How do we all feel about the content presented in Vaid's two essays?
While writing your response, try to keep these two questions in mind (you can touch on them as much or as little as you please. Also, although Vaid does define "equality" and "justice," these definitions are still open to interpretation. There is no wrong way to define these words/incorporate the definitions presented in the reading into your own definitions):
1. Should LGBT movements abandon their attempts at legal equality and normative forms of moral equality and seek justice instead? (In other words, which one will liberate us: equality or justice?)
- Furthermore, will equality, justice, or a combination of both be the most effective in eradicating misogyny/lesbian erasure within LGBT movements?
TB
Of all the essays, I liked "Still Ain't Satisfied" because it was more upbeat pointing out potential ways of achieving equality and justice for LGBT communities. For example, the author points out with gay marriage "Currently, 57% o Democrats favor making marriage legal, while only 23% of Republicans agrees" (Vaid, 6). Additionally, "In 2004, 56% answered, 'sexual relations between two adults of the same-sex are always wrong,' but by 2010, that number had dropped by 44%" (Vaid, 9). What this shows is that both people and government have progressed. If progress has gone this far, why give up now? There are without a doubt imperfections that need to be acknowledged like "Gay and lesbian couple families are significantly more likely to be poor than are heterosexual married couple families" or that "African American people in same-sex couples and same-sex couples who live in rural areas are much more likely to be poor than are white or urban same-sex couples" (Vaid, 13). Abandoning movement attempts will abandon people of various communities who want equality so badly. More importantly, "Lesbian and bisexual women of color and artists (writers, printers, musicians) were at the heart of the intellectual work being done to define what dykes wanted and stood for" (Vaid, 138). Killing activist movements, therefore not only kill progress but also the historical significance of fighting for LGBT communities. Reaching equality is hard and will take time, but measuring the amount of progress made over time makes fighting for equality worthwhile to continue. So basically, it is just a matter of completing what was started.
ReplyDeleteI think Urvashi Vaid has some really insightful things to say about how “dyke women,” which she includes to be lesbian, bi, and transgender women, have the potential to begin a new wave of social justice and equality at the same time. Vaid definitely acknowledges that mainstream the LGBT movement has become conformist and is only focusing on the narrow issues of “dating and relationships, love and marriage, horse and carriage” and that this has changed the movement to one “seeking to change who holds the power in the world…to being a movement fighting for our right to a picket fence” (142-143). Just like we have seen from previous authors on queer justice, there is a serious lack of representation of equality and justice issues that affect women, people of color, transgendered, and those who want more than the right to live in the suburbs and be “respectable.” In her speech “We’re Dykes, Don’t Touch Us, We’ll Hurt You,” Vaid asks that “dykes” at the March work towards equality on a social level as well as a political/legal level when she says,
ReplyDelete“Dykes disturb nature. We upend gender hierarchies. We stand for gender equality, racial equality, and social justice. We do not conform to the female script of subservience to men. Let us make dykes really loud, non-conforming, and visible as voters.”
On a social level, these women have the power to work towards justice by simply living lives that upset and challenge gender hierarchies. I see this kind of call to action as one that reclaims the grassroots type of dyke activism that Vaid talks about repeatedly in her speeches. However, she also wants those at the March to make change by voting, which leads me to believe that she still values change on a political and legal level. So to answer your second question Tristian, I agree with Vaid that we need a good combination of both legal/political equality as well as justice in the LGBTQ movement right now.
These essays brought up for me questions about middle class and generational changes of viewpoints that effect the movements. So is building up the middle class beneficial for the LBGT communities, and are we really changing views and creating more tolerance or are the ones holding onto old values of morality giving way to younger generations?
ReplyDeleteVaid questions the purpose of equality and what direction that it actually would take queer communities. This is great point, equal rights movements have yet to bring about equity, for example women or minority groups in places such as corporations and politics. There is still a glass ceiling and there are less and less young girls wanting to enter politics. She paints a very clear picture on how this affects queer communities.
“Rather, todays’ mainstream LGBT movement is strangely silent on the broader social justice challenges facing the world today, oddly complacent in its acceptance of race, gender, economic inequalities, and vocal only in its challenge to the conditions facing a de-raced and middle class conception of the status queer’ (Still Ain’t Satisfied 4).”
Overall in both essays I felt that she is right, that there comes complacency with falling into the norm. That in general, to look beyond our own safe, warm lives that there are still injustices out there hurting those in our communities through many forms of oppression. Again, intersectionality is a key component to facilitating growth in those communities for comradery and education for safety and other rights. I felt she is addressing the need for furthering community and activism growth to deal with both the cultural and legal structures to create change to include social justice issues on bigger levels for broader ranges of people.
After reading both articles by Urvashi Vaid I felt more knowledgeable in general. I liked Vaid’s constant use of facts to back up the many points made. I also found it troubling how many of these major LBGT movements seem to be focused on the “white gay male” leaving out many unheard voices. I also disliked how many of the movements seem to be only working towards legal equality and legal means to their cause. Moving towards legal equality is a great direction, at first. However the point that Vaid makes about how everyone should be moving towards cultural and social equality, is the point I agree with the most.
ReplyDeleteLaws are simple pieces of paper with many words on them. Laws do not change the hearts and minds of people and often laws are overlooked or altogether not followed or even worse, people find ways around them. This is a major problem in today’s society. Marriage equality has been achieved and that is great, however some churches and other places still refuse to marry certain people based on their sexuality alone. This is because making a law does not necessarily change the opinion of people. We need to work towards building a society that has a better view, attitude, and knowledge of the differing people and cultures around us. These major movements that claim to be working towards a better, accepting and more tolerant society where differing cultures and viewpoints are no longer looked down upon but instead celebrated, need to work towards legal means of course, but they also need to work with and within the people of today’s society to change how people and society as a whole view differing cultures and viewpoints.
After reading the selections from Urvashi Vaid, I immediately felt empowered and drawn into the arguments she was making, even though I am not a member of the LGBT community. I felt that mostly everything Vaid touched on resonated deeply with me and raised important questions of what I should do and think of issues regarding the LGBT movement ultimately questioning ideals of justice and equality and the importance of both in context of justifying this movement into one that is universal and can be accomplished.
ReplyDeleteIn the first selection titled "We're Dykes", Vaid focuses on the importance of the political power that movements must have and that through politics comes the power to have a force of change in society. The dyke movement did just that as women were using feminism and Sexuality to bring awareness, demand equality, and end social injustice from ocuring as a result of their gender and sexuality. Here, Vaid draws on the fact that justice and equality are necessary in movements in order to liberate indivudals, especially women. She writes, "Dykes disturb nature. We upend gender hierarchies. We stand for gender equality, racial equality, and social justice" (145). Here Vaid intermingles equality and different forms of it with justice. Through the realization of equality justice can be achieved in society. I believe this is further echoed in the other selected reading as she explains the LGBT community and their need for moral equality to free them socially from injustice.
Although this question is difficult I believe that equality and justice are not synonymous but are complimentary.
After reading the selections from Urvashi Vaid, I immediately felt empowered and drawn into the arguments she was making, even though I am not a member of the LGBT community. I felt that mostly everything Vaid touched on resonated deeply with me and raised important questions of what I should do and think of issues regarding the LGBT movement ultimately questioning ideals of justice and equality and the importance of both in context of justifying this movement into one that is universal and can be accomplished.
ReplyDeleteIn the first selection titled "We're Dykes", Vaid focuses on the importance of the political power that movements must have and that through politics comes the power to have a force of change in society. The dyke movement did just that as women were using feminism and Sexuality to bring awareness, demand equality, and end social injustice from ocuring as a result of their gender and sexuality. Here, Vaid draws on the fact that justice and equality are necessary in movements in order to liberate indivudals, especially women. She writes, "Dykes disturb nature. We upend gender hierarchies. We stand for gender equality, racial equality, and social justice" (145). Here Vaid intermingles equality and different forms of it with justice. Through the realization of equality justice can be achieved in society. I believe this is further echoed in the other selected reading as she explains the LGBT community and their need for moral equality to free them socially from injustice.
Although this question is difficult I believe that equality and justice are not synonymous but are complimentary.
Within these essays, I liked the questions that were posed: what is there left for the LGBTQ community to fight for? Before this class, I too was that woman at the dinner party asking if the movement was over (2). However, now I can see that there are many other things that this movement can fight for. I agree with what she says in her essay “We’re Dykes”, when she talks about how the next wave of movements should be ones of nonconformity. After learning what the term queer meant, I believe that the LGBTQ community should be one that doesn’t conform to the norm of society but should figure out different ways to receive and fight for justice. I think that the LGBTQ community should continue to fight for their equal rights within our society but find a way to make this fight “queer” and different.
ReplyDeleteOn page 145, she ends her essay with a calling to all the Dykes, saying, “Dykes disturb nature. We upend gender hierarchies. We stand for gender equality, racial equality, and social justice. We do not conform to the female script of subservience to men”. I really liked this quote because this new movement that she is talking about could really change our society for the better. Since the LGBTQ community does not want to conform, they will try to find another way to end these injustices within our society; this way might actually work to end the inequality compared to what we have been trying to do.
Overall, i enjoyed reading the essays because her opinions and the way she rights is different than the other things we have been reading. It is also interesting to see a woman of a minority race reflect on these issues and her input of what our society is doing about them/ what they should do about them today.
This reading was incredibly important because I feel as though the lesbian voice has been kept out of many of our discussions, better late than never! I feel as though Vaid had some very good points throughout both chapters, but I definitely enjoyed reading “were dykes, don’t touch us we’ll hurt you”. I don’t think her writing was as radical as the past writers that we have read, but I think her points are just as valid. I think the lesbian voice often times gets unheard and is very much under appreciated. As I was reading this, I couldn’t help but think about my best friend, who identifies herself as a “dyke”, however does nothing about the “movement”. She might not be as radical as the movements of the 70’s-90’s, however she is making a movement on her own by simply being “out” in our conservative hateful town.
ReplyDeleteANYWAYS, I think the LGBT movements need a re-vamp and make things a little more out there. With marriage equality out of the way, the LGBTQ movement needs to be brought back to life, and the time for lesbians and trans people to get their voices in. I don’t think they should necessarily need to conform, however I think people need to know that their fight isnt over, there is still so much work to be done.
I think equality is a good message to have, almost no one can argue with equality for all. However, preaching just equality does not always let everyone be aware of the structural injustices. Just something to think about.
After reading this I found myself feeling very empowered especially since I am a bisexual female. We have really talk about lesbians very much and this brought the voice of a very powerful lesbian to the for front. Lesbians voices have been silenced and not seen a important because to most people it is not seen as bad (I mean it is but not to the extent of being a gay or transgendered). Most people fetishize lesbians, guys especially think it is very hot. But Vaid points out the importance of having a voice. It doesn't have to be loud and sometimes it is as simple as being out. I also think that justice and equality don't have to be two separate things they can be one thing. You can have justice and equality if that is what a person wants. In being able to be married the LGBTQ community was given equality and justice in the sense they are equal to straight couples and they have been given the right that has been denied for so long. I think that only if you use both will movements be effective.
ReplyDelete