Final Report for School

mydogstewie · May 24, 2010

Hopefully it sends a message:

All Men Created Equal? Not particularly.
On October 6th, 1998, Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming, was heading to Fireside Lounge, a local bar. As he was walking down the sidewalk, a car driven by Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney pulled up to Shepard. They pretended to be gay, looking for dates and offered to give him a ride to the bar, so he wouldn’t have to walk. Matthew agreed and got in. Shepard was beaten, robbed, pistol whipped, brutally tortured, tied to a fence and left to die. A man who originally thought Shepard was a scarecrow discovered him 18 hours later. It was reported that Shepard was beaten so badly that his whole face was covered in blood, except for where his tears had washed away the blood. At the hospital, the injuries were too severe to operate on. He had internal bleeding, skull fractures and severe brain stem damage. He was placed on full life support and intensive care until he died a day later. Henderson and McKinney were later arrested and during the trial said they had targeted him because he was gay (“Matthew Shepard Foundation”).

Lawrence King, a 13-year-old boy from Oxnard, California, decided he would wear designer boots and makeup to school, as he had the past few months. Teachers thought it was against the dress code, but California law prohibits gender discrimination. Since the time Lawrence was in third grade, the boys in school made fun of him constantly calling him names. On February 12th, 2008, the day started out as normal. The children were in the computer lab working on projects when, at approximately 8:15 am, fellow student Brandon Mclnerney pulled out a .22 caliber revolver from his book bag and shot Lawrence two times in the head. Brandon fled the scene and was apprehended a few blocks away. Lawrence was placed on life support and died two days later. Lawrence was killed because he was gay. He was only 13 years old (Cathcart)
Brutal hate crimes against the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community have been happening across the globe. Countries in Africa give the death penalty for being gay, while others give life in prison (Swidler). Why is it, that in today’s society, you are ostracized and taunted if you are perceived as anything but straight? It happens all the time, and I am on a journey to figure out why.

Ever since the beginning of time, hatred for a certain group of people has been prevalent for an abundance of reasons. For example, until the 1960’s, African Americans experienced severe discrimination and hate from other people in society. Segregation was created because white people thought black people were “evil” and “bad” and wanted to create a wall of no interaction. This same situation exists with people in society think that being gay is “wrong” or “unnatural”. This report will examine the source of this hate for the LGBT community and why there is wall between people who are tolerant and people who are intolerant. Religion? Is the bible and the perception of gay throughout the church the cause? Environment? Did they grow up around people who taught them the lies about gay people? This is the essential question I will try to answer.

One thing that sticks out is demographics: where same sex marriage is supported and where it is not. Only 5 states allow full same sex marriage, but it’s not shocking that they are only in the north. It’s true, not all states that don’t’ allow same-sex marriage didn’t necessarily support segregation; it’s still puzzling to know why. The southern and central states are definitely the most religious and conservative. Fred Phelps is the leader of the Westboro Baptist church. The WBC travels all across the country protesting soldier’s funerals, gay student’s graduations, and such. They believe that God hates America because we are tolerant of gay people. They picket with signs such as, “God Hates Fags”, and “Thank God for 9/11”. These people are disgusting and in reality, if there is a hell, they are the ones going to it.

I know that some people use the bible to justify their hate for gay people. In the 2007 film, For the Bible Tells Me So tells the story of the conflict between religious life and being gay. It includes several stories about people who grew up in the religious life and their struggle for acceptance. One story, for example, is that of Gene Robinson, the first openly gay non-celibate bishop of the Episcopal Church. This event created uproar throughout the Christian churches. What is the big deal with religion and homosexuality? Christian denominations hold different views on the issue of homosexual activity, ranging from outright condemnation to complete acceptance. In accordance with the traditional values of Abrahamic religions, most Christian denominations welcome people attracted to the same sex, but teach that same-sex relationships and homosexual sex are sinful (Swidler) . Most Catholics believe the homosexuality is wrong because of certain bible verses. For example, Leviticus 18:22 states that, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination” (Catholic Bible). Most people believe this statement directly, but as with any bible verse, you have to look at the context of the passage. Reverend Susan Sparks, in the film, For the Bible Tells Me So, explains this:

To me that’s the important thing to recognize: the historical context in which this was written. That particular section on a man not lying with a man goes to procreation. It is about a nation trying to grow. At the time, the Hebrew people understood that male seed was actually all of nascent life contained right there – women had nothing to do with actually the birth except for just incubation, so that particular section was about saving seed, saving seed only to procreate so the nation could grow.

Reverend Dr. Laurence Keene also says a lot in For the Bible Tells Me So, about what was an abomination in the Old Testament:
There’s nothing wrong with a fifth grade understanding of God, as long as you’re in the fifth grade…There is no ability to procreate when you engage in homosexual behavior, so it was a violation of a cultural norm. [This was] the sin of Onan in the Old Testament, where Onan is sentenced to death because he ejaculates out of the woman’s body, so his partner doesn’t get pregnant. As the King James Version says, ‘Onan spills his seed upon the ground, and God strikes him dead.’ It was ritually impure. It was an abomination.

On May 13th, 2010, while Pope Benedict XVI was in Fatima, Portugal, while making a speech in front of hundreds of thousands of people, said that gay marriage and abortion are, “two of the most "insidious and dangerous" threats facing the world today. While the Pope uses words, Uganda uses force. Uganda’s new law “proposes a mandatory death sentence for active homosexuals living with HIV or in cases of same-sex rape. Anyone convicted of a homosexual act faces life imprisonment. And the friends and families of gay Ugandans could face up to seven years in jail if they fail to report them to the authorities” (“Times”)

Fear is the biggest factor in the source of hate (Weinblatt). For example, a 1961 film entitled Boys Beware taught kids that homosexuals were “child molesters” and that homosexuality can be cured. This film was true to the 1950’s and 60’s stereotypes of homosexuals (IMDb). Parents of school children who then warned the kids to stay away from any suspected “homosexuals” saw this film. Throughout the 1950’s after World War II, the U.S. State department created a list of suspected communists. On this list were homosexuals. The FBI started to keep a list of all known homosexuals.

Since people thought that communism was an imminent threat, chaos followed as state and local governments started to create task forces to try to rid the cites, parks, and beaches of homosexuals. “They outlawed the wearing of opposite gender clothes, and universities expelled instructors suspected of being homosexual” (Adam 59). ]

But, in 1969 at Stonewall Inn, located in Greenwich Village, New York, a popular dance club for gays, lesbians and transvestites, which was frequently raided by the police, a historic event took place. When police raided Stonewall Inn, the people in the club were required to line up and present identification. Those without identification or dressed in full drag were arrested; others were allowed to leave. (Duberman). The people who were arrested were gathered outside and waited for the police vans to take them to the station. When the second van arrived, the crowd was ten times larger than it had been when the raid happened. A bystander yelled “gay power!” then all hell broke loose. The people who were arrested started to fight the police back. “An officer shoved a transvestite, who responded by hitting him on the head with her purse as the crowd began to boo (Carter 148). The chaos then started. People began throwing coins, bricks and other objects at the police vans, breaking the windows. Some police officers were even trapped inside the inn. Police started to fight back, drawing their guns. They formed a phalanx to try to push the crowd back, but the crowd started to mock the police. When the riot was finally over, the city of Greenwich felt a sense of urgency. There were protests and the gay rights movement started. This became a landmark event, and the Stonewall inn was named an historic landmark. This event was so historical because it gave way to people becoming proud of who they are and realized they are not alone, and that they need to fight for their rights. Cities started to have gay pride parades and the government realized the gay community was not backing down (Carter 160). In the heat of the gay pride era, a new face began to emerge and that would be the face of Harvey Milk.

Harvey Milk was born on May 22, 1930 in Woodmere, New York. Milk realized he was gay from an early age (West). After high school, Milk attended Albany State College and graduated in 1951. He then enrolled in the U.S. Navy and loved it. After the Navy, he became interested in the arts, and became an associate producer for both Broadway and off-Broadway (Milk) When on tour with a Broadway show, he traveled to San Francisco and decided to stay there. He decided he was going to live as an openly gay man and wanted to raise awareness in the government. Milk decided to first run for the Board of Supervisors in 1973 and lost. He ran again in 1977 and won. The campaign was the hardest thing he would ever do. Being an openly gay man during the 70’s was daring, but running for public office was like a death wish. He recruited almost all of the gay community in San Francisco during his 1977 campaign; he received hundreds of death threats (West). He decided that since he would be in the spotlight of homophobia, to create a will. He used a tape recorder, and during the tape he said, “If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy ever closet door” (Milk). This was to become true on November 27, 1978. After Milk had served 11 years in office, Dan White, a former supervisor, snuck in through a basement window at city hall to avoid police and metal detectors. He then shot Mayor George Moscone and Harvey Milk. Although Harvey Milk was dead, his legacy would carry on for decades because you could say that Harvey Milk started the gay rights movement.

Today in the 21st century, the LGBT community still struggles for civil rights. Even though there is much less discrimination, it still exists. There is also a vast study on whether or not being gay is a choice. This leads to the school situation.

If you walk down the halls of any school in America, you will probably hear things like, “that’s so gay”, or, “yeah, he’s such a fag”. I asked a student in my class if they have a problem with gay people, they said no. I then proceeded to ask them why they make fun of gay people then, he said they were, “an easy target” (Zach). He then proceeded to say that if his son turned out to be gay, he would do anything to make him straight. This language may seem to be homophobic but in reality, kids don’t even know it has anything to do with being prejudice toward homosexuals. According to thinkb4youspeak.com, 60.8% of LGBT students feel unsafe because of their sexual orientation. Think back to how Lawrence King was teased and taunted all day just because he was gay. The school administration keeps their mouth shut on all of these issues. For example, in March of 2010, a school in Mississippi cancelled the prom because Constance McMillan was not allowed to bring her girlfriend. The school eventually said they could go to prom, but they could not be affectionate. Constance put the school board on trial and the school eventually decided to hold the prom. On prom night, Constance and her girlfriend arrived at the dance. There was only 7 people there, included all the people with mental and physical disabilities at the school. As it turns out, the school board organized a separate prom for the rest of the students at a secret location. This shows that some school boards don’t care about the fair treatment of the gay students in their school. This is totally unacceptable and an outrageous act by the school board.

Although some schools don’t care, some schools actually do want to create a safe environment. Kevin Jennings was a history teacher at Concord Academy. He decided that enough was enough. The school was filled with homophobia and he needed to stop it. He created the first ever Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) in America. GSA’s create a safe space for LGBT students to go and share their problems and spread awareness of prejudice and discrimination. Gay straight alliances are a great way for kids to get support if they are struggling, especially since kids are coming out of the closet earlier these days (Moloney). The acceptance of gays is in some ways a generational issue. Younger people seem to be more liberal and accepting towards gay people. Is this a step in the right direction?

I think that there is so much more to be done especially with the rise of anti-gay movements. One of these movements are, “Protect Marriage”, “Americans for Truth”, the “Westboro Baptist Church”, and conservatives across the country. On June 16, 2008, California started to grant marriage licenses to same sex couples. This outraged many religious groups and the Mormon Church started to get serious. They created a bill known as Proposition 8, a bill rewriting the constitution in California to state that marriage is only between a man and a woman. The LGBT community furiously worked to have people vote “no” on Prop. 8. Most of the people voting for Proposition 8 were religious organizations. The church of latter day saints (Mormon) was one of the most avid endorsers. They spent millions on campaigns trying to make the bill a law. A group of conservatives created a campaign called Protect Marriage. This campaign was designed to instill fear in the American people. The campaign created wild, false stories about how gay marriage would lead to divorce, and even turning children gay in school. They say it would ruin “traditional marriage”. These arguments are completely false. Christian conservative activists “working for God” runs groups like these, as they spread their hate around and ruin others lives. Why are conservatives so afraid of letting gay’s have rights? It all goes back to the 1960’s.

The 1960’s was sex revolution; birth control was invented, and people realized that they didn’t have to worry about getting pregnant. They could have sex before marriage. Conservatives are all focused on the family, and they feel that the family is the center of society, and if the definition of family changes, society will collapse. The truth is that gay marriage has been around for years and nothing has happened! The sky did not fall, the world did not end; people just lived normally.

Gay marriage and abortions are both conservatives worst enemy. They believe that matters of sexuality and gender identity stand out. In 1973, abortion was finally legalized for the first three months of pregnancy. Conservatives got angry and created pro-life marches such as March for Life. Conservatives will also say that gay marriage will ruin the values of the parents. For example, the website Americans for Truth, speaks of a homosexual agenda. The actually truth is that there is no agenda. This is another fear tactic they have created. In one post, they talk about a TV show where there is a gay couple. There is a picture of a heterosexual couple and a same-sex couple. The caption below the picture says, “showing the show's normal couple (left) greet each other with a kiss, while the abnormal couple (male-male, at right) greets each other with a hug” (A4T) The truth is, conservatives and traditionalists in every society have always attempted to make sexual behavior and reproduction in order to maintain existing social hierarchies. When you look at the overall picture of the world, conservative organizations but in actuality they are on the decline and they realize this.

Some people are also afraid of contact with any gay people. This is because of a long told rumor that all gay people have Aids. This doesn’t make sense, as some gay people have never had sex, therefore they cannot contract the disease.
What drives them to say that the same-sex couple is an, “abnormal couple”? Once again we are greeted by religion. They say god “condemns” this kind of behavior. What makes them think like this? “Racism, hatred, intolerance and bigotry are the artifacts of fear” (Weinblatt). As Franklin D. Roosevelt said in his famous speech, “The only thing to fear is fear itself”(Roosevelt). Is that what conservatives try to do in society, instill fear in Americans so that they can win. One thing that they try to get people to fear is Aids. One lie that they tell is that every gay person has Aids. Of course this does not make sense because some of they have never had sex, but as Adolf Hitler once said, “Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it”. This is what they are doing, telling the same lies over and over. They years we have spent believing these lies and people are finally starting to realize that these lies are just made up.

Does the media have anything to do with the stereotypes of gay people? In my opinion and based on the research I have examined, yes, it has. In 2000, Queer As Folk, a show telling the story of five gay men living in Pittsburg premiered. I loved ever second of the show, but it portrayed gays in the worst light possible. It showed them as sex addicts that wanted nothing but to go to clubs, do drugs and hook up. This stereotype is frequently used as a justification for the idea that gays will corrupt the youth. In 1998, a show called Will and Grace premiered. It told the story of a successful lawyer named Will. He is portrayed as a feminine male. This came to be, and is still known, as the typical “gay” person, but in reality the media has skewed our idea of who these people are (Stossel and Binkely). Gays and Lesbians are everyday people, they could be the star quarter back on your football team or maybe your English teacher, you never know.

The media has also been covering Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) and it’s repeal. Don’t ask, Don’t tell is a government policy set up by President Clinton that says if you tell anyone in the military you are gay, bi, or anything different than heterosexuality, you are discharged. To me, this is the most blatant form of discrimination set up in the United States. People that support DADT often use the argument that they will be in close quarters and then maybe the gay people would have sex with the straight people. Honestly, this argument makes no sense. People need to realize that there already are gays in the military but are not out. How can it be said that anything will change the second you allow for openly gay people in the military (H. R. 1283). DADT was not the only discriminatory law set up under President Clinton. The Defense of Marriage act was set up to protect marriage. The law states that:
No State, territory, or possession of the United States, or Indian tribe, shall be required to give effect to any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other State, territory, possession, or tribe respecting a relationship between persons of the same sex that is treated as a marriage under the laws of such other State, territory, possession, or tribe, or a right or claim arising from such relationship

This law basically says that the federal definition of marriage is between one man and one woman and no state has to recognize same-sex couples. People have been questioning the constitutionality of this law. This law illegally violates the fourteenth amendment of the constitution: "No state shall ... deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws". It is clearly a violation of the constitution set up by our founding fathers. “All men are created equal” is a lie and will always be.
In conclusion, there really is no way to say why people have hatred and intolerance toward gay people, and truth is, we may never know. But one thing is for certain: in the next hundred years, gay marriage will come to America nation wide. The truth is that gay rights will come. Maybe not in the next few years, or maybe in the next few decades, but they will come.
Click to expand...

Zach1992 · May 24, 2010

Love it!

Lady Gaga · May 24, 2010

I agree, it's fantastic.

The fact that you used perfect grammar is just..amazing. You're 15, I help a teacher in her senior class looking over papers for grammar issues, and I swear 90% of them write like this:

well in the old days people whoud go to the mall and fight and buy and eat

Now, of course that is just a random example, not intended to make sense. But you get my point.

What you said, was amazing.

How you set it up, was amazing.

A+

mydogstewie · May 24, 2010

Thank you, I hate bad grammar, I always double and triple check for all grammar mistakes haha

Thanks again

Shevanel · May 24, 2010

Are you going to use correct formatting on the final version? Sources and Works Cited and etc? You should.

mydogstewie · May 24, 2010

Yeah, it's double spaced, correct mla works cited and stuff

Shevanel · May 24, 2010

So you edited the format for us? xD

mydogstewie · May 24, 2010

No, I just don't know how to do double spaced

Shevanel · May 24, 2010

Nah, I mean citing within the paper at the appropriate points and stuff, around quotes and stuff.

mydogstewie · May 24, 2010

I did...I haven't finished though but there are some in there

Cathcart, Rebecca. "Boy’s Killing, Labeled a Hate Crime, Stuns a Town." New York Times 2008, Print.

"Matthew's Story." Matthew Shepard Foundation (1998): n. pag. Web. 18 May 2010.

Swidler, Arlene. Homosexuality and World Religions. 1st. Valley Forge: Trinity Press International, 1993. Print.

For The Bible Tells Me So. Dir. Daniel Karslake. Perf. Genevieve Robinson, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Imogene Robinson. First Run Features, 2007. Film.

Moloney, Kevin. "Gay Teens Coming out Earlier to Peers and Family." USA Today 2007: n. pag. Web. 18 May 2010.

Weinblatt, Charles. "Why Do People Hate?." eZine Articles. N.p., 2009. Web. 20 May 2010.

"Franklin D. Roosevelt." Presidents. The White House, n.d. Web. 20 May 2010.

Stossel, John, and Gena Binkley. "Gay Stereotypes: Are They True?." 20/20 (2006): 3. Web. 20 May 2010.

"Ugand's Inhumane Bill." Times December 18, 2009: n. pag. Web. 20 May 2010.

Lee-St.John, Jeninne. "Viewpoint: Civil Rights and Gay Rights."TIME 2005: n. pag. Web. 24 May 2010.
Click to expand...

Shevanel · May 24, 2010

Okay, Good

Nomad187 · May 24, 2010

This is exceptional. I applaud your writing skills.

jonny · May 24, 2010

Dude good stuff. The massage came home load and clear. I was so close to tears. Powerful stuff. Just error proof before u send it out, I noticed some spelling errors. This is a must read.

Shevanel · May 24, 2010

jonny said: ↑

Dude good stuff. The massage came home load and clear. I was so close to tears. Powerful stuff. Just error proof before u send it out, I noticed some spelling errors. This is a must read.
Click to expand...

Massage? Oh the irony.

Myke · May 24, 2010

Shevanel said: ↑

jonny said: ↑

Dude good stuff. The massage came home load and clear. I was so close to tears. Powerful stuff. Just error proof before u send it out, I noticed some spelling errors. This is a must read.
Click to expand...

Massage? Oh the irony.
Click to expand...

Loud* you* lol

Awesome report! You really did a good job on it. I started reading it and wasn't expecting it to be that long lol.

AlexPatrickMorrissey · May 24, 2010

It's wonderful, man! I think you did a fantastic job on it. It's nice to see that other young people like to spell right and use proper grammar. I'm glad I'm not the only one.

Fargo · May 25, 2010

Great job! However, some constructive criticism is that some ideas seemed incomplete and occasionally left you wondering. However, other than that, fantastic job! =)

British Lad · May 25, 2010

good job

mydogstewie · Jun 9, 2010

Alright, I'm waiting on a grade for the paper, but I got a 93% on the powerpoint presentation so hopefully the paper will be higher.

During my presentation I said, "How is it that in school, if I say the N-word, I get suspended, but when I say (I yelled these) Faggot, Homo, Dyke, Flamer, nothing happens?"

People laughed at that part, I was so upset. They videotaped it on their phones and posted it on facebook to laugh at me

Jiggles · Jun 9, 2010

mydogstewie said: ↑

During my presentation I said, "How is it that in school, if I say the N-word, I get suspended, but when I say (I yelled these) Faggot, Homo, Dyke, Flamer, nothing happens?"

People laughed at that part, I was so upset. They videotaped it on their phones and posted it on facebook to laugh at me
Click to expand...

(*hug*) Its kind of proving your point there! People are so immature sometime. If it gets too bad for you, you can report it to facebook then they might remove it.

Final Report for School

mydogstewie
Full Member

Zach1992
Full Member

Lady Gaga Guest

mydogstewie
Full Member

Shevanel
Full Member

mydogstewie
Full Member

Shevanel
Full Member

mydogstewie
Full Member

Shevanel
Full Member

mydogstewie
Full Member

Shevanel
Full Member

Nomad187
Full Member

jonny
Full Member

Shevanel
Full Member

Myke Guest

AlexPatrickMorrissey Guest

Fargo Guest

British Lad Guest

mydogstewie
Full Member

Jiggles Guest

Final Report for School

Thread Tools

mydogstewie Full Member

Zach1992 Full Member

Lady Gaga Guest

mydogstewie Full Member

Shevanel Full Member

mydogstewie Full Member

Shevanel Full Member

mydogstewie Full Member

Shevanel Full Member

mydogstewie Full Member

Shevanel Full Member

Nomad187 Full Member

jonny Full Member

Shevanel Full Member

Myke Guest

AlexPatrickMorrissey Guest

Fargo Guest

British Lad Guest

mydogstewie Full Member

Jiggles Guest

mydogstewie
Full Member

Zach1992
Full Member

mydogstewie
Full Member

Shevanel
Full Member

mydogstewie
Full Member

Shevanel
Full Member

mydogstewie
Full Member

Shevanel
Full Member

mydogstewie
Full Member

Shevanel
Full Member

Nomad187
Full Member

jonny
Full Member

Shevanel
Full Member

mydogstewie
Full Member