Presidential Debate on LGBT marriage

Blog 2

             "A pitched battle is being fought that could signal federalism's future--and it has nothing to   

do with health-care reform. Rather states and the U.S. House of Representatives are arguing the

validity of a 1996 law that defines marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman"

(Holeywell, 2012).

          
        Growing up in a generation that is on the cusp of acknowledging LGBT rights and having equality be a normal part of our life, and our way of thinking, it has been extremely enlightening, and exciting to hear that the United States of America's President, Barrack Obama has publicly stated his support of gay marriage.

       Even though this is technically an American political issue, we are deeply affected by American issues, stances and influential people in Canada. The stance on gay marriage by one of the most influential people in the U.S.A, will definitely trickle down and affect the mindset of Canadians. In Canada, we may have Gay marriage rights, but those rights come without the support of many Canadians,  and I do believe that the outcome of the American presidential race will affect Canadian thinking either in a positive way, or a negative way. With Canada's ever shifting political stance from liberalism to neo - conservatism, upcoming governments may attempt to take steps backwards in human rights concerning gay marriage if the U.S.A continues to oppress this population.

     If we look at the many generations it took to reform our thinking about other issues that were aimed at oppressed people, such: as black slavery, or Native American equality, or women's rights, it is truly amazing that we are moving at a speed that has already brought normalcy and tolerance in a span of a generation when in comparison to the other groups, which has taken multiple generations, and in many cases, is still a battle of rights being fought.

        President Obama has had other firsts, such as being the first visible minority president, and it is a wonderful thing to add "first gay president" (Murse, 2012) to his resume. The supportive stance taken by Barrack Obama will definitely sway the vote of the LGBT voting community, and "the fact that roughly seven in 10 LGBT voters can be expected to vote for Obama on Nov. 6 shows that these voters could be an important factor in helping him win re-election in a close race" (Gates & Newport, 2012). Weather Barrack Obama wins or not, an important milestone has been made; acknowledgment by an American powerhouse that gay marriage should be considered on an equal level as heterosexual marriage. "The president believes in treating everyone fairly and equally, with dignity and respect " ("Obama Backs," 2012). First steps in a brighter future for everyone? A political stance to gain votes? One issue at a time, one solution at a time.

Larissa

CBSNEWS. (2012). Obama Backs Gay Marriage Measures in Three States. Retrieved

            October 28, 2012, from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-

            57540759/obama-backs-gay-marriage-measures-in-3-states/

Gates, G, J., & Newport, F. (2012). LGBT Americans Skew Democratic, Largely Support

            Obama. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from

            http://www.gallup.com/poll/158102/lgbt-americans-skew-democratic-largely-

            support-obama.aspx

 Holeywell, R. (2012, November). Testing federalism: should states decide gay marriage?
              Governing, 26(2), 17. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com    
               /ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA308599282&v=2.1&u=saul58289&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

Murse, T. (2012). What Obama's Support of Gay Marriage Really Means. Retrieved

            October 28, 2012, from http://uspolitics.about.com/b/2012/05/09/what-obamas-

            support-of-gay-marriage-really-means.htm

European Sexuality in Medieval Times

European Sexuality in Medieval Times

Today we are continually fighting for our rights as humans to live as we want to live.  We are still fighting, in some places, to allow same sex marriage.  I often think, how can someone tell another person who they can and cannot show their love towards?  This seems barbaric and unjust!  As I think about what is unjust now in society I also look back on what it was like in the past.  Going back to medieval times when there are far worse punishments for those who were part of the LGBT community.  We are lucky to  live when identifying as queer is not, a sin, a crime and at some points punishable by death.  “The rabbinical commentators considered homosexual activity a serious crime that merited death by stoning.” (Brundage, 1995, p. 57)

Several of these theories stemmed from religious beliefs creating homosexuality a “sin”.  I find this very interesting because “Jesus said remarkably little about sexual conduct, and sex was not a central issue in his moral teaching.” (Brundage, 1995, p.2).  If this is being based on religion and is seen as a sin why is there very little to back up what the people are saying?  This is because according to Brundage (1995) his (Jesus’s) followers were much more concerned about sexual morality (p.2). Therefore society pushed for the “religious beliefs” and won the side of the people in power.  This is when society attempted, and succeeded in putting criminal penalties on homosexual acts. (Brundage, 1995). 

The main sexual act that was focused on was sodomy.  The Christian emperors, however, did not leave out the heterosexual couples in this law stating prohibitions to “sexual relations to man and wife in any fashion that does not involve penetration of the vagina by the penis”. (Brundage, 1995, p.108)  I may be looking at this a little strange but I felt that at least this was not a direct attack on the LGBT community.  This was punishable by death.  “Any man guilty of sodomy should be burnt to death” (Brundage, 1995, p.213).  Sexuality should be free and if you connect with someone you should be able to express this in any way including sexually.  It is hard to read that so many people were repressed from attempting to show who they really are.

Someone who is performing homosexual acts in this era were viewed as sexual deviants (Brundage, 1995) and are not really looked at as a person who could love the other person.  The most radical of punishments was given to those who identified as queer, death (Brundage, 1995).  Religion still plays a role in the fight against the LGBT community; I feel it is only a matter of time before this ideology falls away with the thought that homosexuality was a crime. I see how far we have come and know that there is so much farther to go.  Knowing this background allows me to appreciate and keep on fighting and advocating for the rights of the LGBT community.

Britney

Brundage, J. (1995). Law, Sex and Christian Society in Medieval Europe. Chicago:

University of Chicago Press.

Two Spirited - First Nations, in the Pre-Contact Era

          Many people today are unaware of the term "two-spirit" and even if they have heard the word before - it doesn't mean that they understand what it means.  From my learning and understanding, two-spirit means that one person has two spirits within them.  One spirit being more masculine, and the other being more feminine.  Studies show that "information about sexual orientation and transgender issues for Aboriginal cultures date back to 1555" (Napoleon, 2002, p. 153). 

          In pre-contact times, "Aboriginal communities were known to be very compassionate, very open and tolerated issues around sexual orientation" (Napoleon, 2002, p. 150).  Firstly, it was seen that "sexual freedom and opposite-sex marriage was accepted, and one did not have to be a special healer or shaman to be accepted as gay" (Napoleon, 2002, p. 154).  Secondly, "sexuality was seen as a gift from the spirit world and restriction of sexual behaviour was not an accepted societal function" (Napoleon, 2002, p. 154).   

          Although in some Aboriginal communities and at some points in time, being two-spirited was not always looked at as acceptable or the norm.  However the "preservation of ceremonial and social cultures by American Indians provides the basis for which to make arguments against the acceptance of LGBT Native lifestyles" (Gilley, 2010, p. 48).  According to Gilley (2010) the diverse separation and changed thoughts on sexuality began during the European contact time.  During this time many "Indians began to convert to Christianity and they accepted the idea that same-sex relationships were sinful" (Gilley, 2010, p. 52).  After this huge change for the Aboriginal peoples, "ceremonial and social practices that incorporated two-spirited people were declined and not accepted" (Gilley, 2010, p. 53). 

          After the European contact the "homophobia" and "discrimination" begins.  "Most Aboriginal gay men, lesbian, and transgendered people leave the reserves and move to large, urban centres to find anonymity, acceptance, and safety" (Napoleon, 2002, p. 158).  Overtime many tribes lost their ceremonies and practices.  Gilley (2010) mentioned that "A Lakota elder and ceremonial leader said that we can't let these ways die over hate for gay people" (p. 56).     

          It is hard and sad to believe that something that was once looked at so accepted in the pre-contact era could change so drastically during European contact.  "As long as Aboriginal nations do not undertake to end discrimination against gay men, lesbians, and transgendered people, they accept homophobia and the continued loss of citizens who must seek safety and acceptance far away from home" (Napoleon, 2002, p. 171).  Not only will communities lose people, they will also lose social and ceremonial practices. 

References

Gilley, B.J. (2010).  Native Sexual Inequalities: American Indian Cultural Conservative

Homophobia and the Problem of Tradition.  Sexualities, 47-68. 


Napoleon, V. (2002).  Raven's Garden: A Discussion about Aboriginal Sexual Orientation and

Transgender Issues.  HeinOnline, 149-171.


Meagan

Non-normative Sexualities in Europe

   The term “queer” has only come into the English language recently and is finally becoming more publicized. In early European societies people who would today be called “queer” were called people with non-normative sexualities. They were not normal, according to what the social norm was, which is how the term “queer” was derived. It means odd, weird, different, not normal. Over time more people have become more comfortable with coming out with their true sexuality. It has been a long struggle though through the times for people to become comfortable enough to do this.

   In medieval times homosexual relationships were direly frowned upon. The term homosexual was actually not an actual word in the English language until 1892 (Boston: Twayne, 1987). According to the Christian church the only kind of sexual intercourse was between a married couple and it had to lead to procreation, and only if you did not enjoy it too much. Any other kind of sexual relations were deemed as bad (London: Longmans, Green, 1955).
   Overall early European societies were not as accepting and open as we are today to people being different or "queer". It took time but luckily people are finally starting to feel able to come out with who they are, what their sexuality really is. I wish this could have happened from the beginning because this added stress of having to abide by societies norms is a horrible way to live. We still see that in our world today, but not as drastically as it was  hundreds of years ago.

Alexandra

Adam, Barry D. The Rise of a Gay and Lesbian Movement. Boston: Twayne, 1987.

Bailey, Derrick Sherwin. Homosexuality and the Western Christian Tradition. Hamden, CT: Archon, 1975.

Bray, Alan. Homosexuality in Renaissance England. London: Gay Men's, 1982.

Two-Spirited First Nations Pre-Contact Era

The term two-spirited has been influenced by the first nations meaning to express a range of non-normative sexualities and gender identities. But now the term two-spirited has been added on to a long list of identities including queer, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and transgender.  The idea of two-spirit has roots in a historical understanding of third gender roles in pre-colonial Native American societies. Many pre-contact Native peoples had a conception of a gender role that was neither male nor female (Herdt 1994). After colonization the aboriginal people became less welcoming of the two-spirited members, something that they were so fond of before but because it turned into something “so ugly” they forced the members to form their own communities outside of their own tribes and they would enter into a larger city with more two-spirited aboriginals and queer white people. But the two-spirited natives weren’t only frowned upon by their own people but also the white queers. They weren’t considered the same. Past and present assimilation policies continue to affect the lived experiences of two-spirited persons (pedneault 2009). Residential/boarding schools contributed to eroding the viability of third-gender roles as a social institution among Native people. The schools’ operations were segregated by sex according to European understandings of a gender binary (Miller 1996, p. 420; Williams 1986, p. 180). So not only were the two-spirited natives turned away from their own people but also the people who were already trying to change their culture. The two spirited aboriginals had a rough time getting accepted by anyone but them selves. The Christian European mission tried to “civilize” the agenda of the racial and name calling but it wasn’t until later that it was accepted, and still to this day it is still frowned upon in some cultures and by some elder people. 

Two-Spirit People: Urban Aboriginality and the Remaking of Traditions

Joel Pedneault

Olofsson, Ebba. (2004) In Search of a Fulfilling Identity in a Modern World. Uppsala: Department of Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology.

O’Neil, J. (1993). The path to healing: Report of the National Round Table on Aboriginal Health and Social Issues. (Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.) Ottawa, Canada: Ministry of Supplies and Services Canada. Cited in Adelson, 2000.

Standing Bear, Luther. (1928) My People the Sioux. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. Cited in Niezen, 2000.

Stanley, Sandra Kumamoto. (1994) Claiming a Native American Identity: Zitkala-Sa and Autobiographical Strategies. Pacific Coast Philology 29: 64-69.

Waldram, J. (1997). Present is Past. Some Uses of Tradition in Native Societies. Marie Mauzé (ed.), Lanham: University Press of America. Cited in Olofsson, 2004.

York, Geoffrey. (1989) The Dispossessed: Life and Death in Native Canada. Toronto: Little Brown and Company (1992 edition).

https://www.mcgill.ca/files/misc/Kanata_Journal.pdf#page=66

The REGULATION OF
FIRST NATIONS SEXUALITY
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- Lorie-Anne