Gay Weekend

I have decided to declare this weekend "YAY FOR GAY - Gay Weekend" because of everything fabulous and LGBT related that has occurred. As I stated in a previous post, CT legalized same-sex marriage on Friday. Kenya and I drove out to Hartford to participate in the rally at the capitol. Only thing is, we were running late and got lost looking for parking. We missed the whole rally. So, we drove back to the UC for our very own rally & celebration with A. And by celebration, I mean beer, D.P. Dough, rainbow jewelry and season one of the L Word. Spectacular. Gay Weekend continued yesterday with National Coming Out Day. And today marks the ten year anniversary of Matthew Shepard's death. I'd like to say that we, as a society, have come a long way in terms of hate crimes but really, we haven't. The less publicized & more recent occurrences of hate related violence, crimes and deaths are proof of that. As is the hateful language I encountered this weekend by people who I am ashamed to say I know.


HERE'S TO THE TAX BREAKS! (and the other one-thousand forty eight benefits that same-sex couples will now also be able to receive)

YAY

LEGALIZATION!!


GAY MARRIAGE IS NOW LEGAL IN CONNECTICUT!


Might be heading to the rally tonight in Hartford!

A Major Decision

So, it is 11:06AM and I am sitting here, nervous with energy as I wait to hear whether or not gay marriage will be legalized in Connecticut. I've heard rumor that the decision will be announced at 11:30AM. The LGBT community on campus is abuzz today with excitement, as everyone feels good about the chances of a good ruling. If this is passed, you can expect that I will be in full celebratory mode tonight. And if not, you can expect a lot of bitterness.

I'll keep you posted.

Just something to think about...

For my Sociology of Gender class, one of the books we're required to read is My Gender Workbook by Kate Bornstein. I'm not a huge fan of the book, but welcome the ways in which Bornstein challenges people to look beyond the gender binary. Anyway, in the book, Bornstein speaks about how ze asked people to define themselves. Ze asked over a hundred people, "who are you? what are you?" and then recorded the responses ze received. All of the responses are completely label driven. Femme. Butch. Bi-gendered boychick. Trans. Dyke. Fetishist. Queer. It is amazing to read the many ways in which people define themselves, drawing on self-identity, society's perspective, sexual attraction, and desire. There were a few responses that I circled because they really struck me. One of which, I would like to share here. So, here is my favorite response, of all 107 that Bornstein recorded in hir book:


"What am I? It depends.

When I speak of Brandon Teena, a transsexual man who was raped and then murdered because he dared identify as a man while possessing a vagina, I am a transsexual man.

When I speak of a transsexual woman who is being excluded because of her past, I am a transsexual woman.

When I speak of a pre-op transsexual who is being hurtfully categorized by the shape of the tissue between his or her legs, I am a pre-op transsexual.

When I speak of a post-operative transsexual who is being denigrated as the destroyer of his own body's integrity, I am a post-op transsexual.

When I speak of those who dare not reveal the pleasure they derive from wearing clothing reserved exclusively for use of the opposite sex, I am a transvestite.

When I speak of those who are regarded as degenerate because they find certain items particularly stimulating of pleasurable fantasy, I am a fetishist.

When I speak of those who enjoy games of erotic power exchange, I am a sadomasochist.

When I speak of those who prefer the same sex to the opposite for intimacy, I am a homosexual.

When I speak of those who open their arms to intimacy without restriction based on sexual polarity, I am a bisexual.

When I speak of any woman who is being hurt because she dares o challenge or seek respect, I am a sister.

When I speak of any man who is being hurt because he dares to prefer sensitivity to durability, I am a brother.

When I speak of any person who is being hurt because they do not identity as either man or woman, I do not identify.

I am all of these things. In being so, I make a difference where and whenever difference is being used to make hurt."

Visibility

A couple of weeks ago on July 17th, Angie Zapata, a MTF transgender, was beaten to death with a fire extinguisher. Angie had been on a date with Allen Andrade, a man she had met on a dating website, when Andrade noticed photographs around Angie’s apartment and questioned her gender identity. Upon discovering that she was a transwoman, Andrade beat Angie until he thought that he had killed her. When he realized that she was still alive and barely breathing, he continued to beat her until she finally died, fleeing the scene in Angie’s car.

Unfortunately, crimes like this are not uncommon. Everyday, members of the transgender community suffer from discrimination, exclusion, hate and violence. A large part of society does not recognize the challenges that transgender people face on a daily basis. Imagine fearing for your safety in a public restroom. Having someone judge your every move. Being fired from a job simply because of who you are. Visibility needs to be brought to the transgender community. Our society needs to recognize the treatment of transgender people and the rights that they are frequently denied.

What struck me about the story of Angie Zapata’s death is that when Allen Andrade was caught by the police, he explained what he had done, claiming that he had “killed it.” IT. He referred to Angie Zapata as IT. Not as a woman, a transwoman, or a human being but IT, a word used to represent an inanimate thing.

I cannot imagine any circumstance in which it is okay to call another human being IT. And so, I did this photo to bring about an issue that I think needs our attention. There needs to be greater punishment and attention given to hate crimes that occur on the basis of sexual and gender identity. There also needs to be an expansion of visibility and understanding of the transgender community. We need to educate our children, each other, and ourselves to think outside of the gendered boxes.