Sexism and homophobia are terrible things, but that is the harsh reality in the United States. This country was founded on male superiority. Women have always been in a subordinate role, and the traditional gender scripting that upholds to this day is evidence of our male chauvinistic attitudes. Feminists are often viewed as lesbians, (a bad thing to be in the minds of many citizens) man-haters, and female supremacists. There is a social stigma with being involved with the women's rights movements or associating with feminists. So many traditionalists still feel that men should be the bread-winners, and that women were meant to stay home and take care of the children and all household chores. Women are often not allowed much decision-making power in the home, especially where finances and budgeting are concerned. Yet, they are usually solely responsible for the childrearing, schooling, and childcare should she choose to work outside the home. Girls grow up practicing for their future roles as moms and wives, not independent career women. The toys they play with and idols they worship on television teach them that they must have the perfect bodies in order to "catch" a good husband, that they must uphold the imagery portrayed by models of what real women look like, and to be successful in life, they must look just like them. I read an article titled "Am I thin enough Yet?" by Sharlene Hesse-Biber. This article talks about one girl's obsession for maintaining her picture-perfect, thin body, which ultimately lead to her eating-disorder, bulimia. The problem with this situation, is that it's not just a unique scenario, this is a struggle faced by sooo many women out there. They feel they must be "sweet, pretty and thin" in order to not have the career than earns them the 100K a year, but to marry the man who does. Many women don't stand a chance; the media, the fashion industry, cooperate cosmetic developers all nurture women's insecurity and perceived inadequacies. They teach women that they can always improve themselves to look more like the image of the perfect body, and men quite often do not discourage this.
Gay-bashing is still a very serious issue in America. Many members of the LGBT community are what we call "in-the-closet" for fear of suffering retribution for what is commonly viewed as a choice. Because homosexuality is viewed as a choice, those who find themselves to be LGBT are often labeled deviant, unfit to be members of society, and second-class citizens. It took until 1973 for the American Psychiatric Association to remove homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , deeming that homosexuality is not a mental illness, though one could present a strong argument that homophobia is. Many gay and lesbian people only feel safe within well-established LGBT-friendly communities, such as those in San Francisco and New York City. They don't often feel at liberty to engage in public displays of affection, or talk openly about their lifestyle with strangers. And in only one state are they allowed to marry legally. This country has a long way to go, especially after the recent restriction of the definition of marriage, as one taking place between a man and a woman, as demonstrated by Proposition 8 in the state of California. Coming out of the closet is never an easy thing, as portrayed in an essay I read which won first place in a high school contest. The author mentions that he didn't want to burden his mother with the knowledge of the repeated sexual abuse of his stepfather, or with his discovery of being gay. Since the threat of being outed and possibly the murder of his mother, the author had no choice but to keep his silence, portraying the power of homophobia in America society.
