In her book “Queering An American Dilemma: Sexuality,
Gender and Race Relations in the United States, 1945-1985."
This project
chronicles the manner in which characterizations of gay men and lesbians were
an important aspect of Southern-based campaigns for and conflicts over black
racial equality. Advocates and opponents of the Civil Rights Movement mobilized
discursive portrayals of sexual minorities to delineate whom should have access
to the full benefits of national citizenship and race-defined communal belonging.
During her lecture and visit we discussed the intersections of African Americans culture and sex. We also discussed negative stereotypes and sexual liberation. What are your thoughts and insights about her presentation?
Great lecture on a topic that I personally don't know much about! The most insightful shard of knowledge I took from the discussion was about silence as a form of both oppression and protection as it pertains to the intersections of race, class, and sexuality. I'd previously explored the paradox of silence in reference to black feminist thought and black slave narratives, but never connected the theory with sexuality in the LBGTQ community. I also appreciated the conversation on the politics of respectability and how that notion plays out in our society today. It reminded me of the etiquette handbooks circulated in the 20th century, policing actions/behaviors of the black community in order to dismantle stereotypes and almost assimilate to societal norms. I look forward to discovering more on archives and about what sources are available to scholars/ who have written those sources/who are our storytellers?
ReplyDeleteI was enlightened by the idea that African American communities protected the great people in their community who were homosexual. That was an extremely interesting point that Dr.Jones brought up. Because as a white person a lot of times the window I get to see the African American experience through is that of music. The rap I listen to portrays homosexuality as something lesser males do that aren't as cool as the alpha male(how rappers portray themselves as).The alpha male thinks this is grotesque or for feminine males. Yet Dr.Jones also talked about African American figures talking about homosexuality in a positive light when she brought up the 1920s singer Bessie Smith. Bessie came out with a record in the 1920s talking about her homosexual experiences and the record flew off of the shelves. Showing me that just because one small group says something does not make it the true thoughts for all of the people. Overall I thought today was an extremely enlightening experience. I wish the room could fit 20,000 people so every student could hear Dr.Jones talk.
ReplyDeleteToday's lecture was amazing! I think each student was able to walk away more enlightened and open-minded about sexuality in relation to the African-American community. Often, sexuality has a negative connotation; but today we learned that that does not necessarily have to be the case. Our world is constantly evolving, and in order to thrive we must evolve with it. I think that we as a people (all people, not just Black people) are starting to realize that we are the master's of our own fates, and no one has the power to define who we are besides us! I thoroughly enjoyed today's discussion and I look forward to go into greater detail on some of the topics Dr. Jones covered in class.
ReplyDeleteI found this lecture to really be what the class needed as far as group talk went. I learned a lot about how people of color in both past tense and present struggle with sexuality and stereotypes. I personally found that we all agreed on many societal conflicts that do reflect on both white and black women and even in men. I enjoyed the topics we discussed and that it was based upon facts and not just opinion. I really respect Dr. Jones and the lesson we talk about this week.
ReplyDeleteDr. Jones presentation gave more insight into African American culture. I was delighted to talk about black woman in today’s culture, and the perception America has on them. What was really interesting, though, was the talk on the LBGTQ community. I have never been in a school setting where we discussed the struggles and bias of the LBGTQ community in African American communities. My knowledge on this subject was limited to experiences I’ve had and gossip I’ve heard, so to discuss it an academic setting was enlightening. It helped put a perspective on the LBGTQ community and its importance to the African American progress/culture. Like, for instant, Bessie Smith who sung about homosexual experiences and was accepted for it. This shows that many LBGTQ communities were present throughout the 20th century, they just didn’t have so much of a negative connotation as it is perceived. In all: the lecture helped me think of a new concept of the African American community.
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed our discussion with Dr. Jones. Specifically, I enjoyed the part of the discussion about cultural attribution. I think this topic is extremely relevant right now due to the rise in cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic surgery is making it easier for women, and men, to get their desired look. Currently, the most sought after features are those that are considered to be black features (big hips, thighs, lips, etc). I'm glad we discussed this because I have always seen the double standard in beauty when it comes to these certain desirable traits. I think discussing this in further detail allowed me to analyze this problem more in depth and look at it from different perspectives.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Dr. Jones presentation. I think it really brought the class together with class discussion and brought out a lot of opinions that you otherwise might not hear. Often when you talk about sexuality in a class it can be a little awkward and people might not want to voice there opinion. Dr. Jones presented it in a way that made it easy for the class to discuss though. She brought up issues with celebrities that we see everyday and artists whose music we listen to so that made it a lot more of an open discussion. One topic that really stood out to me was the portrayal of an African American woman's body and how that is really being copied through cosmetic surgery. It was also interesting how women who aren't African American women are praised for it more than women who are. Another interesting part of the discussion was the silence that comes with the black LBGTQ. I always thought that it was really an elephant in the room with that discussion and I really don't know how to discuss that or deal with. I think it was really interesting that others felt the same way. I am glad she presented the correct terminology and ways not to offend them. This discussion really eliminated a lot of stereotypes that i had.
ReplyDeleteThe lecture on Thursday provided an interesting outlook on how some of the social issues that relevant in our current society. One of the topics discussed that I found interesting was the Nicki Minaj debate. The debate on how Nicki is viewed amongst the pop community seemed to vary in the class with some having different outlooks on what she does. It was interesting hearing how my fellow classmates felt on the issue and it opened my eyes on how other people view things that go on in the social world.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Dr. Jones' lecture. I feel like in the time that we were in class I learned a lot about many different topics. I enjoyed the open forum of discussion and hearing many different views. I personally never think about the different ways the LGBT community can be separated even within the black community and how hush hush it is. But I was intrigued how the movement has been going on for decades but isn't really discussed. Also the story about the civil rights leader that was kind of forced out of the lime light because of his sexual preferences shocked me. It showed the two polar opposites of the situations when she told the story of another leader that was able to hide his sexual preferences and was helped by his community because they all felt that would hurt his cause. I would have liked to discuss more things further with Dr. Jones and it was very enlightening.
ReplyDeleteHer presentation taught me to analyze different perspectives when it comes to negative stereotypes and sexual liberation. I enjoyed hearing various opinions about how society constructs sex and African American culture. I thought it was interesting how the African American LGBT community is seen as a "double minority" in a sense. In addition to this, I do agree that African American women suffer harsh criticisms from our culture in regards to being negatively sexualized. I wish we would have touched base on how interracial sex is viewed within our society. Is it accepted by our culture? Or, how do different cultures view it? What is the stance on Caucasian and African American sex today?
ReplyDeleteDr. Jones presentation was very eye-opening and really made me think in class. Whatever your occupation is or what you are known for will be what people portray you as, even if you have truly good intentions for yourself. She made me realize that African-Americans will be critized more in the media compared to other races. I really am truly glad Dr. Jones had the opportunity to gives a insightful information like that last week.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed her lecture. It opened my eyes to how some people view the black women as being over sexualized. We talked about how criticized some African American stars are in the media because of their body type and the things they wear, but if a women of a different ethnicity had the same body type ad wore something just as provocative she'd be praised. I also enjoyed our conversation about the LGBTQ community. I grew up with a transgender cousin, and many would make fun of her just because she identified female. Her mother always made her play with footballs and wear Jordan's, when all she wanted to do was wear high heels and play with barbies. She shined a light on how the African American community usually tries to sweep being homosexual or transgender under the rug, which I've seen to be true.
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