O^-Mo^i & Opression By: Amanda Reyna

09/08/2011

O^-Mo^i & Oppression

                As a lesbian myself my response is going to be  between two articles oppression by: Marlyn Frye, and Emergence of Queer Vietnamese American By: Gina Masequesmay Though out history and even in some cases today not only Asian women; but  women in general  have been oppressed. For example: the declaration of independence says "all men are created equal" . It doesn't say all human being or all men and women are crated equal.   

                Women have always been looked down upon as kind of a man's shadow.  People never realize that behind every successful  man there is a good women.  There is no in-between when it comes to  man and women.  For example when  a man has sex with a verity of women he is praised, as oppose to a women if they have many sexual partners they are looked down upon. "If she is heterosexually active, a women is open to censure a punishment for being loose, unprincipled or a whore (Pg. 38)".  On the other hand if a women refrains from sexual activity, she is constantly harassed by men who try to persuade her in having sex, and when she refuses men label her as "uptight, frigid, man-hater , a bitch or even lesbian."

                Even when it comes to jobs how many women do you see as CEO of large companies,  or in congress?  When Hillary Clinton ran for presidency she became teary eyed during one of her speeches, and people gossiped saying this is why we can't have a female president women are too emotional. Whereas Bush had became teary eyed at several of his speeches and nobody said anything.  These are some examples how women are still oppressed in today's society.

                In Emergence of Queer Vietnamese American my favorite line  is "Thank goodness I'm a lesbian! If I were straight, I would probably end up like one of these girls (Pg.117)".  Because I can relate many of my friends had children at very young ages when growing up, thus postponing school, and work to tend to their children's needs. Out of my friends I was the first to graduate a junior college this wasn't because they didn't finish school but rather they fell behind.

                Coming out is one of the hardest  thing in life to do, but coming out as a Vietnamese American,  or even   a Hispanic American tends to be even harder due to your cultural roots. Last semester at San Jose City College I took a Vietnamese American  studies class.  In this class our teacher brought in a guest speaker from a LGBT Vietnamese  group she was the founder of the foundation, I am unsure if it is the same group they discuss in the article?.  However I talked to her and also one of her group members about how their coming out experience was in the Vietnamese culture.  I spoke to a man by the name of Vincent who told me when he came out to his parents they told him that he had brought shame to their family and he was dead to them, that's intense for a teenager growing up.  Vincent lived in a group home until he was able to get a job and buy a place with his partner.

                 Being lesbian, gay, bisexual , and transgender we are oppressed in  many parts of the U.S.  It's okay for use to pay taxes, but we can't get married for our partner to have our medical benefits through our work. LGBT have to deal with being taunted, hate crimes, and being looked down upon all our life but being gay excludes us from certain rights? that doesn't make sense, we are just regular people like everyone else.

                People often say your sexuality is a choice but nobody  realizes it is really not a choice. Hermaphrodites for example like the woman that won a gold medal in the Olympics,  she had both male and female parts and she lost the metal due to that even though she didn't know.  David for example in the article "Despite these negations, David was convinced he was a boy, I know I'm a boy I was just in the wrong body".  He did not know the terms "transsexual" or "transgender."  It was not until he was sixteen and watched Donahue that he learned the terms  and identified himself as "transgender."

                "The culture especially Asian culture, it's very tight. you know, they have a family tie, in culture very tight and they feel obligated with their roots (128)". In conclusion women in general not specifically Asian women have been oppressed, and also LGBT have been oppressed we can pay taxes but we can't get married for our partner to have medical benefits that's wrong  in my eyes. What happen to this being that land of the free?.