Is it possible to prevent hate crimes such as these solely through increased law enforcement? After all their job is to protect all citizens equally, though we know that's not true in all cases. The many author's in Queer (In)justice state "Sadly, despite increased awareness, local, state, and federal legislative efforts, and heightened law enforcement response in some localities, the numbers and intensity of homophobic and trasphobic violent incidents have proven intractable" (Mogul,120). In other words, achieving queer justice cannot be limited to fixing political or law enforcement structures. Although necessary, it must be recognized that because government and police forces have worked against LGBT communities, it is part of the reason for such hate crimes.
The potential for working towards a better community I believe is there. Societal structures are not perfect, but as the author points out and today's legalization of gay marriage, it is not like the problems were not recognized and no actions were taken. Along with fixing politics and law enforcement, activist movements should still persist this way we have efforts within society and at higher levels. Most importantly however, is a space where people feel they can express themselves. "For instance, ALP's S.O.S Collective has developed a Safe Neighborhood campaign, empowering community members to take proactive measures to prevent violence, intervene when violent situations arise, and build stronger relationships between LGBT people of color and their communities. S.O.S members have recruited and trained restaurants, schools, churches, community organizations, and businesses to become 'Safe Spaces' for LGBT people of color" (Mogul, 150). Having areas where people can freely express themselves allows for more community involvement. In this case since both men were from the military, those communities should be involved with the LGBT movements. Part of people's patriotism is respecting military members for their service and this incident not only insults gay men, but also those of military service.
So in conclusion, addressing queer injustice not only consists of fixing political structures, but also continuing activist movements that continually recruit more members. The incident involving the gay members from West Point should have military communities involved with LGBT community movements. We all know how important it is to respect military members for their service, but this case is a direct violation to this principle. The idea of patriotism has been jumbled throughout history. The United States is a place of equality yet there is still discrimination and hate crimes from government, law enforcement, and other people within society. Patriotism should not be about ignorance and lack of progression. It should be the exact opposite. The lack of progression is only leads to further discrimination and protest. Ignoring these issues just prolongs this country from becoming better. The potential to achieve queer justice is there. There are activist movements, increased awareness of the issues, fixation of politics, and most importantly safe areas of expression that can continually recruit more members. The work has to continue both in the structure of government and the rest of society. If gay marriage has been established already, why not shoot for greater ambitions? This revolutionary event had been accomplished through the consistency of protest eventually changing the law making this country more tolerable for others. It is not an overnight result for sure, but over time because the protest have built up so much people begin to realize how large scale the problem really is. If movements are consistent and governments become more progressive, then in time success will come. It is highly possible as well that favorable results can be established at a quicker pace since progression has happened, much like a domino effect. The movements just have to be consistent working with various institutions and making their movements heard by having more members.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/west-point-gay-arrest_55cb697be4b0923c12bed1af
The potential for working towards a better community I believe is there. Societal structures are not perfect, but as the author points out and today's legalization of gay marriage, it is not like the problems were not recognized and no actions were taken. Along with fixing politics and law enforcement, activist movements should still persist this way we have efforts within society and at higher levels. Most importantly however, is a space where people feel they can express themselves. "For instance, ALP's S.O.S Collective has developed a Safe Neighborhood campaign, empowering community members to take proactive measures to prevent violence, intervene when violent situations arise, and build stronger relationships between LGBT people of color and their communities. S.O.S members have recruited and trained restaurants, schools, churches, community organizations, and businesses to become 'Safe Spaces' for LGBT people of color" (Mogul, 150). Having areas where people can freely express themselves allows for more community involvement. In this case since both men were from the military, those communities should be involved with the LGBT movements. Part of people's patriotism is respecting military members for their service and this incident not only insults gay men, but also those of military service.
So in conclusion, addressing queer injustice not only consists of fixing political structures, but also continuing activist movements that continually recruit more members. The incident involving the gay members from West Point should have military communities involved with LGBT community movements. We all know how important it is to respect military members for their service, but this case is a direct violation to this principle. The idea of patriotism has been jumbled throughout history. The United States is a place of equality yet there is still discrimination and hate crimes from government, law enforcement, and other people within society. Patriotism should not be about ignorance and lack of progression. It should be the exact opposite. The lack of progression is only leads to further discrimination and protest. Ignoring these issues just prolongs this country from becoming better. The potential to achieve queer justice is there. There are activist movements, increased awareness of the issues, fixation of politics, and most importantly safe areas of expression that can continually recruit more members. The work has to continue both in the structure of government and the rest of society. If gay marriage has been established already, why not shoot for greater ambitions? This revolutionary event had been accomplished through the consistency of protest eventually changing the law making this country more tolerable for others. It is not an overnight result for sure, but over time because the protest have built up so much people begin to realize how large scale the problem really is. If movements are consistent and governments become more progressive, then in time success will come. It is highly possible as well that favorable results can be established at a quicker pace since progression has happened, much like a domino effect. The movements just have to be consistent working with various institutions and making their movements heard by having more members.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/west-point-gay-arrest_55cb697be4b0923c12bed1af
No comments:
Post a Comment