Today, I was having my students do an improv activity in which they had to propose scenarios for partners to act out in front of the class. A pair of girls was standing up there, when I called on a male student to propose a scenario. He proposed that "they are on a date together because they are exploring their sexuality." I did not use the scenario, but the rest of the class laughed, and I had to struggle not to join in. This moment, while funny, is also a reminder of the fetishization of lesbianism in our heteronormative society.*
Then, I was planning for next week's lesson. I have to do a rather boring textbook reading about genetically modifying human beings, and wanted to find cartoons to discuss in order to spice up the lesson. I found a hysterical cartoon of a four-breasted woman. The caption says that of course women's breasts would be the first thing scientists genetically modify. I found the cartoon funny, but wonder if it is appropriate to share with a class. If a professor of mine shared a comic like that in class, I might or might not have been uncomfortable, depending on the class and the professor. I would, in general however, be much more comfortable with a female professor sharing such a cartoon with a male professor. But doesn't this double standard go against the equality that feminism strives for? Does equality mean men should be as able as women to tell sexist jokes/share sexist cartoons (though I do beleive this cartoon, in the guise of sexist humor, is actually criticizing society's objectification of women) without being accused of harrasment or of being mysogynist? If I show this cartoon, am I "buying into the patriarchy", saying a) I have the right to show this because I am a woman b) It is ok to laugh at women's breasts as part of this lesson?
By the way, my fellow teacher chose not to do the supermodel picture in class. Instead he brought in pictures of superman, and of a random sad person.
On another note, everyone seems to be saying Bachman is gay. Make no mistake about it: I am no fan of Bachman or of reparative "therapy", however, the satire has become malicious, and is also homophobic. The implication is that being gay is funny, and that if you talk or dance a certain way, you must be gay. This type of attitude is responsible for a lot of anti-gay bullying, which also affects straight men with supposedly "gay" mannerisms.
I understand this bullying is coming from the pro-gray rights lobby, however, that does not make it ok, and ultimately, it is counter-productive, since it feeds off of homophobic values. I think there is this desire to prove Bachman a fake, and prove reparative therapy a fake, and if Bachman is gay - presto! You've proven he is a hypocrite, and you've proven reparative therapy is fake - it's simply closeted gay men's way of diverting attention from their gayness, a homophobic pseudo-therapy that is the projection of these closeted men's desire to get rid of their own gay identities. One should not have to stoop to such levels to prove both Bachman and reparative therapy false: We have facts (Bachman offered a scientifically discredited therapy and misadvertised his therapy institute, and is a hypocrite in many other aspects of life as well) on our side, so let's use them to have a serious debate about Bachman and a serious discussion on the harms of reparative therapy, instead of giving the gay rights movement a bad reputation by engaging in mean jokes that are disrespectful not only to Marcus Bachman, but also to his relationship with his wife, Michelle.
I have just defended a tea-partier. I think Mashiach is coming.
Slate has had great coverage of this issue:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2011/07/14/dan_savage_suggests_marcus_bachmann_is_gay_.html
http://www.slate.com/id/2299300/
Also, food for thought:
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/07/14/city_of_men
http://carolineheldman.wordpress.com/2011/06/30/rape-in-a-small-texas-town-football-family-and-politics/
* I had a poster collage of all the homoerotic imagery of women in the issue of Vogue that had Michelle Obama on the cover, but this poster mysteriously "dissappeared" during a visit home....
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