Author: Tracy Chan

Sexual harassment in any form is considered gendered violence. In the film “Anita: Speaking Truth to Power” sexual harassment from Clarence Thomas was shown towards many women like her through gendered violence. Anita was a victim like many others who were afraid to set up and come forth with the truth but she believe that in order to be true to the Supreme Court nominee, she knew she would have to speak up on the subject of power.

Anita raised concerns of Thomas’ acts due to the morals of being in a high position in which she knew that he could abuse her power even further than he already has. Little did she know that her testimony would be a huge part of civil rights and how sexual harassments is preserved in the workplace. Anita herself was able to create a powerful movement and change that she herself did not see, “I was not raising a legal claim in either of my statements. I was not raising a legal claim. I was attempting to inform about conduct” (Anita). Her soul purpose on coming forth with Thomas’ actions was not initially for justice, but for the evaluation of the wrongly behaviors that this man has projected onto others as a Supreme Court nominee. Anita believed that although she wanted to stay silent and live a simple life, she knew that she needed to speak truth to power.

This testimony has changed her life as it did others. She and her family received threats along with her colleagues regarding her job as a college professor. Although many around her including herself have been threaten and talked down on she continues to promote others to have the same strength that she herself wants to give others.

“Women who have experience the same thing, who have written and said now for the first time they can talk about it. And that’s important. What I hope is that non of this will deter others from coming forward. This is an important issue and the dialogue should not stop here.” (Anita)

Anita has been able to do a lot regarding the issues of sexual harassments due to her actions on coming forward to the public and receiving her testimony

“But it wasn’t my testimony that caused change. What allowed us to move forward. What allowed a record number of women to file complaints against employers. What allowed employers to change their workplace policy. What allows the election of record numbers or women in the Congress, in the Senate. That was you, that was your voice, your voices.” (Anita)

Her voice drives others to be strong as her, it is as if she is lending her strength to those who need it. She is lending her knowledge to those who are unaware what sexual harassment really is, and that is Anita, speaking her truth to power.

Nature vs nurture is the influence of our genetics and up brining that shapes us as who we are as an individual. I believe that nurture has more of an affect than our inheritance does. Within one’s up bringing, family structure plays a huge role in nurturing a child/children. There are many universal types of families, this includes a typical mom and dad with a few kids, or a gay/lesbian couple, single parent, immigrant parents.

The structure of a family affects an individual. Different visions of families are not accepted or typical. This leaves opportunities for hate and bullying to arise against the non “norm” family setting. Individuals might feel insecure and different/weird, like don’t belong due to their family structure. One may feel left out due to too many siblings or having just one parent. Along with this, feminist and queer interventions also comes with differences that affect a child’s path to identity.

A child is more exposed to new ideas and concepts far from the norm social media has portrayed which will allow a different mindset of what family means to them. But with a great difference and gap between rights and citizenship, some families are at a disadvantage than others due to legal marriage rights and legal citizenship. Although this is the case, there have been many movements and acts that pushed for the rights of illegal immigrants: “The organization’s advocacy on behalf of those with criminal convictions sets it apart from anti-deportation groups that use the rhetoric of innocent family-centered deportees” (Monisha Das Gupta). Those within the LGBTQ+ community also continue to support the community by “forming unique unions and relationships that allow them to survive and create the communities and partnerships that mirror their circumstances, needs, and hopes.  While many in the LGBT community call for legal recognition of same-sex marriage, many others – heterosexual and/or LGBT” (Beyond Marriage).

In the work place, you are either work for someone or you have people that work for you. But there are unfortunately other factors that come to play in this dynamic. When it comes to gender in the work place. I have witnessed and experienced many situations where I am put in a better/worse circumstance due to my gender.

There were situations where I was turned away for help because I was female. A customer would ask for help and I would reply with a similar response: “I apologize but we do not have that at the moment” and they would ask to check again or they would ask for the manger or they would go ahead and ask my male coworker the same question and get the same response but will give in after they have had the satisfaction from a male’s perspective.

But there would be other times where my gender would benefit me but in a sexist and submissive way. At times I would make mistakes like any other human being and I would face harsh consequences as others would. For example, if I wasn’t strong enough to do a task, I would be forgiven more easily than if I were male because females are seen to be weaker so it would be expected if I was not able to complete a heavy duty task. Or if I had made a mistake because females are prone to make mistakes, be clumsy and to not be taken seriously.

The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTGE) touches on the topic of “Transgender People and Bathroom Access”. I do believe that this topic needs to be spoken about because many people on both sides of the spectrum are uncomfortable with it which is understanding. What is not understanding is how transgender people and allies must address their well-being and safety because they have become targeted due individuals that dislike change and/or are uncomfortable with differences.

“Forcing transgender people to use private or separate bathrooms is not the solution” (NCTGE). I do believe that this is not a solution but I am all for having a third bathroom dedicated to any gender and possibly towards handicap as well. I don’t see a problem in adding an extra bathroom, even if it was just one. I believe that it can be consider inconvenient to have access to but at least it is still there and it shows that the public is willing to let transgender people in and say “hey we hear you and we want to help you feel as comfortable as you can be”. Those that do feel uncomfortable or unsafe to use their genetic sex can have the option to use the non-gendered bathroom. A non-gendered bathroom is also not new, there are many public restrooms that have these because they cannot afford to have two (male and female) bathrooms so this should not be a problem at all.

Here Are Some Reminders That You Might Need

Human’s are bound to be prejudice about everything and anything when they do not fit the shoes of others. We as people tend to have opinions on a certain person and/topic without reason. Everyone has been in a situation where you first meet a person and without even talking to them, you have already decided in your head that you do not like them. In a similar way, many groups and communities are being targeted and fall into the hands of prejudice because they are different or it contradicts the norms and threatens usual and standard societal rules and expectations. Women and the LGBTQ+ community are examples of groups that are affected by this prejudice system. In the articles and essays “I Want A Wife” by Judy Brady, “The Politics of Housework” by Pat Mainardi and “I’m Glad I was in the Stonewall Riot” by Sylvia Rivera both touch on topics of prejudice and stereotypes that women and transvestites face during that 1960s and 1970s.

Brady touches on the topic of a women/female’s role in life. Although she herself is a wife and women, she goes back to a repeated phrase throughout the whole section: “I Want a Wife” because anyone would “want a wife who will take care of my physical needs… who will keep my house clean. A wife who will pick up after my children, a wife who will pick up after me.” (Brady). Who wouldn’t want an individual being who does literally everything and anything for you, who dedicates their time to things you don’t want/bother to do. Brady strongly suggests that she her would prefer a wife because in society, we automatically assume that women are beneath men and will therefore take care of duties in the house. Due to this stereotype the term for house duties has become and correlated so anyone can understand that wife duties and housework go hand in hand together. In Mainardi’s article, she complements Brady’s points by going into further detail of the duties and roles women play when it comes to housework. Mainardi worded point by ensuing

“a dialogue that’s been going on for several years. Here are some the high points.
‘I don’t mind sharing the house work, but I don’t do it very well. We should each do the things we’re best at.
Meaning: Unfortunately I’m no good at things like washing dishes or cooking. What I do best is a little light
carpentry, changing light bulbs, moving furniture” (Mainardi).

By doing this Mainardi shows how men continue to promote the stereotypes of women being in the kitchen. Together, Brady and Mainardi inform their readers on how women tend to face prejudice because of what we were taught and what we know of.

Sylvia Rivera on the other hand speaks on prejudice as well but with a different community. We all know how movements are made and civil wars are brought up and constructed when there has been an unjust/unfair mistreatment of a group/community of individuals. In Rivera’s interview, right off the bat he begins to speak on the mistreatment of transvestites individuals like himself: “We expected nothing better than to be treated like we were animals-and we were. We were stuck in a bullpen like a bunch of freaks. We were disrespected. A lot of us were beaten up and raped” (Rivera). In those sentence alone, I can feel how hurt and tired he himself felt and many other individuals like him. In Rivera’s interview he promotes the power and resilience we and others shared due to the prejudice and stereotypes he faced due to his appearance and sexual orientation. Although he has faced many obstacles, he is proud to be a part of a rising movement that is the Stonewall Riot.

Sojourner Truth’s Speech was written and delivered by two very different individuals that both become just as popular as the other. Marius Robinson was able to transcribe Truth’s Speech during the Woman’s Right Convention while he was in the audience whereas Frances Gage, a African American women, made an inaccurate version of her speech many years later. What is interesting about these two individuals is that they are complete opposite races and genders. One is white and male and the other is black and female. With that being said, both give a feel and background of how different their perspective’s are towards Truth’s speech.

When reading through both speeches it is apparent where similarities lie between Robinson and Gage. In Gage’s version she speaks with a great deal of slang and improper grammar. If you compared that with Robinson’s version you can tell there is an educational gap between the two. It is evident to say that Robinson and Truth had a higher quality and/or opportunity at a better education than Gage. Right off the bat Gage starts off her version with improper words and grammar: “Well, chillen, whar dar’s so much racket dar must be som’ting out o’kilter. I tink dat, ‘twixt de niggers of de South and de women at de Norf, all a-talking ’bout rights, de white men will be in a fix pretty soon” (Gage). Although her words are choppy her passion is just as strong as Truth’s and we can see that throughout her version of the speech. She includes her own story within her inaccurate transcription by adding in her narrative, “I have borne thirteen chillen, and seen ’em mos’ all sold off into slavery, and when I cried out with a mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard” (Gage). She includes this piece of her life into her speech to emphasizes her point that even though she works as much and as hard as any man, she will still be seen as less than because of her gender.

Like in Robinson’s version, Truth also feels the same connection as Gage does with her and many other individuals. In the beginning of both speeches, they start off the same with a similar foundation: “If women have a pint and man a quart – why can’t she have her little pint full?” (Robinson) and “If my cup won’t hold but a pint and yourn holds a quart, wouldn’t ye be mean not to let me have a little half-measure full?” (Gage). In these two lines we see how they both take from Truth’s speech but Gage adds her twist to it because of how she was raised and her lack of education. Both statements come across the same way but it is clear to say that Gage lacks proper grammar.

Although these two version of Truth’s speech are very similar with one another, each hold their own meaning behind them because of the person depicting the speech. You can even say that even after 12 years later, women’s rights continued to happen. Gage and Robinson’s version go hand in hand with one another because of how different they are. Even though they were delivered by two completely different individuals, the same point comes across in both versions.

Expectations and requirements go hand in hand with one another. In order to be apart of something you must have the requirements of certain characteristics and therefore must be expected to meet them. As a female, I was taught like many young girls to be the perfect housewife and to cook and clean all the way to my deathbed. I was told to act properly, like a “lady”, to be more lady like, to close my legs, to eat less so I’ll stay “skinny and thin”. All these feminine expectations were required because of a simple chromosome difference. Ijeoma A and C. J. Pascoe talk about these expectations that are placed on boys and girls that society has deemed normal in their books “Because You’re a Girl” and “Dude You’re A Fag”.

Like Ijeoma, I yearn for my family’s approval, I made the best effort to behave and act as they wanted. Sometimes that would consist biting my tongue and holding back the urge to scream and yell “this isn’t fair, why must I be treated differently because of my gender?!” I would be lying if I said I have never thought of what life was like if I were born as a boy. As an Asian American, I was taught countless times about the importance of the position of power in the household. Being Chinese, it was known that in China many Chinese families preferred sons over daughters because they had the ability to earn more economy. Therefore males were seen as business men and workers whereas females were seen as housewives and cooks. Ijeoma was also taught a similar belief from her family as well, her parents,

“uncles and aunts had Four Commandments incorporating what a woman’s responsibilities were to her family 1. Her office is the kitchen. 2. She is responsible for all the chores in the home. 3. She is accountable for the children and their actions. 4. And, of course, she must pledge complete and total allegiance to the man in charge first, before herself” (Ijeoma 216).

Although we come from different cultures and background it is clear that male dominance and female submission is universal throughout the globe. Similarly, life is never easy on both ends and sometimes ideas and values can be toxic.

We promote female submission as much as we a society promote male masculinity. Male dominance is seen as much as female subordinates in our daily lives and is implemented into movies, videos, music and/or in skits. In most music videos today, we tend to see females being sexualized and subjected to the male performer while they are shown as strong, powerful and masculine. Pascoe opens up her book with a scene from the Mr. Cougar competition to present and illustrate the “dynamics of sexuality, gender, social class, race, bodies, and institutional practices that constitute adolescents masculinity” (Pascoe 3). In the scene, Brent and Craig acted weak when they showed no form of masculinity, therefore showing the connection between the two while also promoting the idea of male dominance. After working out, “the boys shed their weak, effeminate, and possibly homosexual identities.. [and] become so physically imposing” (Pascoe 3). This entails the idea that if you look masculine and strong, you therefore hold power, if you are shown as weak and feminine, you in turn laughed/mocked at and looked down upon. The thought of connecting these two ideas together continues to promote male masculinity subconsciously.

As we continue to embed the fundamental ideas of male dominance and female subordinates into our society, we continue to allow unjust and unfair treatment to many who have received backlash from these customs like Ijeoma. Instead we should allow individuals to be themselves as they truly are without the influence or pressure of conforming to societies standards and expectations. By allowing more viewpoints into our society we will be able to grow into a more diverse community that is open to new ideas and new perspectives like the LGPTQ+ community. By doing so we continue to fight against labels and oppression caused by these corruptive ideas.