Immigration has always been a point of contention throughout the history of the United States. Immigrants were alienated and denied entry to the United States for a variety of reasons, including race, country of origin, religious beliefs, and sexuality. Although policies are constantly changing, America has a long history of hostile treatment toward immigrants, particularly those who identify as homosexual. Furthermore, the United States has a long history of ostracizing openly gay and lesbian individuals in society. Analyzing U.S. immigration policy and how it relates to views and attitudes about sexuality during the 19th and early 20th centuries is important to the overall study of sexuality and allows for an in-depth discussion of the correlation between the two . plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In her book Entry Denied, Eithne Luibhéid discusses a specific case about one woman's experience trying to enter the United States. To amply demonstrate the unjust ways in which immigration officials excluded people, Luibhéid states: “The use of visual appearance to monitor the border against the possible entry of lesbians connects to a complex history” (Luibhéid, 81) . Throughout his writings, Luibhéid references the intersection of race and sexuality, particularly how some nationalities are more likely to be presumed homosexual than others. This assumption comes from the idea that different cultures have different definitions of what is considered feminine and what is considered masculine In Luibhéid's quote above, a woman named Sara Quiroz was denied entry into the United States solely because she "seemed a lesbian" (Luibhéid, 77 years old). when she came to work and that her hair was cut shorter than that of some women” (Luibhéid, 81). Because she was not dressed like a typical American woman when she entered, she was labeled a lesbian. This shift away from gender norms in 19th and 20th century America is what caught the attention of immigration officials and led them to label someone as sexually deviant or homosexual. Furthermore, according to Luibhéid, being or appearing to be a lesbian meant that you were issued a “Class A medical exclusion” (Luibhéid, 85). This meant that an individual would be denied entry to the United States because they were considered a sexual deviant, the which, as stated above, was labeled as a medical concern was a driving force in denying immigrants entry to the United States, so this trait of the label was used to promote a social agenda without having to use terms. as “homosexual,” “gay,” or “lesbian.” Labeling someone as a person of subtle sexuality was a way to keep those who did not conform to gender norms out of the country American values and morals, but considered them a psychological danger to society. Medical discourses were instrumental in creating the idea that homosexuality was a threat to American society. Once the American public saw that doctors were labeling homosexuality as a medically supported danger to society, their fears became justified, because who wouldn't trust a doctor? During this controversial time in America, anything that did not adhere to society's underlying patriarchal standards was considered a threat. Not only that.
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