PAX

Definitions

• Sex- one’s anatomical sex, with which they were born
• Gender- the perception of one’s sex as a part of society, with which they identify
• Transgender- people whose gender identity does not align with their anatomical sex

Statistics

• In a national study of K-12 student:

○      Children reporting verbal harassment based on gender expression- 55.2%

○      Children reporting physical harassment based on gender expression- 22.7%

○      Children reporting physical assault based on gender expression- 11.4%

• In a national study of transgender adults, 15% reported leaving school at some point from kindergarten to college because of gender expression-based harassment
• Not enough statistics have been gathered regarding transgender youth and depression/suicide, but one study found that 45% have seriously considered suicide
• Recent data has suggested that at least 1 in 500 people are transgender

WHAT am I painting? I am painting portraits of Men and women who are not only friends of mine but  that are also part of the LGBT community. Depending on the person, the composition is either a three- quarter view or profile portrait. The portraits are painted in black and white, because I want the focus to be on what they have in common rather than how they are different. The canvases are very textured because it signifies that even though there are imperfections or bumps in the road they are still here.

WHAT am I using? The preparations for the painting are just as important as the painting itself.  I take all my own photographs to make sure that my portraits are exactly what I want. My subjects are told to sit down, relax , and think.

Let's split it,

and I ain't talkin bout a ticket,

they throwing pickets in Baltimore,

division has got em in a roar.

And casually allured

the casualties which alarmed

such a comfortable and complacent

place like ours.

We white folks could probably position our positional privilege

 into such a project that it may in fact benefit the projects.

But no, our religions stops at "don't have sex".

 But often fail to think about what happens next.

Influential Historical Figure

            Sally Ride was the first American woman astronaut to enter space. She was born on May 26, 1951 in Los Angeles. Growing up there were few role models for Sally to model her future career after. She attended Stanford University where she graduated with a degree in physics and English. She continued her study of physics at Stanford and attained a Ph.D. in 1978. After her graduation she was selected from 1,000 other applicants for NASA’s astronaut program. While training in the program she faced criticism and sexism both from within NASA and from the media. She was one of only five women in the astronaut program. The rest of the future astronauts were men and typically ex-fighter pilots. Ride was not the first woman in space, two Russian women had achieved the feat before her, but the American press was uninterested in their accomplishment. The press began asking Ride and the other women now seemingly senseless questions like how they expected to go to the bathroom or merely function in space. Despite the questioning of her capabilities, she became the first American woman in space on June 18, 1983.

There are many forms of entertainment for individuals to choose from, with music being one of the most popular – approximately 124 million Americans listen to online radio every month (Stutz, 2014). People use music to help regulate emotions and there is typically a song for every mood, while each artist is trying to convey something different with their music to attract listeners. Unfortunately, some of the most popular artists use suggestive lyrics that are often portrayed to an audience who may not completely comprehend the undertones of certain lyrical messages. Songs such as Ciara’s “Like a Boy” (2007), in which she expresses her contempt for being female and that life as a “boy” would be much easier – “Wish we could switch up the roles, and I could be that; tell you I love you but when you call, I never get back,” – depict an attitude towards dating culture in which men have the upper hand and women are supposed to be subservient. Other songs such as “Crack” (2 Chainz, 2012) perpetuate rape culture with lyrics including “I take ya girl and kidnap her, beat her to my mattress,” in which he suggests kidnapping another man’s girlfriend or wife and presumably forces her to have sex with him. Since these messages are widely broadcasted among radios everywhere, how do they affect the individuals listening? Are these words pushing people to act a certain way, or more specifically, conform to their gender role?  This paper will examine the arguments that hip-hop music makes a contribution to the perception of one’s gender roles and how he/she is supposed to perform such a role.

The stereotyping of black men based on his masculinity and hardness is something that has been going on for a long time. The black man has been viewed in a specific way since he is expected to behave in a certain way. Influences of rappers have significantly affected the way the black man is considered. This paper seeks to explore the stereotypes of black men. More often than not, a black man is expected to portray a particular form of hardness to qualify as a real man. Many are the times that people have implied that black rappers are less of credible and valuable artists especially when they fail to meet the criteria of being gangster enough. A good example is when Drake is accused of being a lesser rapper because he does not pass as a gangster, which is the society’s expectation of the black man (Lewis, 2008).

During our psychology of gender class, having to dress up the opposite of how I usually dress was very interesting. Because I scored so high on masculinity, femininity, and androgyny, I decided that I would dress up extremely feminine because how I usually dress to class includes leggings and a big t-shirt with a sweatshirt. So for class I decided to wear a dress with black booties, and a standout necklace. When walking out of my room I was nervous, I never dress like this for class so it was definitely an adjustment for not only me but for people around me.

The election of Barack Obama as President of the United States of America was heralded as the coming of a new age of race relations in America. Nearly 50 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the issue of race was deemed no longer relevant, nothing more than a ghost left to haunt the hollows of America’s past. Fast forward to 2016 and Pres. Obama is now viewed by some as the “great divider”, an individual who he alone has set race relations back 100 years. His policies and demeanor have been deemed so appalling to the public he served that he has forced the Americans to embrace the segregationist and protectionist ideologies of a forgone era. If we are to believe one man wielded such an enormous amount of control over the population, then we regrettably have already failed as a nation. A more plausible theory is that the jubilation, comradery, and racial harmony following his election were merely a façade, a mask hiding the scars that discrimination and racial tension continue to etch on the face of America the beautiful.