Cherokee Gonzalez

A Free Country 

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness (The Declaration of Independence).  

These were the words written by our founding fathers in the Declaration of Independence. This ideas present in this declaration are derived from John Locke's 'unalienable rights,' which are God-given and cannot be taken away (The Declaration of Independence and Natural Rights). Among these rights are the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Unalienable rights state everyone is allowed to do as they please as long as it does not interfere with the rights of others (Natural Rights), however, while the United States of America claims to be based on these ideas, they have taken away the rights of LGBT people across the country. Is this really the foundation of our country, or is it just said to be?

Slavery in the new United States of America would last another 89 years until the end of the Civil War. But even then, the equality promised in the Declaration of Independence was denied not only to African Americans, but also to other minorities and women. Even today, Americans are still not certain what equality means in such areas as affirmative action, sex discrimination, and gay rights (Natural Rights).

Don't ask, don't tell; no same-sex couple can marry; married same-sex couples are simply roommates; LGBT people are unfit to be parents; they cannot buy a home; the list goes on! This country will never be fully free until we allow our 'foundation' to support everyone and not just the 'elect'.

Works Cited

Natural Rights - Constitutional Rights Foundation." Constitutional Rights Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. <http://www.crf-usa.org/foundations-of-our-constitution/natural-rights.html>.

law, and however. Also consider that notifying the housing authority may anger. "Fair Housing Laws: Renters' Protection from Sexual Orientation Discrimination - FindLaw." Civil Rights - FindLaw. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. <http://civilrights.findlaw.com/discrimination/fair-housing-laws- renters-protection-from-sexual-orientation.html>.

How difficult is it to work for the government if you're gay?
Is the government gay-friendly? Do they accept or do they shut out those of the LGBT community.
After doing research I found that while yes, you can be a part of the LGBT community and still work in the government, the tolerance is not very high. In fact along with not being very high it has actually declined after Clinton left office. In 1995, "President Clinton issued an executive order forbidding the US government from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation in granting security clearances. Three years later, he banned anti-gay discrimination against all federal civilian employees. " While this is great and I really do believe President Clinton did a fabulous job advocating for the lgbt community within his own personal workplace the sad truth was that when he left office the progress he made with tolerance unfortunately declined. It was harder for the LGBT community to be more accepted after he left office. 


“There is no longer the type or level of harassment that occurred years ago,” Hirsch says. “But when it comes to benefits, government is different than the private sector. In many ways, it has not kept pace.”

This quote which was said by Leonard Hirsch and he also says-- same-sex partners of federal employees are not eligible for health and most retirement benefits. Congressional approval is necessary for change, and Hirsch says that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) – passed in 1996 and signed by Clinton – remains an “execrable constraint.”

The biggest blow to me while reading this was the fact that federal employees are not eligible for benefits. To me this is a major punch in the face to all of the hard workers who do belong to this community because no matter their sexual orientation it doesn't take away from how hard of workers or how qualified they are. 

Alexa Stephan

"Is the Government Gay-Friendly?" GovCentral. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. <http://govcentral.monster.com/benefits/articles/416-is-the-government-gay-friendly>.

Gender, Sexuality, and Politics Collaborative Post

Kira: Since this will be our last post for the Gender, Sexuality: Politics blog, we thought it would nice to show how our subtopics affect politics and just give a ending final explanation of our topics.

Throughout the semester, my subtopic has been gender roles in politics. What I want to focus on as a final post was relating our subtopics back directly to politics and the effects it has on it. For my subtopic, which was gender roles in politics. It's related because it's an issue that's growing and pressing. inequalities and discrimination for both men and women but mostly women when it comes to politics. The sexist remarks, the views on how women will run things (if in charge) all cloud society's clear outlook on what a women could actually do. I wanted to get across that women shouldn't be judged solely on the fact that they are women but actually given the chance to show the knowledge they have and how they could actually make change.

Having gender roles in politics definitely made an impact since it's seen everyday in even the simplest situations. Gender roles impact politics because women are not given a fair chance to show full potential because there is already a view on women in a powerful position. It almost seemed like taboo to think such a thing could happen.

Overall, I wanted to convey that gender roles in politics and other groups should not be something to define a person and their ability to perform in a certain position. Individuals should not be generalized with specific groups and that every person should have the right to their individuality and their right to have the same opportunities whether male or female. Equality is the best policy. That's a motto someone could follow.


Cherokee:  Over the course of this project, I have related politics to the LGBT community.  The main objective of my posts was to shine light on both the good and bad aspects of politics in the LGBT community.  For example, one of my posts discusses LGBT marriage laws in the United States which is a clear representation of the government interfering with the unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  On the contrary, one of my shorter posts included a link to a website that contained information about the LGBT advocates in politics and what is being done to help LGBT peoples.

Politicians play a vital role in the outcomes of our lives as they determine what we can and cannot do.  That is why it is so important to understand the motives and recognize the actions of each politician in office.  Our future depends on it.

 Cherokee Gonzalez

Same-Sex Adoption

The adoption of children by homosexual couples has been a long debated topic. Some arguments suggest that homosexuals are unfit to be parents due to the high rate of drug abuse and suicide, while others suggest that all children are in need of a home where they can be loved, and that the sexuality of a legal guardian makes little difference in their ability to parent (Patterson 2, Moyes).

Truth be told, not enough evidence has been collected to support either of these arguments, and the research that has been conducted is limited to adoptive parents rather than parents in general, along with never distinguishing between children adopted by biological family members and children that are adopted into an entirely new family (Patterson 2). However, while more evidence is needed before an argument can be fully supported, one study suggests that a parent's sexuality has little affect on the development of the child.

 This study investigated child development and parenting in 106 families headed by 27 lesbian, 29 gay, and 50 heterosexual couples (80% White, M¼ 42 years) with young

adopted children (41% White, M¼ 3 years). Parents and teachers reported that, on

average, children were developing in typical ways. Measures of children’s adjustment,

parenting approaches, parenting stress, and couple relationship adjustment were not

significantly associated with parental sexual orientation. However, several family

process variables—parenting stress, parenting approaches, and couple relationship

adjustment—were found to be significantly associated with children’s adjustment,

regardless of parental sexual orientation. Implications for understanding the role of

gender and sexual orientation in parenting, as well as for legal and policy debates,

are discussed (Parenting and Child Developing in Adoptive Families).

Organizations such as the American Physiological and Medical Associations largely support LGBT adoption rights, using the lack of evidence against LGBT parents as their justification (AMA Policies on GLBT Issues, APA Adoption and Co-Parenting of Children by Same-Sex Couples). On the contrary, Britain's Catholic adoption agency has threatened to no longer find homes for children if they were required to allow LGBT peoples to adopt. The Muslim Council of Britain and Catholic Charities of Boston share a similar stance (Wen). Additionally, a poll in 2007 stated that 57% of the United States population supports LGBT adoption, while 43% were against it (McCain Blasted for Gay Adoption Opposition), further expressing the wide disagreement on the issue.

This is a link to a website that explains same-sex adoption laws in the United States.

http://www.lc.org/profamily/samesex_adoption_by_state.pdf

Works cited

"AMA Policy Regarding Sexual Orientation." American Medical Association - Physicians, Medical Students & Patients (AMA). N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. <http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/about-ama/our-people/member-groups-sections/glbt-advisory-committee/ama-policy-regarding-sexual-orientation.page>.

"Co-Parenting of Children by Same-Sex Couples." American Physiological Association . N.p., n.d. Web. 23 April 2012.<http://www.psych.org/Departments/EDU/Library/APAOfficialDocumentsandRelated/PositionStatements/200214.aspx>.

Forssell, Stephen, Rachel Farr, and Charlotte Patterson. "Parenting and Child Development in Adoptive Families." Applied Developmental Science 1 (2012): 177. Print.

"McCain blasted for gay adoption opposition - USATODAY.com." News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World - USATODAY.com. N.p., 15 July 2008. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. <http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-07-15-mccain_N.htm>.

Moyes, Gordon. "GordonMoyes.com » Parliamentary Inquiries – Same Sex Adoption." GordonMoyes.com . N.p., 26 Feb. 2009. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. <http://www.gordonmoyes.com/2009/02/26/parliamentary-inquiries-same-sex-adoption/>.

Wen, Petricia. "Catholic Charities stuns state, ends adoptions - The Boston Globe." Boston.com - Boston, MA news, breaking news, sports, video. N.p., 11 Mar. 2006. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. <http://www.boston.com/news/local/ar

Research Blog - Gender's Impact on Politics

Kira Myers

The idea that everything is equal and nothing is unfair in the world of politics is absurd and clearly not believable. If a person takes a look at campaign ads and television broadcasting, what they would see is a male dominated field of work. Now, there is of course an inequality for men, but with this specific topic, it is more likely to have unfair treatment and opportunities working against women. Especially since the upcoming election for 2012 is here, there is a lot to actually look at and understand to get a better idea of the gender inequalities that are present.

In the world of politics the social norm is for a man who is strong and a leader to be the face of politics, not a woman. A section from a journal article that I found called The Achilles heel of women in politics by Gillian Tett discussed how herself and other women were ecstatic about have a female finally representing in the politics world. Seeing Sarah Palin stepping up and getting a women into that field was something inspirational to Tett, yet after seeing her not knowing much about what was going on in the world and important things. In my opinion, that right there possibly could have fueled others to say that’s why women shouldn’t be in the politics field. 

As stated in the article, “A female face was considered a potential ‘game-changer’”.  I agree, but to what extent would a face be able to compete with such a male dominated world and field of work? There has to be more and even if there was, a woman having the knowledge, the credibility, and all the qualifications still wouldn’t be enough simply because she is a woman. There is a bias and men will always seem to have the upper hand. Female power is greatly limited. 

From the article Gender and Politics over Time, it’s clear that things for women in the politics world has changed and progressed. Although that may be, things haven’t progressed enough. Things will be better when a woman can make a strong appearance and give a strong opinion in a male dominated world without being label a “bitch” or “emotional”. That is truly only when there will be another step forward into change for women’s roles in politics. That is only when a new era can begin.

Works Cited

   Gillian Tett.  (2012, March). The Achilles heel of women in politics.  Retrieved April 19, 2012, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 2618058861). 

 Gretchen Ritter (2007). Gender and Politics over Time. Politics &amp; Gender, 3 , pp 386-397 doi:10.1017/S1743923X07000268

Back in time

Hey everyone! Since our topic is politics I decided to do some searching for articles that showed how sexuality and gender played a role in the early years of the government. I ran across a book review of the british imperialism and how gender and sexuality affected their beginnings. If you are interested in more this is just a review, but I am sure you can find the whole thing. I think it is interesting you never think about Gender and Sexuality playing a role in the past like that but we can't be naive and think it doesn't happen.

Here is a link to the review Here!

I hope everyone enjoys!

Alexa Stephan

3-19-12

Same-Sex Marriage 

Since I can remember, I have dreamed of being swept off my feet by the perfect mate, and one day getting married. This dream is quite common among individuals, but the ability to achieve it is limited. According to Law Info, “Marriage is defined as a civil contract between two people who meet the legal requirements for getting married established by the state, which vary from state to state (Law Info 1).” Marriage also includes many benefits, such as joint parenting, the status as “next-of-kin,” joint insurance policies, and many more (Religious Tolerance). With this said, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Iowa, Connecticut, Washington D.C., and Washington, are the only 8 states in the U.S. that allow same-sex marriage (Gay Marriage). Furthermore, the federal Defense of Marriage Act remains in effect, which-

“-denies married, civil unionized and domestic partnershipped same-sex couples approximately 1,100 federal benefits currently reserved as special privileges to opposite-sex married couples. Even though their marriage may be recognized within a couple's state, the federal government considers them to be simply roommates; their children are regarded as illegitimate (Religious Tolerance).”

The federal Defense of Marriage Act was signed by president Bill Clinton, and was passed by Congress in 1996, when there were no same-sex couples in the United States that were legally married (Watermark). Since then, however, there have been thousands of same-sex couples that have married where it remains legal (Watermark).

Most individuals would agree that one cannot help who they fall in love with. Additionally, many would agree that unfairly limiting the rights of citizens based on the individual they decided to spend the rest of their life with is unscrupulous! The LGBTQ community has made advancements since the DOMA was passed, but I fear it will be a long while before enough politicians can learn to except who people are, and how they want to live their lives.

~Cherokee Gonzalez

Works Cited

"DOMA under fire, still in effect."Watermark Online. Your LGBT Life. Daily.. N.p., 15 Apr. 2011. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. <http://www.watermarkonline.com/w-news/national/item/5938-doma-under-fire-still-in-effect>

Robinson, B.A.. "Legal and economic benefits of marriage." Religious Tolerance. N.p., 4 July 2011. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. <http://www.religioustolerance.org/mar_bene.htm>

"States That Allow Gay Marriage."States That Allow Gay Marriage. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. <http://statesthatallowgaymarriage.com/>.

"What Is The Legal Definition Of Marriage? | Marriage Legal Resources." Free Legal Forms | Free Legal Documents | Legal Resources. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. <http://resources.lawinfo.com/en/Legal-FAQs/marriage/Federal/what-is-the-legal-definition-of-marriage-.html>.

Rush Limbaugh Apologizes!

So, of course there has been a lot of coverage over the situation of Rush Limbaugh calling a Georgetown student Sandra Fluke a slut for voicing her opinion about birth control pills. Personally, whether or not she was for or against health care covering the cost of birth control pills, Rush Limbaugh had no right to say such crude things about the young woman. There is a point where a person can voice their opinion, but there is definitely a line that was clearly crossed.

Rush Limbaugh did apologize (even though it was halfhearted and after he had lost sponsors) but after such a comment was released, it's quite hard to just forget and move on, he offended women around the country by saying things like that. It just surprises me how this man thinks.

Here is a link to his statement and apology and a video.

[link]

Kira M.

Hey all!

Being from Ohio I found the following article very interesting and it made me proud to be an Ohioan. Nickie Antonio is Ohio's ONLY openly gay candidate for the state legislator. The elections are looking good for her.

My topic being voting discrimination for women I found this article to be fitting and it also intertwines with the LGBT community as well. It is short and sweet, but enjoy!

Article Link!!!

Alexa Stephan

Dateline MSNBC

To Catch a Predator  was a popular show that opened the eyes of a lot of people to the "real world" of chat rooms on the internet. The TV show broadcast men caught in the act of meeting up with young teens (often 12-17) usually to have sexual encounters. It is illegal in the U.S for an adult to perform any sexual acts with a minor. Here is a video I found where a guys puts himself into a situation he cant lie himself out of.

Gay Adoption

Here is a list of which states in the U.S allows LGBT couples to adopt. Also, there is a link that explains what the different types of adoptions are. This list sparked my interest because I've wanted to know which states allowed same sex couples to adopt, for informational purposes.

Enjoy

-Trenee V.

Gender Roles in Politics

Hi, I'm Kira and for my subtopic I've chosen Gender roles in Politics. Well, for starters, I'll go into more depth of what gender roles and politics really are. Gender roles are a role in which most people are categorized into whether they choose to or even if they don't even identify as male or female in my opinion. As the published definition on Dictionary.com it's "the public image of being male or female that a person presents to others" or " a set of behaviors that indicates one's gender, specif. the image projected by a person that identifies their femaleness or maleness; an overt public presentation of gender identity". That becomes tricky when a person doesn't identify as male or female. Plus, there are chinks in the defining of gender roles because how a person presents themselves and acts isn't a solid clarification of how or what they identify as. 

Then there is politics, in my own words it's the cutthroat business of debating and dealing with political affairs and displaying opinions and principles with the world. One of the few actual definitions is that politics is "the science or art of political government". Politics tend to become complex depending on how a person views it and interprets it. Typically, most don't discuss it due to its touchy subjects and what it tends to lead to. 

Ultimately, I will be posting articles, vlogs, and others sources that represent and explain my subtopic. Hopefully you readers out there will enjoy and continue to read the updates.



Thank you, 
Kira.

The Roles That Exist

So, when you think of politics, do you see strong feminists and cover pages with women standing strong? Well, not very many, you probably could count themall on both hands. I read this article by Molly Whiteman that did some surveyson whether or not these students taking a Law School Admissions test wouldpursue a career in politics. The results showed not many females preferred tohead in that direction. I want to know why. It raised some questions in my mindbecause in this time frame women are doing and becoming so much more careerwise despite the differences within treatment of genders. Yes, there is thatfact that female politicians have a harder time getting people to take themseriously, and by them I mean male counterparts.

Women already have a hard enough time making their way into the world as it is;now doing something predominately male doesn't ease that task. I wanted to knowthat would becoming a politician solely judge a candidate due to the gender aperson has? Is that even moral? Or fair? Then it makes me wonder if sexualitywould ever come into that judgment.

Here is something interesting to think about.

Was the reason for the lower results for females who didn't want to pursuepolitics caused by how dominant politics are by men? Or was it simple nothing?Or was there not enough data or wide variety of participants to gain insightfrom?

-Kira M

Gender Roles in Politics-- Link

LGBTQ and Politics

Hey Everyone!

I just found an AMAZING website that has a bunch of LGBTQ information in regards to the law and politics.  It has things like new laws and campaigns and even politicians that are advocates for the LGBTQ community.

This makes me so happy!

Here is the link
LGBT Community Gay Politics

-Cherokee Gonzalez

It gets better

"It Gets Better," is a message to the LGBTQ community that has gained a lot of popularity over the past few years.  This uplifting message is addressed in a newspaper article in Windy City Times, written by John Fenoglio.  This article addresses the multiple LGBTQ suicides, and states that the main goal of the project is to show LGBTQ community that they are not alone, and that, well... It does gets better!
LGBTQ people are too often harassed for being who they are, and unfortunately, there are politicians that don't exactly act as proponents for the LGBTQ community, but there are many people that are involved that are more than willing to lend a helping hand.   
So next time a restrictive law is passed, or another state makes it illegal for people of the same sex to get married, or someone decides to make a smart remark, just remember that it gets better.


-Cherokee Gonzalez

Also, an "it gets better" video from a friend of mine, Allie Vail

Here is a link to John Fenoglio's article
http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.emich.edu/pqdlink?vinst=PROD&fmt=3&startpage=-1&vname=PQD&RQT=309&did=2184046301&scaling=FULL&vtype=PQD&rqt=309&TS=1328655710&clientId=594

Men Are Victims Too

This article that I found states that men can be identified as rape victims. I found this article very interesting because it shows the equality between men and women. For years women have been the only gender view as victims of rape, but surprisingly men can be classified as well. With various crimes and unlawful acts that are soon to be done, whose to say we all aren't victims?

The Article


-Trenee Vaughn

Politics-- Bullying?

For years now there has been this rising trend within schools starting mainly in middle school. Bullying itself has escalated to drastic measures. Every person is susceptible to bullying but there are different types of groups who are actually bullied. Bullying depends on the person. If a person stands out or is deemed different for some list of reasons, they are more likely to be judged and criticized for every little thing that they do. The actual bully depends on how they stand in society (within the school). How politics comes into play is that much work isn't really being done to prevent this epidemic. Bullying is still getting worse and lives are being lost because of it.

In this article, Challenging homophobic bullying in schools: the politics of progress discusses that the government isn't doing much to put a hold on this escalating problem. Yes, small governmental groups for rights are stepping in to make things a tad bit better, but in my opinion; it is going to take more than that. We need the "big guns" to intervene and create more stable laws on bullying and all its types. 

To grasp every aspect, there isn't just bullying occurring among young teens and adolescents. There is bullying with adults within jobs and so on. Even in politics lies bullying. It may not be as drastic in contrast to younger teens, but it does exist. My thoughts seem to be all over the place, but the aspect of my point is that we desperately need more government involvement.

The government has recognized the toll that bullying has taken on the U.S. and made some efforts of changing it. There are bullying laws, but how much is that actually helping to solve the problem? Most victims don't even speak up about being bullie4d so how can bullying laws be thrown into action? In the end, our society as a whole has chinks in it. It's not fully developed when it comes to the topic of homophobic bullying or just bullying in general. What we need is something to take the laws more in depth to making living as a person classified as different better.

To wrap things up, below, I'll give you the link to the article that fueled my questions and concerns.

Article Link

Kira M. 

Works Cited

Daniel Monk (2011). Challenging homophobic bullying in schools: the politics of progress. International Journal of Law in Context, 7 , pp 181-207 doi:10.1017/S1744552311000061

Article!

Hey everyone!

I found a very interesting article. A great source I use to find articles is reddit. You can search in things called "sub-reddits." I believe the politics tabs is on the homepage of this screen. Once I clicked on politics I searched sexuality within that sub-reddit. There were so many great sources and articles. You should check it out!

Anyway, here is an article I found about sex and wall street. Very interesting if you take the time to read it.

Wall Street Article!

Just click on that and there you have it. I am interested in your comments and feedback.

Alexa Stephan


Also, a picture.

Comments?

Opinions?

This picture stuck out to me as a big political gender and sexuality issue. While I am not a Sarah Palin fan this picture stuck out to me. She is a political figure (hahaha) ok sorry, I shouldn't be putting my personal bias in but come on, it is Sarah Palin :P

Anyway as a political figure who is a woman she is in short shorts and obviously has emphasis on the fact  that she isn't hard on the eyes. Would they have made Obama or George Bush pose like this, wearing that, on the cover of newsweek? Think about that....


Alexa Stephan

Introduction!

Hello and welcome to our blog!

Together, we (Alexa, Cherokee, Kira, and Trenee) will collectively discuss topics related to Gender and Sexuality that can be found in Politics. Our main goal of this blog is to provide you with information about the challenges faced, the goals accomplished, the fun facts, and the entertainment behind the relationships between Gender, Sexuality, and Politics. Furthermore, there will be four different subtopics presented in our blog that fit under the gender or sexuality categories.

One of our subtopics to be related to politics is gender rolls. This subtopic belongs to me, Kira, and I will discuss how women and men are treated differently in the world of politics and how gender rolls are viewed by society and the individuals themselves. Going into more depth, I will break down the relationship and give my opinion, ask questions and brainstorm on issues going on in the U.S. relating to politics. For example, what I mean by gender roles is how women and man are compared and treated within politics that involve legal issues, bills, and laws that affect both genders or shows the difference between the treatment.

Our second subtopic is the LGBTQ community and will be discussed by me, Cherokee. My posts will include discussions about laws and proposals that affect the LGBTQ community, and will also share a little bit about the history shared between LGBTQ members and politicians. Additionally, my posts will include updates involving LGBTQ proponents that are currently involved in our government and their plans to assist the LGBTQ community.

Furthermore, the members of the Gender, Sexuality: Politics blog will raise questions and give our opinions on the articles posted.

We hope you enjoy,

Thank you.