Homework Question on Sexuality and Personal Identity
- Please answer the following three questions. And you will need use some information from the Prezi.
- Here is the link: https://prezi.com/1drztc4k6bty/sexualities-and-identities/ (Links to an external site.)
- Why is it important to not always think of identity from a U.S.-centric “lens,” or perspective? Discuss both Altman’s and Aguilar-San Juan’s essays in your answer.
- In thinking about Messner’s essay and Aguilar – San Juan’s essay, how does sexuality intersect with a person’s identity within a specific culture such as the U.S. “sports culture,” or Asian American culture?
- Why do you think poetry is an important tool of feminism, specifically for women whose voices are not often heard in mainstream feminism? Choose a poem that you feel speaks to you and share it here in this discussion (you can choose a poem that you like, or, if you are not familiar with poetry, you can do an internet search on poetry and find something you like).
Homework Answer on Sexuality and Personal Identity
Globalization has contributed in discovering new identities, particularly among the youth. Gay world has become a global sub-culture where individuals belonging to a particular group feel more comfortable interacting with the world than they do within their immediate societies (Altman 87). Thus, it has become almost impossible to think of personal identity from the US perspective because it is more acceptable to identify individual’s sexual orientation away from home than at home.
According to Aguila-San Juan, going home incorporates “entering a closet of furtive whispers and private pain” (25). If the world has accepted the idea of multiculturalism, the affirmation of gay/lesbian identities should never be an issue, especially in the first world.Heterosexuality and whiteness do not require any form of explanation because they appeal to everyone in society. Self-identified heterosexual may undergo all forms of orientations in life as part of their natural development and attainment of authenticity.
However, According to Messner, homosexuals may engage in sporting activities to hide their identities and maintain their status in their teams (89). Such individuals can even discuss about sex and women so that they can hide their inner personalities. Messner’s theory purports that boys and girls are essentially different with distinct identities, hence, cannot perform similar duties, even in sports.