The Intersection of Poetry and Human Sexuality
The current essay's literary subject was modern society's attitudes toward sexuality and gender identity. Based on a variety of literary sources, the current essay offered a defense of modern sexuality and gender identity. A. Chen's "The Intersection of Poetry and Human Sexuality" was among the pieces being considered. Different misconceptions about sexuality were affected by religious beliefs, cultural practices, and societal expectations in today's society. People of the Christian and Muslim faiths, for example, were essentially forbidden from engaging in homosexual and lesbian behavior because it embodies perversion and sin. However, the erosion of the power of religious dogma, the emergence of the politics of identity and radical individualism have brought to the fore fundamental issues that were previously disregarded by the baby boomer and the silent generations. Besides, the advent of radical sexual inclinations exposes the fault lines of the "do not ask, do not tell" sexuality that had defined previous generations. As Chen (2006) explains, the construct that humans have to live in the compact mold of heterosexuality was no longer tenable. Gender identity in modern society was embodied by gender dysphoria especially among transgender persons whose emotional, and psychological perceptions of themselves as belonging to a particular gender does not augur with their sex at birth (Yarhouse 19). Unlike gays and lesbians whose gender identity was defined, transgender persons suffer from the twin challenges of gender identity and sexuality. Therefore, was the society justified to judge a person based on his or her sexuality or gender identity? In the following passages, the argumentative essay seeks to prove why traditional constructs regarding gender and sexuality were fundamentally flawed.
Sexuality and Gender Identity
Based on the past and recent news in the mainstream media, leading celebrities and influential leaders in the corporate world such as Sam Smith, and Tim Cook have come out in defense of their gender identity and sexuality. Such actions embody a society that was no longer constrained by religious dogma, cultural, and political correctness. The politics of identity were embodied in the persona of former president Obama who came out in defense of gays and lesbians in the society (Faderman 1017); a feat that was unprecedented, given the silent discrimination against transgender military personnel and persons within the LGBT community in the US. Majorities of persons in the society chose to bury their heads in the sand when issues regarding sexuality and gender identity arise. Nonetheless, in the words of Simone de Beauvoir, heterosexuality confines humans in a similar fashion to homosexuality: therefore, sexuality should be benchmarked on love and reciprocity, unconstrained by obligation or fear, between heterosexuals, lesbians, gays or transgender persons (Chen 3).
In October 2014, Apple CEO Tim Cook disclosed his gay status to the world; a move that was widely unprecedented given his senior status in corporate America. Nonetheless, Cook said that he felt the urge to put the matter to rest given the pent-up speculation regarding his sexuality that had built up over the year. Additionally, Cook hoped that his disclosure would help other persons in the LGBT community to open up (Feintzeig and Wakabayashi). In July 2016, The Guardian newspaper published historical experiences of transgender persons; these stories highlighted the unique challenges that such persons experience. One of the stories featured Hayden. Hayden was born as a transgender person, and it was later in life that she came to realize that she was not a girl despite having all the outward features of a girl. She goes on to explain that she was bullied at school because she could not fit into either gender. It took time for her to appreciate herself for who she was (Lyons). Such stories point to the fundamental flaws in cultural purviews regarding gender identity.
The Influences Throughout History
It is worthy to note that the issue of sexuality and gender identity influenced intellectual discourses and social interactions starting from Plato’s time, Sodom in the Bronze Age to the modern day. According to the Symposium – one of Plato’s writings, sexual contact was perceived as an act that transcended the mere physical contact. In fact, Diotima – an instructor of erotics perceived love, a precursor to sexual contact, as a god. Therefore, the ensuing sexual contact would culminate in contact with divinity; an immersion in the appreciation of beauty, virtue, and morality (Chen 4). Presuming that Diotima’s theories of love and sexuality were valid and that all humanity experienced a sense of divinity through sexual contact, it would be imprudent (from a philosophical point of view) to consider some forms of sexual contacts as appropriate while others as inappropriate. Nonetheless, it is worthy to extrapolate the factors that contribute to the negative perceptions towards LGBT in the society. One of the factors that contributed to the current trend was that the society associated sexuality with the generation of beauty through procreation (Chen 4). Therefore, the fact that gays and lesbians were not able to conceive through sex (union of a man and a woman) enhances the view that such manifestations of sexuality do not advance the imperishability of human life and eternity – two facets of humanity that were made manifest through sexual contact.
Exploring the Dynamics
In one of the most remarkable depictions of gay experiences, “The Hustler Speaks of Places” – a poem by Carl Phillips offered a sneak preview into the world of gay escorts and hustlers who undergo similar experiences to heterosexual female escorts (Chen 11). The current dynamics partly mediated the conversations surrounding sexuality and gender identity in the 21st century in sexual mores. The absence of a clear delineation of gender identity contributed to the tectonic shifts in sexual ethics. For instance, the outward differentiating factors between a man and a woman were dissipating by the day. Men in the 21st century were wearing apparel and jewelry that was exclusive to the female gender in the 19th and early 20th centuries; this was referred to as cross-dressing (Factor and Rothblum 246). In the study by Factor and Rothblum, it was noted that cross-dressing was highly prevalent among transgender persons.
Conclusion
Based on the literature reviewed in the current section, it was deduced that sexuality and gender identity issues continued to define the modern society owing to the growing liberal population, radical individualism, and shifting social mores. Nonetheless, it was noted that the negative perceptions towards persons based on their sexuality or gender identity lacked merit because the causative factors were beyond the control of the LGBT persons. The growth in the number of influential persons who came out to confirm their LGBT status and efforts by the political establishment such as the Obama administration contributed to some semblance of inclusivity for gays, lesbians, and transgender persons in the society.
Works Cited
Chen, Alexander. “The Intersection of Poetry and Human Sexuality.” Carnegie Mellon University, 2006.
Factor, Rhonda, and Esther Rothblum. “Exploring Gender Identity and Community among Three Groups of Transgender Individuals in the United States: MTFs, FTMs, and Genderqueers.” Health Sociology Review, no, 17, vol, 3, 2008, pp. 235–253.
Faderman, Lillian. “The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle.” Journal of American History, no, 103, vol, 4, 2017, pp. 1017–1018.
Feintzeig, Rachel, and Daisuke Wakabayashi. “Apple CEO Says He’s ‘Proud to Be Gay.’” Wall Street Journal, Oct. 2014. https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-ceo-cook-says-hes-proud-to-be-gay-1414715814. Accessed 27 Oct. 2017.
Lyons, Kate. “Transgender Stories: ‘People Think We Wake up and Decide to Be Trans.’” The Guardian, 10 July 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jul/10/transgender-stories-people-think-we-wake-up-and-decide-to-be-trans. Accessed 27 Oct. 2017.
Yarhouse, Mark. Understanding Gender Dysphoria: Navigating Transgender Issues in a
Changing Culture. IVP Academic, 2015.
