Somberville

The thesis of this chapter was to show how prejudism of sexuality and race compare and ocntrast to each other. Somberville explains how both groups are looked at very similiarly and how they over lap each other. These two groups in Americ are looked at as the othee and different groups. Homosexuality and blacks are the two groups of people in America that aer looked down upon. Somberville explains how one came from another and how they both are viewed in America.

Somberville talks about how homosexuality began being deplicted in Germany and other European counrties before Americans started to view the group of people. He says that gayness started to be viewed as a disease instead of being a choice made by a person. Thats how homosexuality was looked at as a medical illness instead of anything else. People believed that people who are gay were born with disease and they can not do anything to change their sexual preference. Havelock Ellis wrote books and sexuality and how homosexuality is a crime. Ellis was the first author to write about the controversial subject. Ellis's book was banned in Germany so he published it in the United States. The book was know to be for scientific experts but was also read by others who were trying to find their representation. In America it is hard for a person to be a homosexual or to be black. With some many different forms of racism towards both groups it puts the between a rock and a hard place. Unlike blacks though, homosexuals can decide whether to come out of the closet or not. Someone who is gay had the choice of whether to tell people or not, becasue if they do come out and tell people close to them they run the risk of losing close friends and family. As wrong as it is, but it is the truth, in America it is a crime to be gay. People are treated differently everyday because of their sexuality. This is a counrty of freedoms and you have the freedom to choose what sex you want to be married to. With that being said this counrties main stream culture, like it or not, looks at gayness as a disease. I personally have nothing against gays but I can not say that for the rest of Americans.

Two Discussion Questions
1.) What the similarities and differences between being gay and being black?
2.) What group of people has is more scrutinized in America?

I thought this chapter was one of the most hard readings I have ever done. It was extreamly hard for me to get certain concepts that Somberville discusses. Somberville seems like a very intellegent person with great ideas that need to be thought of cridically to draw the correct meanings from the reading. This was not one on my most favorite readings because it was dry and long.