Jordonnia Scarlett Cultural Anthropology Ellen Hamrick May 21, 2016 The Oppressed LGBTQIAA When we hear the word oppression, we think about either racial oppression or feminist oppression, because those are the two stressed most in education systems. However, many like myself often forget to mention the subjection that the LGBTQIAA community has been facing for decades. Being raised in family that completely objects to homosexuality has placed me into a bubble that has just recently been popped. In the films Paris is Burning and Pride we are given an insight into the lives of the members of the LGB TQIAA community. We learn of the horrible ways they are oppressed and how their strength and perseverance …show more content…
Watching as their help was denied because of their sexuality shows how stagnant society was at that time in history. The movie gave us a visual of oppressed people (the miners) and how they are also oppressors. In an effort to help the minors, the LGSM (Lesbian and Gays Support the Miners) were looked down upon and rejected because no one wanted to be affiliated with homosexuals. Unlike Paris is Burning, the Pride members did not isolate themselves. They were openly proud of who they were and used their experience with oppression to empower them to help another group facing injustice. I the film there were many cases where they should have given up because their efforts and kindness was not appreciated, However, thhey did not give up they took everything that was geared towards them and used it as their catalyst, hence Pits and Perverts. Their never ending activism made them triumphant, sometimes forgetting that they were even oppressed to begin …show more content…
Take slavery for example, there were a lot more slaves than there were slave owners, the slaves failed to realize that their population was their power and not the master’s whip. Not only do they have a power in numbers but they are also among the few who have to fight for their right rather than to have it handed to them. There is a level of satisfaction that comes with gaining things that were earned. The oppressed can claim their power in numbers and use it to their advantage by joining forces, working together and collectively fighting for what they believe