2008 Woodie Awards
That's So Brokeback
Heterosexist language shapes our heterosexist reality
J.D. Meany
Issue date: 4/18/06 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 2 next >
In last week's issue of the Cynic, there was an article detailing a hazing incident at FIJI, involving pledges dressing up as cowboys and being called homosexual epithets. While I don't take a stance on that particular issue (I believe that other Cynic reporters handled it admirably), I believe that it raises a subtler, more dangerous issue in the student body; that homophobic language and behavior is pervasive in our college society. While there would be a generally negative response to me using a racial epithet, if I told my friend that studying on a Friday night is "gay" or that my friend's love of poetry is "so brokeback," most would laugh it off. Worse, most individuals would not register the visceral impact of the terms because of how seamlessly they have entered the college lexicon. The vast majority who read this article have either said something to that effect, or stood by while a friend used those terms.
Although the visibility of gays, bisexuals, and transgendered individuals has increased in America, half of America still believes that homosexuality is a "sin" or "wrong." While great strides have been made, this minority group is still treated as a pariah. Homosexual prejudice came from the source of all misunderstandings: ignorance. Homosexuality, by its very nature, attacks traditional gender roles. When most individuals attack homosexuality they are specifically targeting gay men. In contrast, lesbianism has an exotic quality to it that makes it acceptable to the male heterosexual community. What makes a man a man is no sissy stuff. This is the concept of hyper masculinity that straightjackets men into singular concepts, rather then a multitude of identities.
In college, the general notion that a student will develop who they are only further exacerbates the struggle to be defined as normal. The movie Brokeback Mountain challenges that stereotype by having the epitome of American masculinity, the cowboy, turned into a homosexual lover. Therefore, when student use the term "brokeback" they are redefining "gayness" as loving a man, regardless of whether someone exhibit qualities that are defined as masculine or feminine.
Although the visibility of gays, bisexuals, and transgendered individuals has increased in America, half of America still believes that homosexuality is a "sin" or "wrong." While great strides have been made, this minority group is still treated as a pariah. Homosexual prejudice came from the source of all misunderstandings: ignorance. Homosexuality, by its very nature, attacks traditional gender roles. When most individuals attack homosexuality they are specifically targeting gay men. In contrast, lesbianism has an exotic quality to it that makes it acceptable to the male heterosexual community. What makes a man a man is no sissy stuff. This is the concept of hyper masculinity that straightjackets men into singular concepts, rather then a multitude of identities.
In college, the general notion that a student will develop who they are only further exacerbates the struggle to be defined as normal. The movie Brokeback Mountain challenges that stereotype by having the epitome of American masculinity, the cowboy, turned into a homosexual lover. Therefore, when student use the term "brokeback" they are redefining "gayness" as loving a man, regardless of whether someone exhibit qualities that are defined as masculine or feminine.
Be the first to comment on this story