Why Are Homosexuals Not Bound by Typical Male/Female Gender Roles?
Jeffrey Young
Mr. McCaffery
English period 7/8
29 January 2013
Why are homosexuals not bound by typical male/female gender roles? The other day while I was shopping in the mall, I saw a very flamboyant gay couple. Being myself, I was perplexed, because a few days before in my English class, we were discussing gender roles, and how they are very separated. Usually the men have their own roles, as do the females, but what I saw at the mall that day was something totally different. Obviously it’s very different because in this relationship, both genders are not present. So I wondered why they are not bound by gender roles, and who gets what role in the relationship? But while I was thinking, I realized that homosexuals are not bound by the typical male/female gender roles, and that they portray whatever role they want to. Bill Engvall once said, “Men are basic, just basic. There are not a whole lot of frills. That’s why, Ladies, when you ask a fella a question, a lot of times the answer you get is “I dunno.” Basic.” (Engvall) However, Leonard Shlain states, “The increasing reliance on the right brain pattern recognition instead of the left brain linear sequencing has moved culture toward equilibrium between the two hemispheres, between masculine and feminine, between word and image.” (Shlain 113) So these two quotes are very different, but, if you look at them carefully, maybe there is something more to it. Engvall says that men are just basic, so maybe that only applies to heterosexual men. Because last time I checked most homosexual men are obsessed with details. In addition, a lot of wedding dress designers are in fact homosexual, and everyone knows it takes a lot of detail to make a perfect wedding dress. Another great designer is Alexander McQueen, who has designed some of the most detailed dressed ever. Leonard Shlain also said, “Literate cultures saturated with image information are once again embracing feminine values.” (Shlain 113) In addition to
Mr. McCaffery
English period 7/8
29 January 2013
Why are homosexuals not bound by typical male/female gender roles? The other day while I was shopping in the mall, I saw a very flamboyant gay couple. Being myself, I was perplexed, because a few days before in my English class, we were discussing gender roles, and how they are very separated. Usually the men have their own roles, as do the females, but what I saw at the mall that day was something totally different. Obviously it’s very different because in this relationship, both genders are not present. So I wondered why they are not bound by gender roles, and who gets what role in the relationship? But while I was thinking, I realized that homosexuals are not bound by the typical male/female gender roles, and that they portray whatever role they want to. Bill Engvall once said, “Men are basic, just basic. There are not a whole lot of frills. That’s why, Ladies, when you ask a fella a question, a lot of times the answer you get is “I dunno.” Basic.” (Engvall) However, Leonard Shlain states, “The increasing reliance on the right brain pattern recognition instead of the left brain linear sequencing has moved culture toward equilibrium between the two hemispheres, between masculine and feminine, between word and image.” (Shlain 113) So these two quotes are very different, but, if you look at them carefully, maybe there is something more to it. Engvall says that men are just basic, so maybe that only applies to heterosexual men. Because last time I checked most homosexual men are obsessed with details. In addition, a lot of wedding dress designers are in fact homosexual, and everyone knows it takes a lot of detail to make a perfect wedding dress. Another great designer is Alexander McQueen, who has designed some of the most detailed dressed ever. Leonard Shlain also said, “Literate cultures saturated with image information are once again embracing feminine values.” (Shlain 113) In addition to
Cited: Engvall, Bill. “The Differences between Men and Women.” Np:Np:Nd. Print. Tannen, Deborah. “Different Words Different Worlds.” One Hundred Great Essays. Ed. Robert DiYanni. New York: Penguin, 2008. Print. Brady, Judy. “I want a wife.” One Hundred Great Essays. Ed Robert DiYanni. New York: Penguin, 2008. Print. Hosseini, Khaled. “The Kite Runner.” New York: Penguin Group, 2003. Print. Na. "Alexander McQueen." Wikipedia. N.p., 29 01 2013. Web. 31 Jan 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_McQueen>. Shlain, Leonard. “The Alphabet Versus The Goddess: The Conflict Between Word & Image.” Np:Np:October 26, 2007. Speech.