Zhao

Vincent Zhao
Jennifer Rodrick
Queer Studies 115
28 September 2016
Accepting the Queers
The internet can be spiteful at times but it can also be accepting, if utilized correctly. The
birth of social media within the internet has portrayed positive and negative sides of queer
acceptance. The development of social media has convinced people to accept queer identity
because of developed queer theories, mass support and help offered throughout social media
outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, and the normalization of queer
identity through advertising and marketing.

In recent years, society has become more accepting of the straight and non-straight
members of the LGBTQ community. The author of Making the ad perfectly queer: Marketing
"normality" to the gay men's community?, Steven Kates, has a Ph.D. in Marketing and
Administrative Studies. Kates writes about queer theory and it proposes that when a male or
female is born, he or she will not inherently have a heterosexual preference. Further, queer
theory questions the coherence between biological sex, sexual desire, and gender identity. In
other words, queer theory does not automatically assume that a biological male/female will have
heterosexual desire and a masculine/feminine gender identity or demeanor (Kates). In laymans
terms, the theory states that a newborn will not necessarily act according to their assigned gender
role or identity. A man, being strong and masculine, while the woman is portrayed as weak and
feminine. In other words, Kates is indirectly conveying that gender choice and preference is not

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necessarily correlated with genetics. Some people may argue that this proposed theory is
nonsensical and baseless, however I would refute that the statement is perfectly valid because
each and every individual is born different from another. The premise of Kates argument is to
convey the fact that whether you are born a male or female, you are not designated a role
because of how you are born and what you are born with. Although this may hold true in some
cases, I have seen texts and video recordings from people on social media who are homosexuals
that did not have a choice in their sexual preference because of how they were born. Those
people were born with specific gender preferences that they could not control, just like myself. I
am straight and since I was born that way, I am unable to suddenly change my gender preference
in that instance unless there is internal reform. This type of evidence further improves the
standing of queer theory because it emphasizes the differences right at birth.

To expand on the topic, queer theory suggests that gender preference and lifestyle is not
designated biologically but it does indicate that changes can occur in sexual selection or
lifestyles. Sociologist and author, Joshua Gamson, stated that Queer theory pushed even further,
arguing that sexual identities, desires, and categories are fluid and dynamic, and that sexuality is
inevitably intertwined with, even sometimes constitutive of, power relations in his article, THE
SOCIOLOGY OF SEXUALITIES: Queer and Beyond. Since sexual identity is subject to
change, it is plausible to consider that a straight man can become gay or bisexual. Anti-queer
theorists may argue that such the opposite may hold true as well, gay man can become straight if
its possible for a straight man to become gay. Social media supports this kind of change in
sexuality because it does not discriminate but promotes a persons gender preference. An
example of this is Facebooks array of options in gender identification and the list of genders it

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provides. The list allows any person to select their preferred gender identity. Gamson also writes
that sexuality is inevitably intertwined with, even sometimes of constitutive of, power relations
because he believes that sexuality is also connected with power. An example of this power
relation can be easily seen from the first presidential election to our current one. Throughout all
our presidents, not a single one has been proven to be gay or bisexual but all straight,
masculine men that were elected to serve this country. The presidential election clearly shows
how sexuality influences power relations such as the presidency. However, I predict that we may
soon have a non-straight president in the nearing future because the LGBTQ community
continues to grow while social media provides support. Social media will play a large role in
politics because an abundance of topics tie in politics with queer acceptance such as gay
marriage. Though legalization of gay marriage has been approved, the anti-queer community
continues to run rampant and shed hate online while the LGBTQ community counters with
positive posts and images.

In this day and age, lesbians and gay men have an easier time coming out of the closet
due to the encouragement of the internet and social media. The anonymity the internet provides
allows a person to express their thoughts and desires with minimal consequences. This
anonymity also allows, lets say, a gay man to be gay on the internet. This means that a man
would not have to be ashamed of his sexual preference because the internet and social media
does not look down on his choices. Without having to face ordeals such as bullying in certain
parts of the world, this man is out of his closet when he is online, where is he safe and sound.
Queer theory specialist, Serkan Gorkemli writes, In 2001, however, some activists launched a
new campaign titled "coming out of the Internet" to encourage closeted lesbians and gay men,

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with whom they had been in touch through the Internet, to come
out. Gorkemli conveys that coming out of the closet on the internet
is process that gay men and lesbians can take to express their
sexuality. The internet allows the user to feel safe and comfortable
because there is a lack of direct confrontation. Social media also
plays a influential role because it advertises support for LGBTQ,
like the Target ad shown. The Target advertisement clearly shows two men who are gay because
of the keyword, wedding. This type of advertisement is becoming a common trend throughout
society because its normal. The normalization of queer status further alleviates the pressure of
coming out as gay or lesbian. A naysayer would argue that the ad is just one of the few gay ads
shown. However, I would like to impose that the amount of ads is not relevant but the quality
and message of the ads that will strike a chord in people. As I write, the support for LGBTQ
normalization continues to grow as the amount of gay ads continues to influence the community.

Summarizing my main points, it is important to note that queer identity is always subject
to change even though some people are born with certain preferences. Social media has made
coming out of the closest simpler because it ensures comfort and safety while providing
anonymity. Gay advertisements are becoming vital messages and symbols towards the LGBTQ
movement because it encourages people to become more comfortable with themselves and the
community itself. Until we elect a non-straight president, social media will continue its
endeavors in connecting queer acceptance to the world through positive outreach. To conclude,
social media and the internet have made great strides in helping the gay community grow.

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Works Cited
Gamson, Joshua, and Dawne Moon. "THE SOCIOLOGY OF SEXUALITIES: Queer and
Beyond." Annual Review of Sociology 30 (2004): 47-64. ProQuest. Web. 19 Sep. 2016.
Gorkemli, Serkan. ""COMING OUT OF THE INTERNET" LESBIAN AND GAY ACTIVISM
AND THE INTERNET AS A "DIGITAL CLOSET" IN TURKEY." Journal of Middle
East Women's Studies 8.3 (2012): 63,88,156. ProQuest. Web. 19 Sep. 2016.
Kates, Steven M. "Making the Ad Perfectly Queer: Marketing "Normality" to the Gay Men's
Community?" Journal of Advertising 28.1 (1999): 25-37. ProQuest. Web. 19 Sep. 2016.