Lou Sullivan: Daring to Be a Man among Men by Bruce Smith
Each student will submit a 6-8-page Art/Media Analysis Assignment. For this assignment, you will be asked to pick one piece of art/media to analyze that focuses, in some way, on intersex, trans, non-binary or other non-normatively gendered people. This could be print media like a fictional book, magazine or newspaper, or digital media like a film, tv show, video game, YouTube series or a product of artistic expression like a play, a series of poems, music (songs and/or music videos), fine art, or photography. You will want to pick something that is substantive enough to write a 6-8-page paper about – for example, it’s possible that a single short YouTube video wouldn’t work, but maybe a whole YouTube channel would, or that a single news article wouldn’t work, but that how one journalist or newspaper covers trans-related news. Let’s see if we can make your idea work! For this paper, you will need to briefly explain what your select art/media is and why you selected it. Then:Consider how the art/media that you have selected frames and portrays the people it focuses on, and the concepts of sex and gender more generally. This might include asking:o Are the trans, non-binary or other non-normatively gendered people portrayed as monolithic (all the same), or diverse? What are some of the intersections of identity (race, class, sexuality, ability, etc.) that the art/media considers?o Are sex and gender treated as given, fixed binaries or as constructed, fluid multiplicities? Or somewhere in between?o Is the portrayal positive, negative, neutral? o Does the portrayal rely on and reify stereotypes or myths?o How might the portrayal affect the people being portrayed?o How could the portrayal be improved? Production, Audience and Knowledge Mobilization - This might include asking:o Who is the intended audience?o Who produced/created the art/media that you selected? Why does this matter?o What are other people saying about this art/media? Have any scholars or journalists written about it? Context - This might include addressing:o The social, political, cultural, geographic, and/or historical context of the art/media that you have selected. Put the art/media into conversation with what was happening in the world at the time of its publication, and the specific context that the art/media is referencing or discussing. Your paper should include a bibliography including a citation for the art/media piece that you are discussing and for any other references that you use in your paper. Using additional references is optional – however you might find inspiration from some of the course readings on Media Representations, from other courses or from other items that you find online – please cite these accordingly. This bibliography is NOT included in the page count.
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Lou Sullivan: Daring to Be a Man among Men by Bruce Smith
I chose to use Brice Smith's book, "Lou Sullivan: Daring to Be a Man among Men." The book covers a lot of issues regarding transgender individuals who are mostly overlooked in history. The author's focus is on Lou Sullivan, an LGBT activist who did a lot of work during his lifetime to fight for the rights of trans men. he is considered to be the first transgender man who identified himself as gay during a time when society did not appreciate the LGBT. According to Smith, Lou Sullivan is best known for creating the change in the LGBT community facilitates the understanding of gender identity and sexual orientation. Sullivan was the pioneer of the female-to-female movement. Sullivan fought for the rights of transgender people, caused reforms in the treatment of these people, and institutionalized the history of transgender. The activist later died of AIDS. I choose this book because it gives a clear picture of the obstacles that transgender people have to go through in different parts of the world for them to be accepted in society. It will allow me to provide a clear analysis regarding sexual orientation and gender identity.
The book portrays transgender people as individuals who are not easily accepted in society. The author explains the obstacles that these people have to go through to enable society to appreciate their existence. In some cases, transgender face discrimination due to their sexual orientation. The discrimination ranges from how there are treated in hospitals to how other members of society view them. Smith also provides an analysis of the changes that were brought about by Sullivan during his period being an activist for trans men. one of the obstacles he addressed is how people from the LGBT community were being treated in hospitals (Smith). Such kind of treatment varied from how binary-gendered people were treated. In turn, this contributed to an increase in infections among these people since they were not given the right treatment. However, after Sullivan's fight for the LGBT community's rights. A lot of reforms were made regarding the treatment of transgender people. These reforms are being practiced in today's world and have highly improved the health of transgender people.
Another issue addressed in the book is the transformation of how people view gender identity and sexual orientation. According to Smith, the main challenge faced by transgender people is acceptable in society. A lot of people are used to the binary-gendered concept, and this makes it challenging for them to appreciate non-binary gendered people. This is one of the challenges faced by Sullivan during his journey of advocating for the change of rights for the LGBT community. The non-binary gendered people are considered to be diverse. Such is evident by the female-to-female movement funded by Sullivan. The movement is an indication that there are many categories of transgender individuals. For instance, Sullivan was transgender and gay. Other people in this category might choose to be straight or lesbians, depending on their sexual orientation. Their gender identity does not play a role in determining their sexuality. However, the main challenge they face is for society to understand their sexual orientation.
The book treats the issue of sex and gender as a given and constructed concept. The first portrayal of sex and gender as a given concept is the fact that it appreciates the existence of transgender people. These people do not choose to become transgender during the course of their life. However, they are born this way and choose to remain transgender for the rest of their lives. Smith portrays sexual orientation as a constructed concept. Once an individual has been born transgender, they have an option to choose whether they will straight or a member of the LGBT society. The environment, the people that someone interacts with, and society's view regarding transgender people play a major role in determining their sexual orientation (Smith). Smith's portrayal of sexual orientation as a constructed concept relies on the stereotypes and myths that people have regarding transgender people. For instance, he points out stereotyping as one of the obstacles that Sullivan went through in his journey of identifying himself as gay. He did this during a time when the issue of sexual orientation was rarely discussed in society, and people's views about LGBT were negative. However, Sullivan overcame the challenges and managed to create an international movement that would help the LGBT people overcome the stereotyping challenges they might overcome. The writer uses Sullivan's biography to fill out the gaps that people have about transgender individuals. Smith's focus is on the 70s and 80s society, where sexual orientation and gender identity issues were rarely addressed. He gives a clear outline of such has changed by sh...