not only because I needed the credits for my education, but also because I wanted to learn more about my community. In doing so, I learned but also was
able to reflect on myself and my own behavior. It inspired me to express myself unapologetically, in a way that I feel comfortable and most myself. Looking back on previous assignments I had completed; I can literally see myself learning and understanding the material. I
hadn’t quite grasped intersectionality when I had first started discussing it, and now it is something so important to me and something this class has gifted me with the knowledge of. This course showed me that there will always be people that cannot see past the stereotypes of society and will abide by them until they lay to rest, however I will never be one of them. This course taught me that being yourself is not a crime, whether you are loved by society or hated, everyone is created equal, and differences are what make us beautiful. People have died fighting for acceptance from others. People have been bullied, harassed,
harmed, and literally deprived of life because they expressed who they were. People like Charlie Howard and Jeanette Winterson have fought for their own lives and survival because of being themselves (Grove Press & Bangor Daily News). “The queer community has come a long way, facing many hardships and setbacks due to violence, lack of empathy, lack of safety, lack of family, and lack of support. Knowing this, it’s important that everyone knows about shelters and safe places for the LGBTQ in their area. I want to be a safe place for everyone in my life to talk
to, learn from, and run to in any way that I can. This course taught me that a little goes a long way, whether that is shown through expression, art, activism, marches, opening a door to someone, or even just listening to someone and understanding. One person can make a difference, and I hope to be one of those people. I am proud of my community and inspired by their strength throughout many centuries. All the way from the first depiction of homosexuality in the media to completely queer magazines and media sites. Queer individuals are still battling every day, and I hope to one day live in a world where diversity is celebrated, not frowned upon.
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Figure 1- My word cloud includes the following words: Janet Mock, Norms, Love, Self-
discovery, Judgement, Kinsey Scale, Realness, Reclamation, Society, Queer, Identity, Unique, Beauty, Acceptance, Justice, and Intersectionality. I have encountered these words throughout this course, like learning about Janet Mock and how she advocated for the rights of transgender individuals and other people in the LGBTQ community (Mock, 2015). The Kinsey Scale is included, and very small, because it aided individuals in describing sexual orientation, however I
think sexuality is always changing and developing, and it’s more important to focus on the authentic, real beauty of identity throughout self-discovery. Everyone is unique and beautiful. I
made my word cloud green because green reminds me of the earth, which I hope will one day be inclusive and home to everyone, diversity is beautiful. Works Cited
Alison Bechdel,
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
. Mariner Books. 2007.
Finding Out: An Introduction to LGBTQ Studies, 3rd Ed., Edited by Jonathan Alexander, Deborah T. Meem, & Michelle A. Gibson (2017).
Mock, Janet.
Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & so Much More
. Simon & Schuster, 2015.
Muholi archives from L14 modules.
Nast, Condé.
Them
, www.them.us/. Accessed 14 Nov. 2023.
Portfolio
. Mapplethorpe Foundation. (n.d.).
“Why Charlie Howard Still Matters.”
Bangor Daily News
, external.bangordailynews.com/projects/2014/06/charlie/. Accessed 12 Oct. 2023.
Winterson, Jeanette. Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? (2011). Grove Press, p. 114, 209.