SEMINAR DESCRIPTION

This course will surface the ways in which LGBTQ+ people and communities have impacted the ways in which mainstream American culture has been shaped by cultural production derived from thinking that challenges heteronormativity in post-World War II America until the validation of same sex marriage in 2014 Through the lenses of queer theory, evolving queer history, Since the emergence of “homosexuality” and “transsexuality” as identities in the late 19th century, queer culture has been presumed to develop in the margins of American life, ancillary to and shaped by heterosexual norms. Yet, the vast majority of queer people in the last hundred years have lived (to at least some degree) in the closet, allowing them to exist in the mainstream while maintaining a distinctly non-normative identity. Thus, to quote bell hooks, allowing them "to bring the margin into the center." In 15 meetings over the course of the semester, through lectures, discussions, texts, slides, films and video, we will explore the ways in which transformative integration of queer designs for living have occurred. Highlighting pivotal events and shifts in American cultural, political, and creative history this course will provide food for thought about the ways in queerness is integral to American notions of progress and freedom.

Monday, February 26, 2024

Sam U. February 23, 2024 "Possible Topic Discussion for Exhibition Project"

 The history and coverage of the queer community is expansive and there are many topics I can talk about that really intrigue me. But recently what has caught my attention were the medical practices in sex reassignment surgery. People who are trans or even non-binary can opt in to receive gender affirming surgery to better feel affiliated with themselves as a person. Usually, in the case with FTM individuals, there a range of surgeries suited for them varying from: top surgery (double mastectomy), bottom surgery (phalloplasty, metoidioplasty, phalloplasty, scrotoplasty), facial reconstruction, removal of sexual organs (hysterectomy, salpingo-oophorectomy), voice masculinization, body contouring, and hair implants. As for MTF individuals, this can include: bottom surgery (vaginoplasty), top surgery (breast implants), facial reconstruction, orchiectomy, removal of sexual organs (orchiectomy), body contouring, voice feminization, tracheal shave, hair implants, and hair removal.


While some of these surgeries were developed and studied with trans people's benefits in mind, some of these have already existed long beforehand for cis gendered people, whether as a result from injury, illness, or aesthetic purposes. Yet, the history to get to where we are today with the advancement in these surgeries has not been easy. Many people have had to endure trial and error as they were subjected to these exploratory surgeries, some even dying due to infection. One example that comes to mind is a movie based on a true story called “The Danish Girl”, the story of the first ever transgender woman to undergo bottom surgery to construct a vagina, but dies due to complications as this surgery is the first to be performed. 


I want to uncover more on the history of how these surgeries went through medical trial and error to get the results we have today, to see how the trans community fought to gain this medical care that was willing to listen to them, and to see how these surgeries are criticized and put in a negative light as many conservatives state that these surgeries do nothing but mutilate a perfectly healthy body. 


The Danish Girl (2015) - Posters — The Movie Database (TMDb)

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Erika Bauer - Final Project

 Link to my final project https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/10M3X31MtgSnCAicMzf6pDhINFAjSNRaGX8BJnh3_9Eg/edit