Last spring, one of my students blogged about the groundbreaking exhibition Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture at the National Portrait Gallery. At the time, I was following with great interest the controversy that surrounded Hide/Seek when Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough decided to pull David Wojnarowicz’s video “A Fire in My Belly” from the […]
Read more "Hide/Seek at the Brooklyn Museum"I was raised in the age of “Girl Power.” There was never any doubt in my mind: I could do or be whatever I wanted when I grew up and my gender would not stand in the way. With female role models like Sally Ride and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, every door was open. In […]
Read more "Wanted: Allies for the Feminist Cause"Native Americans wearing thigh-high platform moccasins? A head dress made of pink feather boas? A recreated tipi decorated with Louis Vuitton suitcases and a chandelier? Kent Monkman, a noted Canadian artist, has used his native Cree heritage to create paintings, films, installations and performances that question and challenge traditional perspectives of native peoples. His artwork […]
Read more "Miss Chief Eagle Testickle"After reading about how relationships were a popular subject for female blues singers, I wondered how their male counterparts approached the subject. How did they feel about infidelity, love, and the opposite sex? Expecting to have to search hard for examples, I was surprised to find many male singers of the era broaching these topics. […]
Read more "“My Baby Left Me All Alone”: Blues Men and Relationships"A slow morning at the coffee shop gave me time to find an interesting op-ed that related to our class discussions of Gay New York. In the Friday, March 4th issue of the New York Times retired Air Force Chief of Staff Merrill A. McPeak contributed a controversial editorial in which he argued in favor […]
Read more "More on Gays in the Military: An Opinion from the Other Side"I keep thinking the other day about our discussion about terminology—what exactly it meant to be gay, masculine, effeminate, etc. Classmates have brought up the point, I think rightly so, that for men in perceptibly “less masculine” sport/profession (for instance, figure skating), being found to a homosexual is less shocking than if someone in a […]
Read more "Coming Out in the Military"Homosexuality and gay rights are a controversial issue issue in America and to many, it has probably always seemed that way. Today, every issue that affects the homosexual community turns into a shouting match between pro and anti gay advocates, who will never really agree with each other. It’s difficult when one group believes that […]
Read more "You Know How I Know You’re Gay?"
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