The political struggle for sexual and gender minoritiesFor thousands of years, sex, sexuality, gender and politics have been intertwined with many laws and mentalities that arise almost exclusively from religious beliefs and heterosexual patriarchy around the world. Even in a country that prides itself on the separation of church and state and is a land of freedom, citizens' sexuality is under constant political scrutiny. Not only in political laws, but in our government-funded education system, businesses that rely on government, and government-controlled media, we are subliminally taught the social norms that men are above women, and straight is better than gay. Margaret Atwood's story The Handmaid's Tale presents a frightening depiction of what this country could be if women and the LGBTQ community had no rights. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel illustrates the findings of the implications our country has established towards the LGBTQ community and the effects this can have on individuals in the LGBTQ community. Both of these books, and the reality we live in today, demonstrate that there is an undeniable link between politics and sex, and this connection, more often than not, leads to negative outcomes for people who have no power. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The negative implications towards the LGBTQ community and women are undoubtedly linked to outdated religious beliefs that tell us that people from these communities are inferior compared to others. In addition to this, the laws and legislators of a country can influence the beliefs and morals of its citizens, which means that in some cases a law becomes a moral belief and hatred or aversion can form or grow towards the community targeted by the law. The Oxford Handbook of Gender and Politics points out that: If we look at some of the key issues that form the divide between political parties in the United States – be it reproductive rights or same-sex marriage – we can see that many of “culture wars” issues are basically questions about what sexual and intimate behaviors of men and women should be accepted and supported by society at large (Waylen, 2) Many people fighting for more rights ask “why my rights sex and the control of it What do I do with my body is up to legislators? This is a relevant issue that we are still fighting in our land of “freedom” in the 21st century. Women and the LGBTQ community around the world have different levels of freedom in different places. but a common theme seems to persist: men hold more power Despite the rise of feminism, “the world and disciplines are still dominated by men today. In November 2011, the global average of women in the lower house of legislatures was still only 20%… At the United Nations, only 6 of 37 undersecretaries general (16%) were women” (Waylen, 5). I'm not sure how many of these men are LGBTQ, but I'm exaggerating and guessing it's not many. I don't blame the men in power for this imbalance of representation, as it has been woven into cultures around the world for hundreds of years. However, I pose the question: How should we change inequalities around sex and sexuality if women and the LGBTQ community have little or no power to do so? In The Handmaid's Tale, we are presented with a world where the government controls virtually all human rights; however, limitations of sexual expression are an important issue. The government defends in this booktheir actions by claiming that they are taking away rights that they believe are not necessary to protect everyone. The main character, Offred, and her handmaid counterparts are told, “There is more than one kind of freedom… Freedom to and freedom from. In the days of anarchy, it was freedom of. Now you are given freedom from. Don't underestimate him” (24). The idea here is that if laws controlled everyone's sexual deviance, women would be safer. Offred reflects on the dangers of freedom in the time before the Republic of Gilead, saying, “Women were not protected then. I remember the rules, rules never written but that every woman knew: Don't open the door to a stranger... If someone whistles, don't look. Don't go into a laundromat alone at night” (24). While, unfortunately, these are unspoken rules that still apply to being a woman in our society today, it's hard to imagine a life where the government controls sexuality to the point where women have no choice in anything. Despite being told they are protected and noticing differences (such as men not whistling in the street or checking on them), the handmaids seem to want that freedom of choice. Sometimes the handmaids' conformity, necessary for their survival, begins to control their opinions with a mindset they never had before. After seeing a group of Japanese tourists where the women wore shorts and bared their legs and arms, Offred observes: “We are fascinated, but also disgusted. They look stripped. It took so little time to change my mind about things like this. Then I think: I used to dress like this. That was freedom” (28). This is an example of how a government's ideology can influence the beliefs of that country's citizens over time. In many cultures it is evident that sexist laws have become the norm and if Atwood's description in any way resembles real life in totalitarian countries, it is likely that many women around the world have come to believe that the laws that restrict them are right. assuming what life is like for oppressed women in other countries and political structures, and in Atwood's case, writing books modeled after those societies, is highlighted in Chandra Mohanty's essay Under Western Eyes. Mohanty argues that from a Western feminist point of view, there is this idea ingrained in people's minds that women in third world countries are powerless and sexually limited from the day they are born. This contrasts with the self-portrayal of Western feminists, who often pride themselves on gaining freedom and fighting for their rights. We have this Western tendency to pity third world women and perpetuate stereotypes of people who don't speak for themselves because they're used to oppression. This is a curious assumption that has been proven false by many non-Western women who have stood up for themselves and others time after time. For example, Malala Yousafzai, at just 18 years old, is one of the most famous feminists in the world and grew up oppressed by the government and social norms of Pakistan. There is also an entire movement called “Islamic feminism” thriving in the Middle East that Western audiences rarely hear Western feminists talk about. It is possible that Atwood's clandestine rebellion represented the courage of some women from oppressed cultures to fight for their rights, just as many Western feminists openly do with our broader freedom of speech. In Alison Bechdel's Fun Home, we see the results of Atwood's clandestine rebellion. pressure felt by many LGBTQ people, especially in the 1970s, although I would say it hasn't changed as much for them as people would like to think. When a person's identity is deemed illegal by their government, or there are laws that themake them unequal to those who fit the accepted norm, that person struggles with whether or not to embrace who they are or suppress it. In fact, with something that our government has made a taboo topic of discussion, like being LGBTQ, a person may not even know what their feelings of being different mean. At one point Alison recalls: "I had recently discovered some of Dad's old clothes. Wearing a formal shirt with its studs and cufflinks was an almost mystical pleasure, like finding myself fluent in a language I had never been taught" ( 182). The idea of ​​dressing masculine seemed so natural to her, yet it was something she had never heard of as normal nor could categorize. In my social psychology class we discussed how humans often base their actions and beliefs on what they think others will accept. We have a biological need to be liked by others and to feel part of a group for protection and happiness, so most of the time we act according to the norms and ideas we see around us. This idea applies to both countries that oppress women and LGBTQ people. If being straight and dressing according to our biological gender is what will make people like us, then this is what we tend to In Fun Home, we see how unhappy and distant this feeling of needing to hide makes Alison's father, who imagines being afraid of what his extended family would think and what his life would become if he were openly gay, and so he lives. a double life. For women, this need to be accepted often translates into conforming to the prejudices, stereotypes and inequalities present in our communities. Even in the United States, where feminism is alive and thriving, many women choose not to speak out about issues that affect their entire lives, such as the wage gap or the lack of education and laws to prevent sexual assault. Sexuality and politics are linked together. in a knot that we struggle to untie. It is why experts say that “based on current trends, men and women around the world will not receive equal wages until 2133” (Grimley). Indeed, “In several countries, more women now go to university than men but, crucially, this does not necessarily translate into more women occupying skilled roles or leadership positions” (ibid). The disparity here extends to the LGBTQ community where it has been found that “transgender workers who transition to female see steep drops in wages, while those who transition to male actually continue to earn more” (Pinsker). It seems that political systems are waging a war to ensure that the female aspect of sexuality remains out of power more than anything else. In the United States we seem extremely inhibited by the constant battle of the two political parties and their views on the rights of women and LGBTQ people. This statement couldn't be more relevant even today. Just this week a headline in The Guardian read: "Oklahoma court: Oral sex is not rape if victim is unconscious from alcohol." A CNN headline reads, “Alabama City: Use bathrooms that match your biological sex or face 6 months in prison.” A Pioneer article is titled “Gender Wage Gap in the US Causes Women to Lose $500 Billion Every Year.” The presence of inequality is thrown in our faces everywhere we turn; However, our failure to unify on a national scale leaves us with a country that lies to our citizens when they are told they are in a land of the free, and then read a list of things they cannot do or rights they will not receive based on to the.