Almack:
Same sex couples have
had a historically hard time in regards to nearly all aspects of their lives.
It comes as no surprise that the lives of senior LGBTQ community members is
rarely studied. More importantly it is almost certain that these members of
society will be neglected in terms of essential “near end of life” care and
support. Even though the Affordable Care Act is ushering in unprecedented
strides towards equality in terms of health care and anti-discrimination
measures, as well as state laws forcing equal rights for all citizens. The
elder members of the LGBTQ community are weary of these claims due to their
conditioned past filled with discrimination and rejection. It is still true
that there is a lot of intolerance and discrimination today, however, this also
seems to be mainly from the older non-LGBTQ community as well as religious
zealots of all ages sticking to their hateful past. It is sad if you think
about it, once the elder LGBTQ community does get researched and the attention
it deserves, the data will cover up a dark past that really could have
benefitted from some light being shed on it. As we progress as a society, and
drastic changes in rights and opinions trickle up [from youngest to oldest] the
victims are the original trailblazers. Those who fought first and longest,
continued to struggle throughout their entire life in order to spark a change
for the younger generation. Individualization is a key point in LGBTQ members
learning to live freely and openly. With laws being passed supporting those
rights, these members can pursue their own choices as opposed to the rigid
norms of our past. New generations will hopefully never have to know the
disenfranchised grief of their elders, not being able to openly acknowledge or
publicly mourn the tragedies that affect their LGBTQ loved ones.
Q: Why did the elder
LGBTQ members not get researched as much? One would think they are the
generation that started the movement or even precursors to that movement
Goltz:
The article is about the
way LGBTQ youth assess, thinks and feels about their future. The research cites
a major gender divide in the outlook of gay men’s futures versus lesbian’s
futures. Gay men feel that their future will be negative and miserable like
that of a bitter old man. This likely stems from society’s influence on the
thoughts of gay men. The heteronormative stereotype and the fear of being
persecuted for going against society and its views. Lesbians surprisingly
escape that dreadful outlook on their future. They associate positive meanings
to their futures. This might be because their perception of the future relies
heavily on society’s standard heteronormative model of the family and children.
It is interesting to discover this divide in attitudes, since an outsider like
myself would assume that both genders are similar struggles and interactions
with others in their lifespan creating similar outlooks.
Q: Why are lesbians able
to foster this positive outlook while gays see such bleak futures?
No comments:
Post a Comment