Author: Jason H

JASON HUANG: MEMOIR

Being the only son and an older brother raised in a traditional Asian family, there were many expectations that were placed upon me at a young age. Phrases like “as a man, it is your job to protect women” or “males need to do all the heavy lifting because you guys are stronger” were told to me on a day to day basis. Having become an adult now, I have realized that such thinking’s are not only outdated but also detrimental to a child’s upbringing, which I can speak from first-hand experience. It is important for us to change these old methods of parenting and teach ourselves and others the importance of gender/sexuality acceptance to push for an accepting society. This brings me to my first point: gender norms and expectations being placed on children.

Although I was born here in Brooklyn, New York, I was raised by my grandparents in a rather suburban neighborhood located in Fuzhou China. This meant more traditional ideals amongst the people which included my grandparents. Being young, I didn’t really fully grasp the concept of gender roles other than the small simple things that my grandma told me. Statements  like “boys need to play with toy guns and not Barbies” and “stop watching those girly cartoons” didn’t really resonate with me since I didn’t understand what she meant. All I knew was that as a male, I was discouraged from anything feminine. This led to me being a more outgoing kid with other guys around my age. I only really played with them, not paying attention to females since I thought that hanging out with females would make my grandma mad. Little by little, I also adapted the misogynistic behaviors displayed by my family. For example, when my sister showed interest in shows or toys that I enjoy, I started telling her that these kinds of things are for girls and that she should stick to Barbies and play dates. Obviously when I told those things, I didn’t fully understand what I was doing. As kids, we are impressionable therefore I learned those behaviors from our grandparents. I honestly don’t blame them since it’s basically our heritage, all of our ancestors including our grandparents were brought up that way. What’s important is that we need to understand that this type of parenting is no longer good. It’s filled with misogyny and harmful gender expectations that not only hamper kids who want to explore their gender and sexuality but also raise narrow minded people who aren’t accepting of people who are different. I am thankful that I’ve learned this lesson earlier into my childhood. Otherwise, I’m afraid that I would be a very different person than I am now.

Incidentally, I believe it’s also important to bring up the subject of sexual orientation since it is also connected to gender expectations. Like many others, I’m sure we were raised up with the expectation to like females. I’m always asked the question “What type of girlfriend do you want” even when I was young. Most of the time, the adults are joking as they obviously know that it’s too soon for us to be thinking about relationships but it was something that was uncomfortable for me every time they asked. It got even worse when I moved to the US back in middle school and found out about my sexuality at a young age. In school, I realized that I was not like other kids. While all the boys were asking about which girl they “liked”, my attention was more focused on the boys in my class. It was hard for me to pretend that I liked girls when I obviously didn’t. As times progressed, I started taking on stereotypical behaviors of gay men. My voice is higher than the average male and I started acting more feminine. This gave me a lot of unnecessary attention at home and at school as I was not comfortable with coming out at such a young age (and still haven’t even now). At school, it was fine since I can downplay it to the fact that I was still in puberty but at home was different. Most of my family members didn’t care as we literally grew up together but there was a particular uncle that did not like my “femininity”. He would often comment on my behavior when I’m around him or ask questions to my mother like “why does he act like that?” or “he has such a squeaky voice like a girl.” At first, I would not pay attention to these comments since I simply didn’t care. But as I grew into puberty and started to somewhat think for myself, I would often get irritated or simply embarrassed by the way he talks to/about me. I often pondered what I did wrong to him to receive this treatment, it wasn’t like I was speaking to him with my “squeaky” girl voice. That being said, I put up with him for the remainder of the time I stayed in PA until I moved.

After my move, I was with family members that didn’t mind my femininity which was honestly a breath of fresh air. I mean I felt like I could finally breathe for the first time in my life. Of course school was still the same story but I slowly came out of my shell and met those who are like me. Nowadays, my way of speech easily gives away my sexual preference and I don’t deny it (unless it’s a family member). This leads me to my point of how damaging homophobia can be especially to young children who are exploring their sexuality. I was lucky enough to grow up in a family where homophobia was not very present but I cannot say the same for a lot others. Even though incidents with my uncle were memorable, they weren’t even that bad. I mean yes it was annoying to be called “girly” all the time, but compared to those who have openly homophobic family members, I’d say that I had it easy. I mean take a look at children who grew up in homophobic households. Not only are they close-minded, they are also likely to be misogynists that believe that man is the superior gender. These children also have a higher tendency to bully others who have different sexual preferences than the. It just goes to show how toxic growing up in a homophobic household can be. It’s even more sad for those who are gay growing up in that kind of environment, having to listen to your role model’s tell you that you sexual preference is a “sin” and that it’s unnatural for someone to be gay when they themselves [the kids] didn’t choose to be that way. That’s a whole issue in itself, that people think that being gay is a choice. Being gay, lesbian, queer, etcetera is not a choice; it’s not a lifestyle that you can just adapt to. I myself have lost track of how many times I wished I was straight, how my life would be so much easier if I just liked females but sexual preference doesn’t work that way. Why would anyone choose to be oppressed if they had the choice to have an easier life? It’s because of this notion that being gay is a choice that resulted in conversion camps. These camps aim to get rid of peoples “gayness” but in reality, it’s just a place filled with trauma and regret. All of this just goes to show how homophobia is so damaging to our society, especially our youth. I’ve only listed a few of the problems that’s in this topic and there are a whole lot more. This is why we need to continue preaching about how being different is okay, that it’s not a “sin”. I would even suggest having LGBTQ history be taught in school because again, kids are impressionable and since this is such an important topic. However, I am just one person, I cannot do anything by myself. This is why I hope that whoever reads this can maybe take my story as a way of encouragement and use this as fuel to make changes themselves. We as individuals cannot hope to change society, only through united efforts can we shape our ideal future together. 

Jason Huang DB 10

Based on the film(s) you watched, using Crenshaw’s framework of intersectionality, what do you see as the  the role of racism, or other structures of oppression like homophobia, in these stories of misogynistic violence?

After watching Crenshaw’s framework of intersectionality, I think the roles of racism and other forms of oppression really just go hand in hand with misogynistic violence. Not only are the victim’s experiences similar, it’s really sad that the government and the police (whos job is to protect the people) really works against bringing justice to marginalized people. In the Ted Talk, Crenshaw touches on the subject of women who are oppressed by racism and sexism but only gets justice based on one form of oppression. Not only is it disheartening for those who are oppressed to not get justice, its not really “real” when the oppressor only gets half the punishment. Its like Crenshaw says, those who are hurt by multiple forms of oppression really doesn’t get real justice because the government only focuses on one aspect of oppression. This is also applicable for homophobia and discrimination against the LQBTQ community. Many homosexuals get assaulted because of their sexual orientation but this is especially true for minorities. These cases usually get dismissed but even if they are put on trial, the court only focuses on the assault, not accounting that it doubles as a hate crime. All in all, its important to spread awareness for misogyny and hate crimes but its equally as important to bring actual justice for individuals who have suffered from these social oppressions. We as a community can do better and for the safety of everyone, we have to do better.

JASON HUANG: DB9

How do feminist and queer interventions challenge ideas of the “nuclear family?” What do they say are the limits? What other visions do we see for the ways that families can be formed? What are your thoughts about family structure and what these interventions offer us?

After reading the article “Beyond marriage”, its clear as to why feminists and queer interventions challenge the ideas of “nuclear families”. “Nuclear family” is defined as “a couple and their dependent children, regarded as a basic social unit”. Although the definition itself isn’t problematic, social expectations of what a nuclear family should be is what’s so unpleasant. If you are anything other than a cis straight male/female with your own kids, its hard to fit into society and be considered a functional family. This means that queer/trans couples are shunned upon and not considered a “real family”. This is especially bad for older queers as the article states “an estimated 70-80% of LGBT elders live as single people”. Not only is this quite sad, it’s even worse that disabled elders cannot get healthcare benefits that only come when you are legally married. This just brings up the limitations that American society places on feminists and queer individuals. Society shuns queer individuals for having relationships which then results to queer elders not getting married in fear of being ostracized.

These are only a few issues that LGBTQ community face and its important that we push for changes. It’s important to note that there is not a “standard” family dynamic. As long as you and your partner cares for your child, there really shouldn’t be an issue. I believe that these intervention’s are great and we definitely need to take more steps to achieve equality.

JASON HUANG: DB7

After going through this week’s material, I’ve further realized that it really is important to bring trans issues to light. Chase Strangio really brings up an important point on how the government is more focused on oppressing minorities rather than actual issues at hand. Regardless of gender or sexuality, everyone should have their right to stand on the field if capable. Qualification speaks through performance, and if one is adequate, there really shouldn’t be an issue. This then brings up the idea that we need to change our government officials; we need more people to push for the rights of all minority groups.

Another issue that needs to be addressed is the bathroom privileges of trans individuals. There should be no reason as to why trans people need to look for non-binary/private bathrooms, if a trans woman identifies as such, then they have every right to use the women’s bathroom. In “Transgender People and Bathroom Access”, it is said that transgender people are often forced to use private/separate bathrooms. This is not only extremely rude but also unethical. How are you (referring to indecent individuals) going to ask a transgender woman to use a different bathroom when there is no real reason to stop them. The bathroom is not a top-tier secret lair that needs to be protected at all times, just let people finish their business and go. It’s also important to note that there are still many places in the US where there are no non-binary bathrooms. This results in unneeded issues that could have been easily avoided if people didn’t see trans people as a separate gender.

All in all, these are all issues that needs to be addressed along with everything else that is going on. We are currently living in an era of change so the more we can bring everything to the forefront, the better it is to build a strong foundation to a equal future.

Jason Huang: DB4

Share your reflections about the texts from this week. What themes do you see across the different texts for this week? Based on these readings, what do you see as the primary issues that concern feminists in the late 1960s and early 1970s? Where in the texts do you see different priorities or concerns come up — and, what do you notice about these differences?

Regarding this week’s reading, I noticed that many of the problems women face in the 1960s and the 1970s are closely related to what they are expected to do. Women during these times are still considered inferior to men which is honestly mindblowing. In the “REDSTOCKINGS MANIFESTO”, the narrator brings up an interesting point stating, “We are considered inferior beings, whose only purpose is to enhance men’s lives.” This directly ties in with what women were expected to do during this time, which was to clean the house and watch after children while serving their husbands. Similarly, in “I Want a Wife”, many men express their desire for women who can act as a servant to them. “I want a wife who will take care of my physical needs. I want a wife
who will keep my house clean. A wife who will pick up after my children,
a wife who will pick up after me.” Many men also express their desire for a partner who can satisfy their sexual desires, which is honestly degrading; makes it seem like women are only objects to serve them.

Aside from the inferior viewpoint on women, many women during this time also expressed their displease about not being able to voice their annoyances. In “The Politics of Housework” the narrator gives us an interesting perspective on the excuses that men use to have women continue doing housework. She gives us the phrase that men say and the “meaning” behind their words. This is interesting because we can see that the “meaning” is what most women truly hear from those excuses. It is sad because even though women during this time despise the system that oppress them, it is hard for them to even stand up for themselves because of the little power that they have.

Jason Huang: DB3

  1. What do you see as the relationship between women’s movements and abolitionist movements?

From what I can see, the abolitionist movement and the women’s rights movement are similar in many ways. They both look to end inequality and mistreatment of specific groups of people; the main difference being the group of people and how they are being mistreated.

For the abolitionist movement, they are looking to end something inhumane such as treating a person as an object because of their skin color. This could be considered the worst out of the two since black men were sold off like animals to do hard work. They had no rights and many of them die for wanting freedom.

This isn’t to downplay the women’s movement as women also suffer a lot of mistreatment. They had no choice on whom to marry and they have to listen to their husbands no matter the circumstance. They had no influence on society and many of them could no work since men believed that women cannot do the same things as men.

All these factors resulted in the creation of these movements. Although they had different methods and ways to accomplish their goal, their overall message was the same; to end inequality and mistreatment so people can live without the worry of their life. Although we still see major problems even in today’s society, without these important movements, we would not have progressed to where we are today. We, as humans, should keep moving forward to create a better society.

JASON HUANG DB2

4. Ijeoma A. and Pascoe write about expectations that are placed on girls and boys, respectively. What are some of the norms that they write about? What are some of the norms that you grew up with, either in your own experience or that you witnessed? How did you relate to these norms?

From “because you’re a girl” by Ijeoma A. and “Making Masculinity” by Pascoe, I can relate to a lot of things said in both articles, either things that were said to me or my sister. In “Because you’re a girl” Ijeoma highlights some responsibilities of girls, one of which is cleaning and serving men. “Everything in my childhood substantiated the need for women to submit.” (Ijeoma A.) Although never experiencing this myself, I can say that this often happens to my sister. My family is still conservative and often pushes their ideals onto my sister and I. They often tell my sister things like “help clean up after your brother, you’re a woman, this is your job” or “cook your brother some food, men can’t cook for themselves”. This has gotten my sister and I in trouble many times since we think very differently from our grandparents. As for me, things were not much different as I am also criticized for my masculinity more often than I’d like. “Their weakness and their high-pitched voices cast them as feminine.” (Pascoe). I especially connect with this quote because I am often criticized for my voice. I have a high pitched voice when I am talking comfortably and I’ve had family members and friends telling me I sound “gay” because I have a higher-pitched voice. Although they weren’t wrong, it was awkward being called out and having to make up an excuse for sounding the way I am. I have a lot more experiences that I can talk about but the moral of the story is that these expectations of gender roles are toxic and we can progress to a more accepting society if we can get of these norms that are so deeply rooted in our society.

JASON HUANG: DB1

  1. Coming into this class, what are some of your initial impressions of the terms “feminism,” “sexism” and “gender and women’s studies?” How do this week’s readings define or explain these terms? Use specific quotes or examples in your response.

Coming into this class, I hadn’t really had a full understanding of the words “feminism”, “sexism”, and “gender and women’s studies”. I mean I had a rough idea of what they meant but not a full understanding. Feminism, for me, is the idea of women’s empowerment, to establish the idea that women are equal to men. While this isn’t exactly wrong, after reading “Feminist Politics: Where We Stand” I realized that the whole idea of feminism is to solve sexism imposed by our society. Sexism by definition is “prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex.” which I already knew. Although not explicitly expressed (for most cases) sexism is very much rooted in our society, whether it’s in the wage difference between men and women or the military. While it’s true that we are taking steps to improve the problems of sexism, it’s still a problem that we face.

This brings us to the term gender and women’s studies which I had little to no idea the meaning of. I mean I could kind of guess what they meant but it’s very vague. According to Dr. GUY-SHEFTALL, women and gender studies are “the study of women and issues surrounding women such as: race, class, gender, sexuality.” Dr. GUY-SHEFTALL talks about why he was drawn into this field and how women and gender studies being one of the most transformative courses. Although not far into this class myself, I look forward to learning more about this course and I think that if everyone is willing to take this course, future generations can move forward faster to get rid of sexism.

Jason Huang: Introduction

Hi guys! My name is Jason and I am a freshman here at BMCC. One thing that is very important to me is Music since I love listening to music and singing. I hope that someday I will be able to perform on stage and make a living off of that. With that being said, a song that brings me comfort is Serendipity by Jimin from BTS. I listened to that song when I was having a hard time in my life and its now something that brings me great joy. Other than music, I also love video games and spending time with my friends. Im pretty basic and while those are my only hobbies as of right now, I think im a pretty fun person to hang around ?. I hope to have a great semester with everyone and lets all pass with an A!