There are many aspects to uncover and discuss about the history and development of the queer community. Throughout this class we have gone through several historical events and seen how it has affected the gradual acceptance of the queer community and the image they have built for themselves in today’s era. I have already been aware of some of these aspects and the history of the community, but I have certainly learned some new things I have never known before.
In regards to our online exhibition, there are several topics that I would like to discuss upon and cover. One of the topics that interest me is the development of queer health medical practices. Usually in regards to the trans community, people seek for medical help to relieve their gender dysphoria through hormonal injections or plastic surgery. Such medical practices like plastic surgery have already existed for the cis community’s usage, but the concept of changing one's hormones and switching the type of genitalia they want was a new field to discover. The medical community and the queer community had to work hand in hand to tread these new waters and, through trial and error, develop these modern practices that can be replicated today in a safe manner.
Another topic that interests me to be a potential candidate to cover in my online exhibition is the appeal that gay relationships have in Japan. People have conservative mindsets wherever you go, whether here in America or across the waters in Europe. Japan also contained these same mindsets, but what was interesting to see was that there was a mass production of “manga” with boy x boy relationships that started to appear sometime in the 70s. This is due to the rise of female writers in the mangaka industry who were pushing for the production of manga representing “yaoi'' (boy’s love). I want to learn more about why it’s typically females that find boy x boy relationships fascinating and sexually stimulating, which can also be said for males who enjoy girl x girl relationships (known as “yuri '') and why specifically it grew in popularity in Japan. This growth in the production of yaoi eventually grew exponentially and found its way into western culture. Now it is a highly profitable and entertaining market that has been growing ever since and could have had some influence in the visibility of the queer community across several countries.
Another potential topic I want to cover for my online exhibition is the conflicting issue of whether or not a trans person should reveal their identity in a romantic setting. This has been a serious debate with a lot of back and forth in it that people seem to have trouble deeming what is correct, safe, and necessary. There have been many reported cases in which two people are set up on a blind date where one of them is trans and the other is unaware of it. This unawareness would then lead to a higher rate of violence from the opposing party against the trans person because they feel as if they were “tricked” and “betrayed” in this scenario. This isn’t something new either as this has also been reflected in media in which “the woman/man you thought was cis is actually not” is usually played as a gag. It's portrayed as a “gotcha” moment and meant to be played for laughs. Unfortunately, nothing about this issue is funny as many trans people have been beaten and killed because it was portrayed as if they “tricked” the other person for hiding their identities. This has been a debatable topic as many argue that the first thing you should mention before getting into a relationship is to mention that you are trans so as to not deceive the other party and to protect yourself. Some people from the trans community argue against this deeming that they should not have to declare who or what they are as it's a private matter and that a relationship should be built on actually building a bond between one another rather than based on gender preferences.
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