#2 Gay Casting

For this weeks post, I am again drawing from personal experience, which just shows how often we are faced with stereotypes and prejudice in our everyday lives. This week I worked closely with the cast of a show at my university. I was stage manager for a cast of 18 actors and actresses. During the preparation  our show we had a conversation that involved the well-known stereotype that only gay men participate in theatre. This stereotype does have a bit of truth to it that a lot of gay men will participate in theatre because they find it easier to let go and be flamboyant on stage, but acting is more based on talent and personality. Which means that any man can be an actor in theatre if they are willing to put in the time to gain the skills that it requires.

In the theatre department at Washburn University there are equal amounts of gay and straight men. A good example is that in the cast that that I worked with, 3 out of 7 of the men that were in the show were straight. This shows only a slight majority of the men were gay, and this is only slightly more than any other department of study on campus.

I think that it is a bit odd that the stereotype is that only women and gay men can be in theatre, when in the history of theatre only men were allowed to act and they would often portray women in the productions. It seems clear that this stereotype only entered society in the 1900's when it transitioned to the belief that straight, or manly men, only played sports. I think that the reason straight men don't participate in theatre as often as gay men is due to the social stigma that surrounds it. Straight men will often feel that they will be viewed as less manly or even mistaken for being gay if they act in a show. Stereotypes will often feed off of social stigma. This stereotype may have some truth to it, but mostly because of the fear that straight men have to participate in theatre because of the social stigma. We could easily break down this stereotype by normalizing straight men in theatre and encouraging them to try theatre. Until next week, remember #LoveWins.

#1 Flannel for Days

This blog is dedicated to debunking stereotypes, so a good place to start is to establish the definition of a stereotypes. The sociological definition of a stereotype is a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group. Stereotypes constantly surround us and they affect everyone. There are stereotypes based on race, gender, culture, location, and sexual orientation. Stereotypes are sometimes true but a majority of them are completely false and based on misconceptions or prejudices against certain groups of people. I will be focused on the stereotypes that come form the LGBT community, a community that has been hated and persecuted around the world for many centuries

The stereotype I will be focusing on today, is the stereotypes that all lesbian or queer women wear only flannel shirts and jeans. I have had personal experience with this stereotype. Just this weekend I was out with some friends and we were shopping at the mall. We found an amazing closing sale, and my friend bought several flannel shirts. When we got back home she made a comment that stuck with me. She said, "Looking at my closet, you would think I was a lesbian." This comment was especially ironic because she is completely straight. This stereotype I believe was born out of the idea that lesbians are only butch women that look like men. So the flannel on lesbians stereotype was born. I break this stereotype directly because as a queer women I do not own a single piece of flannel clothing. Queer and straight women come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, and even clothing. So until next week, always remember #lovewins.

Welcome to My Blog

Hi, my name is Sarah. I'm starting this blog to address the stereotypes of the LGBT community. As a young girl I struggled with my sexual identity behind closed doors because I grew up in a place that was not understanding of queer people. Since I had no exposure to LGBT individuals, I was forced to research online, which can sometimes be a good tool, but when it comes to LGBT matters the information can be varied and most of it is false. After I moved to a more progressive area, it was easy to see that the information I had found was mostly false.

Each week I will address some of the claims, or stereotypes, that can be found on the internet about LGBT people. I will explain how these stereotypes started, then debunk or give them merit based on my own opinion and research. I hope to help young kids struggling to find true information on the LGBT community. Until next week, always remember #LoveWins.