Tools of Oppression

After reading Laura Hamilton's, Trading on Heterosexuality, the idea that sexism contributes to homophobia became much clearer. It's true, women are used as a tool by men to support heterosexuality and homophobia. Women have been socialized to reinforce heterosexism, and with it, their own oppression and the oppression of homosexuals. Hamilton also mentioned how young heterosexual women have been toying with the idea of same sex relations, in order to please or perform for men. By doing this, girls are claiming the same sex relations as a heterosexual act, therefore making a lesbians desire insignificant by changing it into something for men. To think that the desexualization of lesbians is all for the pleasure of men is heart breaking. I personally would not want anything if it came at such a steep cost to someone else.



For homosexual men, the tool of oppression is the idea that masculinity is favored over feminism. Homosexual men are seen as feminine, and therefore seen as inferior. For homosexual women, the tool of oppression is gender norms. Both of these ideas, come from men. Our society has been spoken for by men, in most cultures, since the beginning of time. Its time that everyone started realizing that masculinity is not superior to femininity, and that the way we look at gender norms needs to be called into question, because oppression stands where equality should.