Hi all,
This evening I was talking to my SO about the Godbeer article we read in class. He'll be working as a civil rights lawyer starting this summer and had a (potentially) more cynical view of the sparse number of sodomy convictions in early colonial America than the "live and let live" attitude Godbeer suggested. I'm repeating his argument here.
In early American law, the sentences connected to criminal convictions were not discretionary, i.e. a conviction for a capital crime automatically carried the death penalty. "Jury nullification" was thus much more common then than now. Jury nullification (insofar as it is relevant here) is the phenomenon in which a person is clearly guilty of some crime but the jury does not believe that the sentence brought by the charge is appropriate, so they render a verdict of "not guilty," full stop. The Puritan societies that Godbeer describes, then, may have had little real tolerance or "live and let live" attitude, but only thought that execution was an excessive punishment for what they saw as just one more sin among many.
Of course, that account doesn't answer the question of why there were relatively few charges being brought to trial in the first place, which Godbeer's account may more fully explain.
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
The third gender of Pacific Islands, fa'afafiine and Māhū
Today's discussion involving two-spirit people of the Native Americans and hijra of India reminded me of the third-gender people of the pacific islands. My professor for a past Gender Studies class I took was an expert on pacific islander culture, so I remember us talking about this at length in class.
The fa'afafine are people of the Samoa islands who are assigned male at birth, but take on a typically feminine role. The word itself means "in the manner of a woman". In modern terms, they would most likely be described as transgender women, but not all of them choose to use that to describe themselves.
Here is an article about some of the fa'afafine:
Māhū, on the other hand, are from Hawai'i. The word means "in the middle", and can describe both amab or afab people who decide to embrace both the masculine and the feminine. What is interesting is that, like the two-spirit people, they are considered spiritually important and a teacher who passes on important traditions such as dances and chants.
Both Māhū and fa'afafine, as well as multitudes of other third-gender people of the pacific islands have been erased from their culture due to white colonizers who came to their lands and thought that it was 'unnatural'.
The existence of third-gender people in their traditions are so interesting to me, a nonbinary, as well as being super validating. We have existed for many many years, and there has been cultures where gender nonconformity was accepted and even celebrated. I hope this helps others feel that way too.
Gender Identity and Sexual Identity in the Pacific and Hawai'i: Introduction
This link should take you to some resourcesThe fa'afafine are people of the Samoa islands who are assigned male at birth, but take on a typically feminine role. The word itself means "in the manner of a woman". In modern terms, they would most likely be described as transgender women, but not all of them choose to use that to describe themselves.
Here is an article about some of the fa'afafine:
Māhū, on the other hand, are from Hawai'i. The word means "in the middle", and can describe both amab or afab people who decide to embrace both the masculine and the feminine. What is interesting is that, like the two-spirit people, they are considered spiritually important and a teacher who passes on important traditions such as dances and chants.
Both Māhū and fa'afafine, as well as multitudes of other third-gender people of the pacific islands have been erased from their culture due to white colonizers who came to their lands and thought that it was 'unnatural'.
Here's an article about the Māhū, and I found several videos about them as well.
Above is a short clip from a PBS documentary called 'Kumu Hina' that explains what Māhū means to the culture.
(This is a longer clip from the same documentary, for those who are interested!)
The existence of third-gender people in their traditions are so interesting to me, a nonbinary, as well as being super validating. We have existed for many many years, and there has been cultures where gender nonconformity was accepted and even celebrated. I hope this helps others feel that way too.
Articles on Hijra's (India's transgender communities)
The modern day hijra is an entertainer, a spiritual entity and involved in sex work. They wear saris and colorful makeup and are treated as jesters in a way. They will perform at weddings and baby showers. This article talks about Radhika a hijra as well as a guru who acts as a Madam and provides protection for her hijra clan. Radhika was born female but kids in school would tease her which is how she came to the realization she wasn't totally a girl but also wasn't totally a boy either. After her moms death and her dads abandonment, becoming a hijra was a method of self preservation.
I think this article does a good job summarizing what life is like for a Hijra now and the history of their community. I also find the pictures used in the article really beautiful and poignant.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/17/style/india-third-gender-hijras-transgender.html
Another one:
https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/04/18/304548675/a-journey-of-pain-and-beauty-on-becoming-transgender-in-india
Photo story, this one talks about Hijras describing themselves as mermaids:
This article also highlights how because there isn't a gender classification for Hijras they are prevented from holding government jobs or go to college.
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170720-the-semi-sacred-third-gender-of-south-asia
My favorite photo from the series
Lawerence v. Texas Podcast
In class today we talked about sodomy laws and mentioned Lawerence v. Texas so I thought I would post this link to my favorite podcast, "More Perfect." This episode, "The Imperfect Plaintiffs," handles a number of Supreme Court cases, with a focus on Lawerence. It's about an hour long and you can just listen to the parts dealing with Lawerence, but I really enjoy the whole episode (and the whole podcast).
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Actor Jussie Smollett attacked in possible hate crime
Smollet came out as gay in 2015 during an interview with Ellen DeGeneres. He is most famous for his portrayal of Jamal Lyon, a gay musician, in the Fox drama series Empire. This afternoon, Smollet was attacked in Chicago what many believe to be a hate crime. Smollett was taunted with homophobic and racial slurs, doused with bleech, and assaulted with a rope around the neck by two men in ski masks who told him "This is MAGA country."
The ACLU has released a statement stating that:
"LGBTQ people of color live at multiple intersections of opporession, too often facing violence compounded by both racism and homophobia. This isn't the America we want to live in. Our thoughts are with Jussue Smollett and all survivors."
Senator and Presidential candidate Kamala Harris wrote:
"This was an attempted modern day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of their skin. We must confront this hate."
Sources: https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/29/entertainment/jussie-smollett-attack/index.html
https://www.fastcompany.com/90298652/empire-star-jussie-smollett-is-the-latest-maga-hate-crime-victim
The ACLU has released a statement stating that:
"LGBTQ people of color live at multiple intersections of opporession, too often facing violence compounded by both racism and homophobia. This isn't the America we want to live in. Our thoughts are with Jussue Smollett and all survivors."
Senator and Presidential candidate Kamala Harris wrote:
"This was an attempted modern day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of their skin. We must confront this hate."
Sources: https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/29/entertainment/jussie-smollett-attack/index.html
https://www.fastcompany.com/90298652/empire-star-jussie-smollett-is-the-latest-maga-hate-crime-victim
Monday, January 28, 2019
Queer Resource Center Spring Open House
Please join the Queer Resource Center (QRC) on Friday, February 8th from 2pm - 4pm to welcome the spring semester and 7C students, faculty, and staff. Come out to meet professional staff and an outstanding group of graduate assistants, interns, and student associates. Food and beverages will be provided alongside an opportunity to win QRC swag for the first 20 people. Click here for flyer.
NPR: San Francisco's Storied Transgender Community Now Has An Official Home
San Francisco has created the nation's first official transgender cultural district to keep gentrification in check, reports NPR.
Supreme Court Revives Transgender Ban for Military Service
Last week, the Supreme Court granted the Trump administration’s request to allow it to bar most transgender people from serving in the military while cases challenging the policy make their way to the court. Here is the story and here is an opinion from the New York Times, along with personal accounts from two people affected by the ruling: an army sergeant and a former naval aviator.
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