Acceptance With(in) queer aspects.

HELLO
MY NAME IS

ACCEPTANCE

Acceptance
WITH(IN)
queer aspects.

by
PAULA CASTROW
MORGAN JOSEY
TYTIONNA WALL

CONTENT
Intersex (4­5)
BODIES IN DOUBT
XXY
LGBTQ (6­9)
TONGUES UNTIED

PERFORMANCE VS PERFORMATIVITY

Acceptance (10­12)

HETERONORMATIVITY
HOMONORMATIVITY

COMING OUT
SELF-ACCEPTANCE

intersex:

a general term used for a variety of
conditions in which a person is born
with a reproductive or sexual anatomy

that does not seem to fit typical
definitions of female or male.

http://www.evangelicalsforsocialaction.org/resources/book­review/sex­difference­in­christian­theology­by­megan­k­defranza/

Bodies in Doubt: An American History
of Intersex by Elizabeth Reis.

This reading shows doctors’ enormous need to “correct” a person’s
genitals that do not fit into the binary. Most intersex people are

“assigned” a gender at birth, unlike Alex in XXY, who did not undergo
surgery. She was able to grow up and make her own choice. Assigning
a person a gender could cause detrimental problems later on in life; an
issue doctors’ do not seem to think is more important that “correcting”

and “assigning”. “What doctors began in earnest in the nineteenth
century­ the surgical ‘correction’ of genitalia to match entrenched
notions of normal bodies­ became far more routine and troubling in the

twentieth century” (Reis, p.56).

"What if there is nothing

to choose?"

By choosing not to undergo sex
assignment surgery, Alex rejects the
patriarchal society we live in where we
want everyone to fit into a certain box.
She accepts that she does not have to be
male or female; she can be both and still
be Alex. She accepts herself without
expecting acceptance from others.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0995829/mediaindex?ref_=tt_pv_mi_sm

lesbian:

a woman who is primarily attracted to
other women.

gay:

a person who is attracted primarily to
members of the same sex.

bisexual:

a person who is attracted to both people
of their own gender and another gender.

transgender:

A person who lives as a member of a
gender other than that expected based on

sex assigned at birth.

queer:

an umbrella term sometimes used by
LGBTQA people to refer to the entire

LGBT community.
an alternative that some people use to

"queer" the idea of the labels and
categories such as lesbian, gay bisexual,

etc.

LGBTQ an acronym that orginated in the
1990s and replaced what was
formerly known as "the gay

community". The acronymn was
created to be more inclusive of
diverse groups.

http://www.taylormarsh.com/wp­content/uploads/2012/07/RainbowFlagImHumanViaWipeOutHomophobiaFB.jpg

LGBT is intended to emphasize a diversity of sexuality and gender identity­based cultures. It
can be used to refer to anyone who is not heterosexual or not cis­gendered. Hence the addition

of the letter Q, which stands for Queer: an umbrella term. It includes anyone who a) wants to
identify as queer and b) who feels somehow outside of the societal norms in regards to gender
or sexuality. This, therefore, could include the person who highly values queer theory concepts
and would rather not identify with any particular label, the gender fluid bisexual, the gender fluid
heterosexual, the questioning LGBT person, and the person who just doesn’t feel like they quite

fit in to societal norms and wants to bond with a community over that.

*Some definitions include I for Intersex and A for Asexual.

LESBIAN GAY BISEXUAL TRANSGENDER QUEER

Tongues Untied shows the disconnect these individuals feel with the communities they
are supposed to belong to and aims to demonstrate how this disconnect

changes men and their identities. These men are not accepted in the
African American community because they are gay and are also rejected
by the gay community because they are African American. This group of

men are struggling with both self-identification and counter-
identification. Self-identification would be how they see themselves and
how they need others to see them. Counter-identification is rejection of

another person and/or their traits. When no one accepts you it can be
hard to accept yourself.

http://www.queerartfilm.com/films/tongues­untied

The film displays how African American gay males feel in both the gay and African
American communities which in turn almost turns them against those

communities and themselves. These men are excluded from communities that they
are seeking alliances with. This rejection led men to be silent to avoid prejudices of
both the black and white heteronormative society and the white gay society. They
have no representation in any community because people don’t believe that black

middle class male are gay. In the film the overall rejection of African American
gays seems to breakdown their emotional, psychological, and physical well being.

You see that black males are less accepting of men like
them and more attracted to white males because that is what the media portrays as

their options. I believe when people are more accepting to their sex lives they are
more willing to take protective measures to prevent disease. Media negatively

display black gay males or only sexualizes them for the white man’s pleasure. Riggs
talked about his even his dreams and fantasies were of white males. This exclusion

made men lose themselves. In the movie Riggs shows his struggles in the Castro
district in California. This was supposed to be the gay district where he would

finally have a place but he was still not able to fit. This film shows just important
acceptance can be whether it be accepting yourself or other accepting you so that

you do not lose yourself.

Performance vs Performativity

In society Butler suggests in chapter 8: Critically Queer of Bodies that Matter that there
is a difference between performance and performativity and how it leads to acceptance.
She explains that an act can be performed but to be recognized it must “confer a binding
power on the action performed.” There are certain acts one can perform to be a consider
‘female’ or ‘male’ but these are only validated by the social context constructed around
them. She also suggests that once the acts become connected they are no lower singular
they are powerful and unconscious actions. For example, the assumptions people make

around sexuality based on the way someone dresses are systematic. This type of
generalization is invalid yet widely accepted. Since performativity only persist through
repetition it is unlikely that it could continue if we didn’t give it its authority. If we were
to reverse this and not give acceptance such black and white stereotypes we would likely

have a better chance at a more open society. People would be more willing to be
themselves and not hide and ultimately be safer.

https://elisabethlmurray.wordpress.com/tag/political­writing/

An acceptance ofACCEPTANCE
someone or something is

also an indication that
you approve of or believe

in it (or them).

Accepting someone regardless of
their sex, gender, sexual
orientation and/or sexual identity.

Self-acceptance: an individual's satisfaction or
happiness with oneself, and is thought to be
necessary for good mental health.

SELF

ACCEPTANCE

vsOTHERS

ACCEPTING YOU

HOMONORMATIVITYHETERONORMATIVITY

the belief that people fall into distinct and complementary
genders (man and woman) with natural roles in life. It
assumes that heterosexuality is the only sexual orientation
or only norm, and states that sexual and marital relations are
most (or only) fitting between people of opposite sexes.
Consequently, a "heteronormative" view is one that involves
alignment of biological sex, sexuality, gender identity and
gender roles.

https://emily1griffith.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/tumblr_mjens2cuge1qew48lo1_1280.jpg

Homonormativity is the assimilation of
heteronormative ideals and constructs into
homosexual culture and individual identity.

Homosexual couples that closely relate to
straight couples are more accepted.

http://homonorma­what.tumblr.com/

COMING OUT

-The process

by which one

accepts and/or

comes to

identify one’s

own sexuality

or gender

identity (to

“come out” to

oneself).

http://www.rappler.com/technology/social­media/69503­genderproud

-The process by which one shares one’s

sexuality or gender identity with

others (to “come out” to friends, etc.).

STOP!

BEFORE COMING OUT TO OTHERS,

COME OUT TO YOURSELF.

YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT YOURSELF BEFORE
SEEKING ACCEPTANCE FROM OTHERS.

SELF ACCEPTANCE.

THE BEST ACCEPTANCE.

Before you seek acceptance from other
people, you have to first gain self

acceptance. Be comfortable with your
identity and understand that NOTHING

IS WRONG WITH YOU. Be proud. Be
strong. Be YOURSELF. Be Bea(U)tiful.

If you need help on your journey to self­acceptance, seek guidance
and support from people/places in which you feel safe.

"Sexuality is too important to one’s sense of
well-being for it to be left unresolved. If you
have strong self-esteem and self-awareness,
you will not make the decision to reveal your
sexuality in order to fulfill an inner need that
leaves you vulnerable to whatever reaction you

get."

“You really have to look inside yourself and find your own inner
strength, and say, “I’m proud of what I am and who I am, and I’m just

going to be myself.”
-Mariah Carey

CREDITS

"Acceptance ­ Dictionary Definition". Vocabulary.com. N.p., 2016. Web.
18 Apr. 2016.

Bernard, Michael. "Self­Acceptance". Wikipedia. N.p., 2016. Web. 18
Apr. 2016.

Butler, Judith. Bodies That Matter. New York: Routledge, 1993. Print.

Greenleaf, Caroline. "The Road To Self­Acceptance | The Juilliard
School". Juilliard.edu. N.p., 2016. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.

Killermann, Sam. "Comprehensive* List Of LGBTQ+ Term Definitions |
It's Pronounced Metrosexual". It's Pronounced Metrosexual. N.p., 2016.

Web. 17 Apr. 2016.

"LGBT". Wikipedia. N.p., 2016. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.

Munõz, Jose ́Esteban. Disidentifications: Queers Of Color And
Performance Politics. 2nd ed. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota

Press, 1999. Print.

"Notes". The Existential Zombie. N.p., 2016. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.

"PFLAG National". Community.pflag.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.

Reisner, Sari L. "Comparing In­Person And Online Survey Respondents
In The U.S. National Transgender Discrimination Survey: Implications
For Transgender Health Research". LGBT Health 1.2 (2014): 98­106.
Web. 18 Apr. 2016.

Tongues Untied. USA: Marlon Riggs, 1989. film.

XXY. Uruguay: Lucía Puenzo, 2008. film.