Friday, January 13, 2012

Born This Way: A Note on Liberation

Some time ago I wrote a blog post called "On Orientations, Preferences, and Mother Monster." I had an interesting conversation with someone who asked me if gay people are "born this way" as Lady Gaga and large parts of the gay and lesbian community suggest. The answer is complicated. Look at my original blog post for some food for thought (and a little Lady Gaga).

This morning I read a news story from Brazil. It is a good reminder to look outside of ourselves and outside of our own country from time to time. Here is someone from Brazil conceptualizing sexuality as an option--a choice--and not being afraid to make that choice (despite the gay bashing).

"These comments are nothing more than proof of what we're trying to say. We are assaulted by our sexual option ", says Fernando.

The way identity is constructed and thought of here in the United States is not the way the same phenomena is thought about elsewhere in the world. The way we think about ourselves is bound up in our culture and our national dialogue about identity. We forget that too easily. In forgetting that, we lose some of potential offered by the liberatory social movements of the 60s and 70s where people started making choices about who they were.

What choices do you want to make?

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