Dave

My topic for the final research paper on cultural resistence is going to be on gay violence in America. Ronald Regan wouldn't even address the idea of gay people and their rights in America, and people weren't allowed to "come of of the closet" until the 80's. When people first pictured homosexuals, they imagined men wearing dresses and linked the idea of AIDS as a "gay" disease, but in reality, heterosexual women are the largest growing group to have AIDs. " Dance Balls" were formed by gay communities in New York City in the 80's because this was a place where people could be themselves and also feel loved and accepted by others, during a time when families often rejected their homosexual children. Many people believe we lost the Vietnam War because we were a "bunch of pussies," and Rambo played by Sylvester Stalone, resembles an idea that we could have won the war if we were more masculine. Currently, there are no openly gay fortune 500 CEOs in America, and California recently vetoed Proposition 8, legalizing gay marriages. Someone elses sexual orientation has no effect on ourself, so victumizing someone because of who they are is resisting what exists. Mike Piazza is one of the best catchers of all time, but when poeple think about him, they think more about all the controversy around his sexual orientation in a league where there were no openly gay poeple. Common insults to men not acting manly include fag, pussy, and wuss, which is how a lot of people would describe someone who is gay, but in reality, homosexuals, like heterosexuals, come in all different shapes and sizes, so stereotyping someone as being gay is reinforcing these stereotypes. People are "coming out" at a much younger age than ever before, and people are more accepting towards homosexuals, but the idea that it isn't naturally accepted shows how it is still being resisted. Amari: I think that you will be able to find a lot of information on this topic? This topic is broad and it will be easier if you pick a narrower topic and explore it. Maybe you can talk about gay marriages or even the terms they use to describe homosexuals. What have activists been doing to overturn the decisions or the sterotypes that have been set in our society. How are they trying to change government laws for things like gay marriage? What are the different view points relating to this topic? You can explore religious groups, homosexuals, and different individuals.

Danielle: ok so you give a lot of fact but never give your opinion on the topic. This is an argument paper. What is your point of view? What are you arguing for? To link your topic you could talk about California's prop 8 passing, meaning gay marriage is now illegal. What's you view on that?

Stephanie DiPrima- this is a good topic because you can get in a lot of directions but i think like the others said you should narrow it down more. are you going to talk about gay marriages, or Mike Piazza or gays in general? i think gay marriages would be a good topic because there is such contraversy in society that you can really take a side and expand.

Chris G. What is your thesis on the subject, it was difficult to find in the proposal. One thing though, California's Prop 8 banned gay marriage. Are you saying that since there are no famous athletes that are homosexual, that homsexuality will never be imbraced by society? What is your opnion on the subject matter. This will narrow down the topic so you can specifically work on one piece of this very large puzzle.