Homophobia and the Minority

I know that homophobia is a big problem in our society today. After reading the article by Suzanne Pharr, I don’t think that, in general, this country has not made any progress in letting gay people feel comfortable enough to “come out.” Although I do not know firsthand on how it feels like to be discriminated against for being gay, I do feel sympathy for those who are gay. I do like the point that she made when talking about how heterosexism plays a part in our lives and how we perceive people to be. To think that a woman who is hard-working, ambitious, and assertive is most likely a lesbian is so farfetched that it is a wonder of what we are subconsciously being taught. Also it upsets me that there is no definitive way to prove that you are not a lesbian. It doesn’t seem fair that someone will judge your character and be done with you.


I feel that I can relate to the paper by Laura M. Lopez and Frances S. Hasso because being a Hispanic female, it puts me in front of the issues that I didn’t think happened to others. The one thing that stuck out the most that I want people to realize is that there is a larger spectrum of minorities. When someone thinks of a minority they usually go straight to the classic majority/minority which is black/white. There are so many more minorities and I’m glad this paper showed them. I can relate to wanting to have a voice in a place where you don’t feel comfortable enough to express yourself.
I know that racism exists and I thank God that I have never been personally or intentionally called out for being who I am, but why is it that it is easier to discriminate against a female than a male. Being a woman and a minority in this society is hard to do in some ways, but knowing that there are people struggling just like you give you the strength to get up after being pushed down by the white males of society