romulus Poster

"At that point practices of the exchange of commodities required individuals to act and speak in new ways". When I was a young boy, around the age of twelve coming to terms with my sexuality, I was able to venture out on the internet to reach out to others who were dealing with the same. Living in a predominately minority and working class environment, homosexuality was not seen or spoken of outside of schools. In the beginning, there was one site xy.com that allowed me to connect with other gay youth. This was a big deal being part of a highly traditional immigrant family, whose impressions of the world were molded not by living in the Bronx but by the media. Seeing that reality can be altered to fit my desires. Formerly isolated by distance and lacking presence in the common culture, was eliminated by mass communications. This is true for the gay community as a whole. Finding support and then networking has enabled a queer (mixed feelings about the word) culture to flourish globally. The advancement of gays have been remarkable since I was that boy. Being proud of who you are is a trademark of the community.

While stereotypes still exist on what a gay person looks like and acts that is superficiality and ignorance. My mother did not speak to me for weeks when I came out this past summer, fear of rejection was internalized in me. A society that tells individuals to be ashamed of who they are is irrational and absurd. My dislike of tradition stems is that it serves to protect one thing whilst shunning the other. Sexual liberation and equality have not been completely realized within the United States. A country founded by the religious prude of Europe has proven to be offensive and downright ludicrous against all but white males.

Straight men and gay men do get along in my experience, but looking at through a greater cultural context, masculinity is in the process of being refined.