A Summary of Individual Stories
A Summary of Individual Stories
Virtual Gallery and Analysis
Virtual Gallery and Analysis
Embedded Files
Introduction
Introduction
This blog collection will focus on the historical significance of individual accounts of lives spent working toward the reform of gender and civil rights. Well-known, historical elements, like the Civil Rights Act, achieved in part, by the movement represented by Martin Luther King, began with individual stories like that of Rosa Parks who was solitary in her endeavor. Sometimes human resilience relies on a confused amassing of motivation to be resilient in the first place. When we observe someone enduring an experience similar to ours we see that we are not alone and inspired to pursue what may have been too intimidating previously. These are a few stories in which I have found inspiration this semester.
Pepper Lebeija
Pepper Lebeija
Pepper Lebeija is one of several House Mothers featured in the film Paris is Burning. If you would rather not listen to the entire 1-minute clip at least listen to the last 15 seconds. Keep in mind this was filmed 23 years ago. Back then it was common for non-binary individuals to be beaten and murdered, while the cops looked the other way. I got the impression from watching the full-film and reading the ominous comments that suicide was also a common option for individuals who must have felt alienated by their surroundings and abandoned by justice. The Ball was the opposite of the rest of life. As if everything else wasn't enough to test one's confidence the era during which this took place makes the prominence of Pepper's lifelong confidence all the more poignant. Sadly Pepper passed away in May of 2003.
Rupert Everett
Rupert Everett
I wonder from this story if Rupert Everett lived his life denying himself, in an act of self-sacrifice, so that he wasn't punished by society. I am inclined to say that he did because of other discriminatory events in society at that time that punished homosexuals and trans-gender individuals. If I am correct in making this extension the inspiration of this story is his positive outlook on life now, at 64 years old.
I interpret what is written in the headline not as:
"oh the younger generation has it so good now"
rather as:
"I have lived long enough to see the movement has come far enough that my choice back then would no longer required today"
Not that it ever was required, but if he didn't make the choices he did he probably would've been persecuted, depending on a few factors such as location. Although, in the end, they were his decisions, my instincts for survival would have caused me to have done the same.
Fred W. McDarrah/Getty Images
The Sip In
The Sip In
Named as it relates to the civil rights lunch counter sit-ins that were occurring at that time, the Sip In protest was an affront brought by the gay rights population in New York who were denied service at bars due to their perception as "disorderly" patrons. Pictured here to the right and above are Dick Leitsch, and Randy Wicker, two of the participants that began the protest that led to the Stonewall Riots. New York Times author, Jim Farber, makes an important historical reference with respect to the gay rights context in 1966 compared to what exists today (Farber, 2016).
"That it is largely forgotten says a lot about how the gay political conversation has shifted over the past five decades."
Everybody has a history and everybody’s history has a significant part in all of history,”
-Helen Buford, owner of the bar Julius', New York City
Daytona Bitch
Daytona Bitch
During a Toronto Drag show Daytona Bitch did a skit in blackface. Depending on perspectives, people think she went too far in the pursuit of putting on a show. However, Megan Murphy poses a compelling question in her article analyzing feminism while asking if blackface is racist, why is drag not sexist (Murphy, 2014). RuPaul has a different understanding of Drag as do many other people, including the administration of SLCC who are endorsing a drag show this week at the South City campus. I agree with RuPaul's interpretation of the show, although I think Murphy's question deserves an answer that society would rather not concern itself with. While I agree that blackface is going too far, the initiative to try it is what is important in the context of this post even if it is a mistake.
The actual Hidden Figures
The actual Hidden Figures
Think about the title of this movie. What does it mean to you? To me, it means segregation. It implies figures, although valuable to NASA's mission, were hidden whilst working in a back room. This may or may not have been anyone's intention, but think about what it means today. I am inclined to think about how far society has come since segregation, but then pause and compare the recent passage of anti-DEI laws by states including Utah to segregation during the 1960s. Is DEI today pretty much just a modern-day seat in the back of the bus?
Patsy Mink
Patsy Mink
Pasty Mink was denied entrance to medical school based on her race and gender. Although the 14th Amendment had passed decades earlier school segregation was still in place and wouldn't be settled until Brown v. Board of Education in 1959. Without regard for segregation, the administrators still somehow justified that she couldn't possibly be resilient enough to negotiate the rigors of the medical field. Alternatively, Patsy went to law school where she made a lifelong work as a lawyer, and then a politician with the express purpose of reforming education systems like the one that denied her entrance.
Pete Buttigieg
Pete Buttigieg
Even if one disagrees with the politics of Pete Buttigieg his leadership is extraordinary. In almost all of his public appearances documented on YouTube, he displays a quick-thinking action that any politician or debater wishes they could mimic. But he does it with a meaning that is compelling and hard for many of his opponents to contradict. His skill is not necessarily rare, but it is probably one of the most important skills in a politician. He is an inspiration to others that may think they're unqualified to run for office because of political inexperience, oe sadly because of gender bias, which is very real. As his personality indicates, his oratorical ability to articulate the issues are perhaps more important than political experience.
"When I talked about coming out that was for everybody who's tried to figure out how to be who they really are"
-Pete Buttigieg
Conclusion
Conclusion
Younger generations probably get sick of hearing how much better civil rights are now than they used to be when there are still so many discouraging events occurring like what is represented by the George Floyd story. Historical figures illuminating progress don't intend to shade the experience of younger generations. Contrastingly, the aim is to leverage the past, to empower the future. An example is shown by considering the contrast between the limits of initiative that 19th century painter Elizabeth Thompson felt she could take and that of Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard in her 2012 speech to the Parliament. Although the increment of confronting equality has been frustratingly slow, the metric has moved resulting in progress that society may use to its strategic advantage, but only if it is aware. I suggest that if the current conversation concerning equality retains its historical relevance the sacrifices of the past may continue to empower the momentum of the future.
References
References
Amazon Prime Video. (2021, October 18). Mayor Pete [Video] YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CCXyUge7hA&t=2s
Barnes, F. (2024, March, 22). Rupert Everett says if he grew up today he would be encouraged to change gender and would now be a woman after enjoying crossdressing as a boy - but says 'I love being a gay man'. Daily Mail.
Farber, J. (2016, April 16). Before the Stonewall Uprising, There Was the ‘Sip-In’. The New York Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/21/nyregion/before-the-stonewall-riots-there-was-the-sip-in.html
Mertens, R. (2024, October 12). Political pioneer Patsy Mink, JD’51, was a tenacious and determined politician. The University of Chicago Magazine, 116(2),
https://mag.uchicago.edu/law-policy-society/political-pioneer
Morgan, T. (2018, June 18). The Gay ‘Sip-In’ that Drew from the Civil Rights Movement to Fight Discrimination. History.
https://www.history.com/news/gay-rights-sip-in-julius-bar
Murphy, M. (2014, April 25). Why has drag escaped critique from feminists and the LGBTQ community? Feminist Current.
NASA images public domain
https://www.nasa.gov/nasa-brand-center/images-and-media/
State of Dress. (2023, March 2). Paris is Burning 1990. [Video] YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI7EhpY2yaA
20th Century Studios. (2016, November 16). Hidden Figures | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX. [Video] YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wfrDhgUMGI
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