http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/16/tim-tebow-denver-broncos-it-gets-better-_n_1154709.html
The Extra Step Towards Equality
In the article "Tim Tebow, Denvor Broncos Being Petitioned to join "It gets Better" LGBT Youth Campaign" by The Huffpost interest newspaper explains how this NFL quarterback, Tim Tebow, was asked to join the campaign of "It Gets Better". He had already made the difficult choice of being part of the Super Bowl ad for anti-abortion and anti-gay organization and he continues to participate further. I use the word "difficult" because as a football player, Tim Tebow faces a huge wave of criticism as being a part of such organization can label him as "soft" in the realm of football. There had been over 3000 supporters asking him to join the fight in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender teens. It is mentioned in this article how great it would be if these manly figures in sports were to agree on some levels that a teen should not feel separate from society and suicide is never the answer even if these figures wouldn't completely agree with these lifestyles for themselves. Interestingly enough, Tim went beyond the usually participation in this campaign by actually engaging in homosexual activities in public. After scoring a touchdown in a game, Tim walked across the field and shared an inspiring lip-lock moment with another teammate. If this doesn't account for the extra step taken to prove a point through explicit actions documented in media then what does?
http://news.change.org/lgbt-media
Freedom of Speech?
-In the article "Kansas High School Newspaper says It's Moral to Execute Gays" one student goes above and beyond with what freedom of speech may entail to. At Wichita High School this student was given the permission to author an editorial and write his opinion in the schools newspaper, The Messenger. Personal opinion maybe completely fine concerning taste in food, preference in sports but when it comes to sexuality it may not be acceptable to want to execute a whole class of people. Yes, you've heard correctly, the student cited how a man should not lie with another man and if so he should be given the death penalty. For a high school newspaper where people, fellow students, struggling with identity will read, I'm more than certain this may have been a stretch. There is an extent to which freedom of speech is allowed and in this high school, the supervising teacher should be ashamed in allowing this student to publish such a thing. In an environment where development and morals should be taught, an article of such caliber single handily singles out individuals in an attempt to classify aspects of sexual preference as right or wrong and for a teacher this is the wrong.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Shotaro Takada Blog Articles
Blog #1
The topic of LGBT and its advocates are all over the media, being portrayed by many iconic celebrities. One prime example of this is The Ellen Degeneres Show, where the host, Ellen Degeneres, has been out as a lesbian for many years, coming out on her own show in 1997. Ever since then, she has been a vivid activist of the LGBT community, being a large part of the media, inspiring many people with her brave actions. In 2008, she had openly married her love, impacting everyone who was her fan. In addition to Ellen Degeneres, Neil Patrick Harris is yet another icon of the LGBT community, being an extremely successful actor, singer and director. He even won many awards for his acting abilities, and has even been ranked one of the top people in Time Magazine’s list of top 100 influential people in 2010. Neil Patrick Harris also announced his engagement following the Marriage Equality Act in New York. In addition to famous icons on the TV and films, there are several iconic figures in the music industry, such as Elton John and Freddie Mercury. Both of these musicians being extremely talented, showing the world that they are undeniably talented. Elton John also supported the LGBT movement and supported the community extremely, having fundraisers and concerts to support the gay community.
Blog #2
The topic of homosexuality and the unfortunate consequent bullying resulted by it had been a subject of media for a long time. It has been evident in movies, stories, and news articles. One of the most famous examples of this is Brokeback Mountain where one of the protagonists was presumably murdered in a hate crime. This movie showed the unfortunate consequences of having narrow-minded people bash out their hatred against people. Additionally, news articles had covered this issue in many articles, where cases of bullying were covered. One issue was where a school had failed to stop antigay bullying, however the Christian community had been against the school having any descriptions of homosexuality. However, contrasting this school, there have been many schools which have lessons in sexual diversity. However, this school had focused on neutrality on the topic of LGBT instead of strictly advocating against antigay bullying. Because of this, the message that “there is something shameful about who they are and that they are not valid people in history” is sent. (Fietek) Thus, the topic of gay bullying had been the topic of media over many different mediums.
Jerry Milionis Gay Video Games
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| A gay love scene from the game “Dragon Age 2” has caused much controversy over gay stereotypes. |
When I have played video games in the past and still in the present, I have never stopped for a moment to consider the sexual orientation of the players and characters that are interacting in the virtual world. What if the character I am controlling was gay or lesbian, bisexual or transgender? Would it change the gaming experience? I am not so sure. Very few games have actually attempted to address the issue of sexual orientation, but most argue that a character will connect with the gamer better if it is more realistic. Therefor games such as “Fable” and “The Sims” have added options where one can choose the sexual orientation of the character as whom they are playing.
Still there has been some backlash to this idea. Often times, openly gay gamers have been harshly criticized and cruelly harassed by the majority of homophobic gamers in society. Popular game titles such as “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” used online advertisement adds with the acronym F.A.G.S. (Fight Against Grenade Spam), to try and influence their frequent gamers to change their in-game tactics. After seeing a lesbian love scene in the game “Mass Effect,” one newspaper columnist called the simple yet passionate display a “virtual orgasmic rape.” And in “Dragon Age 2,” some members of the gay gaming community have taken offense to the stereotype that all gay men are obsessed with sex, as the game forces homosexual encounters that if avoided, can be detrimental to the player’s success.
Personally, I have been a first-hand witness of the disrespect the gay community receives in the gaming world. In general, I find that often times, gamers use far too much vulgar language to describe something that is of little impact on their lives. By doing well in a game or killing another character does that condone “raping” them as many of my gaming friends often say? If you ask any rape victim, the answer would be no. Video games are too universally popular and so influential on the minds of the gamers that we can ill afford such blatant disregard for human dignity. The change is prevalent and more is coming; hopefully the questions concerning a character’s sexuality will be disregarded as gamers remember that everyone has the right to play the game.
Works Cited
"Gay Gamers: Fire Dragon Age 2 Writer." Advocate.com. Ed. Advocate.com. 31 Mar. 2011. Web. 20 Dec. 2011. <http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/03/31/Gay_Gamers_Fire_Dragon_Age_2_Writer/>.
Good, Owen. "Infinity Ward Removes Modern Warfare 2 "F.A.G.S." Video." Kotaku, the Gamer’s Guide. 1 Nov. 2009. Web. 20 Dec. 2011. <http://kotaku.com/5394595/infinity-ward-removes-modern-warfare-2-fags-video>.
Matos, Xav De. "Gay Video Game Characters Coming Out of the Closet - Asylum.com." Asylum | Men's Lifestyle | Humour, Weird News, Sex Tips, Fashion, Dating, Food and Gadgets. Web. 20 Dec. 2011. <http://www.asylum.com/2009/12/07/gay-video-game-characters-coming-out-of-the-closet/>.
Monday, December 19, 2011
David Gazarian Blog Posts
Blog #1
The media tends to push its opinion on a topic with persuasive language. After reading an article on same-sex marriage and gay rights abroad (from the U.S.), it is clear that our government is strongly supportive of these rights. It is well known how radical and conservative countries such as Saudi Arabia are strongly against the notion of homosexuality, as it is clearly prohibited in their religious beliefs. However, the United States is standing strong in its notion that the universal acceptance of gay rights is an essential part of human rights. While some may perceive this as a ploy to garner the “gay vote,” President Obama spoke of his administrative policy that “vows to actively combat efforts by other nations that criminalize homosexual conduct, abuse gay men” among other crimes.
This is a typical American effort in that the United States creates a policy and then subsequently begins to enforce it beyond its country’s borders, i.e. democracy in the Middle East. However, by incorporating the acceptance of gay rights into human rights, the spread is something that can truly better the world, allowing homosexuals to live freely and open in areas not known for their acceptance. With a large step as this one, President Obama said he was not sure exactly how to get “the first step” right and where exactly that is; an effort as substantial as this one is not an overnight task and not one that can be completed passively. Even with the great enthusiasm from Secretary of State Clinton’s speech, it was also made clear that ties with these nations will not risked in order for the gay rights campaign.
Blog #2
As I started off with my first post, I mentioned how media pushes its agenda and opinions through the specific language it uses. Through my research I came across this article regarding the 2008 Gay Softball series and simply glanced through it, not believing that a representation of media would be found in this story. However, the controversy was in the fact that two of the competitors were disqualified to appearing to be heterosexual despite coming in and openly saying they were bisexual. The reason for this article coming up last week is due to the face that these men, who won second place, were actually given the prize they were denied at the time. While the sport element of this story is essentially irrelevant, the part discussing the disqualification is noteworthy.
To have segregation of this kind within the gay community is quite counterproductive. While the integrity of the competition was the reason for the dismissal, the notion of not allowing bisexuals to play in this competition defeats all the aims of spreading gay rights, as mentioned within my first post. Secretary of State Clinton made a statement that will be heavily scrutinized by many however, not by the LGBT community. But this community has to stay strong and close knit for there are too many people not only critical but hateful of their mere existence. Instances such as this one show the fractional component of having this community based on diverse sexual orientation. I was glad to see that the organization decided to revoke its decision and accept them as eligible competitors. The money, trophy or anything related to the event does not matter in the grand scheme of things; to have fractions in a community already under a microscope will undo any of the good works and efforts all members have put in developing this community.
Ben Levine Blog Posts
Russia’s War Against Rainbows
I believe that the media is very biased and has its own agenda. There are very few news agencies that present the news in an accurate unbiased manor. Unfortunately in our society, many people get there news from only one source. This can lead them to believe things that are only part of the truth. The news agencies have enormous power over people and most people don't even realize it. To fit in people spew out worthless information or opinions they heard on their favorite channel the night before. This leads to misinformation and bias that can greatly hurt society. The way news agencies portray or present a story is exactly how the public takes the story. One story I found concerned a new law concerning LGBT rights in Russia. The article on NY Times.com called “Russia’s War Against Rainbows”, talks about lawmakers plan to ban propaganda of homosexuality. I literally had to read that line a few times because I didn't understand what it meant. Apparently the president, Vladimir Putin, has an agenda to destroy public space. He has put news agencies and even corporations and the private sector under increasing government control and supervision. Then I realized that Russian lawmakers want to exterminate “gay” from their society. They are apparently ok with people being gay but not with them expressing who they are. LGBT organizations are going to be banned from organizing. Couples may even be banned form having children. They want to make the rainbow an illegal symbol. This is obscenely hypocritical and outrageous. HOw can the government disregard an entire part of the population. It’s very upsetting to me and just another example of how the world doesn't like people who are different.
Gay rights: Africa, the new frontier
Even though gay rights in the United States are way below where they need to be, other countries still pale in comparison to our laws. Some cultures still deny their existence and punish or kill people found to be gay. Another article I found on BBC.com “Gay rights; Africa the New Frontier” talks about the push for gay rights in Africa. The reality in the majority of these countries is that homosexual acts are illegal and come with violent harsh penalties for violating the laws. One of the pieces of information I found most interesting in the article is the existence of an official memorandum that directs US government agencies to consider gay rights when making aid and asylum decisions. I’m not entirely sure how often we follow this policy, but it sounds to me that if a country denies homosexual’s rights the US Government could reduce or refuse aid all together based solely on that fact. I actually laughed when I read that because if you think about it then technically we should sanction ourselves. We don't deny the existence of homosexuals, but we do discriminate against them and deny them certain rights. The hypocrisy of society really IRKS me. I’m starting a revolution to end hypocrisy!!!!! Sorry outburst over (keeping it in the blog). Many African nations are none to thrilled about the prospect of US interference. (Reminds me of some similar feelings shared by South American and Central American countries). One advisor to the Ugandan President reacted with this statement "If the Americans think they can tell us what to do, they can go to hell." Now although I’m very unhappy with the state of Gay rights in his country, I really enjoy his attitude and that he’s not afraid of the big bad bully on the block. I was about to say something along the lines of I think we should force them to give rights. However, then I realized who gets to decide what is right and what is wrong. Culture and community play an enormous role in what people think is right and wrong. Although. this doesn't mean that I don't think we an change it. I just don't think we should impose sanctions or threaten time outs or taking away candy. Just because we technically sort of are “the most powerful nation in the world” doesn't mean that we can just tell everyone else what to do. Forcing people never works. If instead we launched a campaign to teach the world about equal rights, I believe that would work. Teachers are some of the most powerful people in the world and if we could start changing the minds of younger generations we could have some serious social revolutions that would change the world for the better.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Joshua Lewkowicz "New show on ABC doesn't 'Work It' for LGBT Individuals
Well, what is there to say about ABC’s latest brainchild, Work It? The show revolves around two heterosexual unemployed car salesmen who after their dealership goes out of business, dress as women in order to land jobs as salesmen at a pharmaceutical company looking to hire female sales reps. The show is set to premiere this January….WHAT?!?! Am I the only one who thinks this is a horrible idea? Apparently not! As the article states, “Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy groups are blasting ABC and its upcoming cross-dressing comedy Work It, claiming the series is damaging to transgender individuals.” Damn straight! The American population is already naïve and for lack of a better word stupid when it comes to acceptance, tolerance, and understanding, so other trouble will a show like Work It cause? Organizations like GLAAD (The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) and the Human Rights Campaign claim the new comedy "reinforces false and damaging stereotypes about transgender people,” and have decided to take action. The groups have set up meetings with ABC executives to discuss their grievances, and rightly so. The HRC has even encouraged people to send in emails to ABC urging them to stop the show from airing. I believe it is imperative to stop such a show from ever reaching the eyes of the American public because of how misconstrued the images of transgender individuals is. Moreover, the argument of the two advocacy groups comes at a very crucial time, considering more than a quarter of transgender people have been fired from their jobs because of their sexual orientation. Perhaps not the best time for comedy about such a topic? If ABC decides to ignore the warnings and worries of these advocacy groups, I fear the American public will only have a new outlet for judgmental material towards transgender individuals.
This news story really stood out to me because of how well it fits into our blog topic. The amount of influence the media has in today’s world is incredible. News stations, television programs, and other meaningless forms of media have become a favorite national pastime for Americans, because psht, who reads anymore, right? Well, besides the dangers associated with watching mindless hours of television and the mass population’s brain turning to mush, there is a greater danger; this of course is the influential power of the media. It seems today, the general masses believe anything they see on television. The biggest example I see of this is “reality television.” People take the crap they see on The Real Housewives of New Jersey and Jersey Shore as true reality, and don’t understand the very carefully orchestrated process that goes into creating such shows. The elaborate editing and planning of these shows allows the creation of an exaggerated amount of drama while projecting a façade of reality. Because of this, a show like Work It would be an extremely detrimental factor in the lives of Transsexual individuals. Their portrayal on this show would be highly inaccurate and exaggerated, but perceived by the general public as the truth. While I realize the show isn’t a reality show, I believe its perception would be the same as if it was. Most Americans know very little about Transsexual individuals, therefore however the media decides to portray their image is taken at face value. Media portrayal of LGBT individuals is often exaggerated and incorrect, and the social implications that result are damaging at the very least.
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