Blog 1

1A. “Gender identity—the sense of self—is stronger than the body, and will find a way to manifest itself” () Walking along a sidewalk during rush hour one is likely to come across various individuals whom from mere appearance may appear “normal” or heterosexuals even though some probably have different sexual preferences that one will only become aware of by getting to know that person. For example, while in high school I befriended a guy who behaved like a heterosexual person. He was very masculine and dated girls. As I got to know him better and the years passed I noticed that he liked being around girls mostly and do their hair and make-up. While I didn’t think much about it at that time, many times I found myself wondering if he was gay or straight only to find out years later that he was gay. He hasn’t come out of the closet yet but on day he said to me while talking about his family knowledge of his sexual preference, “I think is quite obvious through my actions that I’m gay, but is they don’t ask I won’t tell them and if they ask I’ll be honest.” Clearly, my friend’s sense of self was stronger than his actions because even though he attempted to act like a straight man throughout his adolescence, his true self always exposed his true sexual orientation.
1B. “In western culture men predominate in positions of power and authority. And as mention on the book these is reinforce trough culture, media, and religions” (Lorber). A perfect example is man’s predominance in the work place. For instance, while working at a middle school I was partnered with a middle aged man to help troubled students stay in school and even thought I had very little experience compare to him filling out paperwork and carrying on meetings with the students, I was able to learn fast and perform equally if not better than my partner. Threaten by my achievements and the students liking for me, he became bossy and arrogant and credited the success of the program to himself even though this was far from being the case. I was practically at the school every day, did most of the paperwork, and worked with most of the students. Yet, my labor went unnoticed by him because of my age, gender, and ethnicity. I was the youngest Latina female in that school that was running a program practically on my own. This did not set well with my partner to the extent that he approached my supervisor with lies in an attempt to get me fired. Not someone to walk with “my tail under my feet” I defended myself from my partner’s accusations and resigned. I was a young woman fighting against two men, my partner and boss, so my chances of convincing the later of my innocence was slim due to my low placed in the latter of power and authority.
1B. “Gender is a system of symbols and meaning-and the rules, privileges, and punishments pertaining to their use-for power and sexuality,” (Wilchins).A good example of this is Mexican culture where men and women are treated differently. Women roles are to be home and take care of the family’s needs. The male is the provider of the home he only brings the money. And gay man don’t exist they are harassed and beaten by other males because they represent a threat to society. Mexican culture is highly influence by Catholic Religion there is no room for undefined gender. You are either a man or a women and that’s it. -Unfinished

Blog 4

1a. Violence Against Women Is a Man’s Issue, Katz Chapter I.
An interesting aspect about chapter 1 is its approach to rape. Every time we hear about rape, the first image that comes to mind is a victimized women; what kind of sick person can do this to a human being? Many studies show that most rapes are usually committed by men, why is this? In this chapter Katz wants not only to focus on the women, but also on the men and their motives for doing it. Whatever the answer may be, whether it’s psychological or not, the point being is that such action can strongly impact a woman’s life, not only her life, but everyone around her, especially male figures.
1b. Facing Facts, Katz Chapter 2
In this Chapter, Katz raises the question, why do men have such a hard time facing the truth? Many men justify what they do, even when knowing it’s morally wrong. I think a perfect example of this could be cheating, many men don’t see anything wrong with cheating, unless they are being confronted by their partner. Why would they when society accepts it? Many men would justify their cheating as a disorder; a good example of this is Tiger Woods. He justified the cheating by associating it with a sexual disorder in order to avoid responsibility for his actions. Apparently cheating is a sexual disorder now. Why do we as a society accept this terminology?
1b. Taking it Personally, Katz Chapter 3
In this chapter, we see different perspectives on violence. A perfect example is what is going on in San Diego right now with regard to the two young girls that were raped and murdered recently. It’s hard to imagine that this could have happened in our own backyard. This opened my eyes to the reality that exists here in San Diego about all the rapists and pedophiles that live in our neighborhoods. The truth of the matter is domestic violence and rape are still very prevalent in our society today, leaving women with very little room to trust men.
1a. Male Bashing? Katz Chapter 5
In this chapter Katz uses the word “feminazi,” which is a term used to identify feminist women as angry and violent. This term was created by a right wing radio host that tried to convince conservative people that feminist women are trying to destroy American society. It’s sickening to see that even today women are bashed when standing up for their rights of freedom of choice and equality. After all the progress that women have made they still face many obstacles because men don’t support their progress. If men could only see that women are not trying to be men, but are seeking the same level of respect as men, there would perhaps be less controversy.

2a. Violence Against Women Is a Man’s Issue, Katz Chapter I.
I feel that this chapter applies to the reality that we are facing today in San Diego. The fact that two girls were raped and murdered so close to my home is frightening. Moreover, the suspect in the crime violated his parole and was later allowed to be free without any punishment is disheartening. It is unbelievable to me that this issue wasn’t address when it should have been. There needs to be something done to protect young women from these predators. I believe there should be stricter laws that govern sex offenders to make sure that they are complying with societal norms. We can’t just let people like this terrorize our friends, sisters, mother s, daughters, girlfriends, and wives. We need society to acknowledge that what is happening today is not only a women’s issue, but that it affects every one of us, including men.