As we fight for our equal rights, many issues and questions about "mainstreaming" into American society have risen to the surface.What will happen to GLBTQ identity and culture? Will it disappear as we become acclimated to mainstream society? What about the drag queens, effeminate men, cross-dressers, the leather community, people in non-monogamous or poly-amorous relationships and individuals who aren't interested in marrying and raising families?
As assimilation into the mainstream is becoming a reality, many are expressing concerns about mass media portrayal of GLBTQ characters. Some of us wonder if the character of Kurt on "Glee" helps or hinders the greater society to continue to perpetrate GLBTQ stereotypes or promotes acceptance and normalcy? Some of us are suggesting we downplay the "non-conformist" segments of our subculture. Many of us are ashamed of those in our community who are different. We demand that mainstream America endorse diversity, yet we not all of us practice it. Non-conformists do exist and they deserve to be counted.
As assimilation into the mainstream is becoming a reality, many are expressing concerns about mass media portrayal of GLBTQ characters. Some of us wonder if the character of Kurt on "Glee" helps or hinders the greater society to continue to perpetrate GLBTQ stereotypes or promotes acceptance and normalcy? Some of us are suggesting we downplay the "non-conformist" segments of our subculture. Many of us are ashamed of those in our community who are different. We demand that mainstream America endorse diversity, yet we not all of us practice it. Non-conformists do exist and they deserve to be counted.
Some of us also feel that we should hide the less positive things about ourselves as it might prevent mass acceptance of our subculture. That puts us in the same league as the wing nuts who are revising history to suit their needs and use it to continue to vilify us and help prevent us from having the same equal rights as all Americans.
As we do acclimate into the mainstream, it is absolutely imperative to keep our history accurate. We have to give future generations the opportunity to benefit from our triumphs and mistakes. They need to know the richness of our history through the writings of authors like Armistead Maupin; his chronicles of San Francisco portray a very important time in our culture and history. Many of our young ones don't know about Maupin or his writings. We must also expose them to the likes of the self-loathing Roy Cohn and the role he played in destroying innocent peoples' lives, some of who were gay just as he was. It has to be out there, warts and all. It's the only way we can assure that our future generations know how we came to be part of mainstream society and give a sense of purpose to the LGBTQ community as we are integrated into it.
As we do acclimate into the mainstream, it is absolutely imperative to keep our history accurate. We have to give future generations the opportunity to benefit from our triumphs and mistakes. They need to know the richness of our history through the writings of authors like Armistead Maupin; his chronicles of San Francisco portray a very important time in our culture and history. Many of our young ones don't know about Maupin or his writings. We must also expose them to the likes of the self-loathing Roy Cohn and the role he played in destroying innocent peoples' lives, some of who were gay just as he was. It has to be out there, warts and all. It's the only way we can assure that our future generations know how we came to be part of mainstream society and give a sense of purpose to the LGBTQ community as we are integrated into it.
