In “Lusting for Freedom” Walker writes, “It is obvious that the suppression of sexual agency and exploration, from within or from without, is often used as a method of social control and domination” (22-23). The suppression of sexual agency by the patriarchy applies both domestically and internationally. While we often discuss the detriments of abstinence only sexual education within the United States, there are many issues abroad where the U.S. practices cultural imperialism when it comes to sexuality. The Global Gag Rule, recently repealed by President Obama, is an example of the U.S. attempting to control the bodies of women abroad. As activists we have to address the tendency of the U.S. to homogenize the sexualities of people all over the world.
The various articles we read for the week address attempts by institutions to homogenize people based on their sexualities. Higginbotham’s article, “Chicks Goin’ At It,” discusses her reluctance to identify herself as bisexual because of the negative social stigma that goes with it. Higginbotham writes, “I’m definitely bisexual. And I’ve only recently claimed that label for myself without fear of it implying indecisiveness, internalized all-out-lesbian homophobia or the perception that I’m just plain easy. I’ve known both straight and gay people who shunned it (the word, the deed and the person) for each of the biphobic reasons I just expressed” (16). This demonstrates the need of people and institutions to fit others into easy-to-label boxes. But sexuality is a spectrum and more fluid than many people would like to believe. The United States would wish everyone to be heterosexual, but this is obviously not true and we must combat pressures to conform.
Gilbert’s article, “You’re Not the Type” talks about the ways in which people tried to fit her into stereotypes based on her sexuality and her motherhood status. Gilbert writes, “Neither my brand of motherhood nor my sexual identity were ever presented as options to me” (82). Young people are not allowed to be gay and are not allowed to be successful teen mothers. The world wanted Gilbert to be a specific way, but, as we all must fight to do, she broke the mold. In Gilbert’s high school “no obvious difference, no deviation from the norm, was—or could be—visible. Or available.” (79). Gilbert demonstrates how the United States government and the various institutions that are a part of it try to homogenize the world into cookie cutter people. She writes, “Women—myself included—are often firmly convinced there is only one position open to them and can therefore strive only to fill that position” (82). We must strive to break these stereotypes by living our lives as we wish and by being vocal activists, as we often do not fit neatly into labels.
The article “Queer and Present Danger” by Price discusses attempts by the media to fit gay parents into neat and manageable stereotypes. Price writes, “Thus children become yet another means by which queers are folded into a larger consumption-oriented, and hence less radical, American culture” (238). It is dangerous for us to accept media representations of gay parents at face value. Because the images presented are much less radical, institutions feel they can better practice methods of social control by minimizing real life complexities. Images presented in the media are not often true to life. “The push toward normativity” (Price 238) is merely another way the patriarchy wishes to control us.
The homogenization of sexuality is similar to attempts by institutions to fit people into stereotypes in other ways. As we learned before from Davis’s article, “women of color are urged, at every turn, to become permanently infertile, while white women enjoying prosperous economic conditions are urged, by the same forces, to reproduce themselves” (113). As globalization moves forward, these forces are increasingly at work all around the world. With the West’s cultural imperialism, there is a “push toward normativity” (Price 238) that our CAP attempts to address. Walker writes, “We are growing, thinking, inquisitive, self-possessed beings... We deserve to have our self-esteem nurtured and our personal agency encouraged” (24). My group hopes to present real images of people, rather than the homogenized ones presented by the U.S. And it is our job in general as activists to keep a wide variety of options open to everyone—options of bodily control, sexual agency, and many other aspects of identity. We must embrace a world that is filled with “complexity” (Walker 24) because is it more true and accurate and allows the most personal freedom.
Sex education promoting sexual agency:
-Erica
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