Beware the Pure Spirit, Let the Flesh Instruct the Mind

          Acts of transgression that threatens the “mythic, stable family” o    The family at the heart of AIDS commentary is an ideological unit, as yet supposedly unaffected but held to be threatened by the “leakage” of HIV infection , which like nuclear fallout, is widely and erroneously perceived to be everywhere about us, a deadly miasma of contagion and death o    The normalizing optic of the mythic family gained momentum during the Reagan era. Reaganism, the signature of an alliance backlash politics, was characterized by the revival of a conservative patriotism generated and legitimated around bodies and a related series of racist, anti-gay anti-feminist, pro nuclear family, prolife, anti-social welfare, and anti affirmative action positions.  Under Reagan, America’s economic and social problems were to a great extent, attributed to the breakdown of the nuclear family and the moral fabric of society. 

Something’s been brewing in the back of my mind for a bit. I hesitate to write it out, as it is sure to be misinterpreted and misunderstood by some. And yet, write I must.  I’ll do my best to write as clearly as I know how. However, words and I do this dance and success is not guaranteed. I’m in the midst of giving birth to my dissertation. Not an easy pregnancy but I am close to bring this baby to term. A tough topic for sure but one that has meaning and one that must be told. It does have a life of its own and I’m doing my best to articulate and explore. The process has been transformative for me on a personal level. However, I recently noticed something. I had an epiphany of sorts. And now processing this new insight, I find a new awareness and something that needs to be challenged. So here goes… When did relationships and/or sex between men become primarily reduced to issues of viral risk? Of viral transmission? What happened to intimacy or sexuality?  The assumpti...

What a great class Tuesday evening! Your questions and comments were spot on and appreciated. Our speakers were informative, thoughtful, and funny. Sometimes a little humor can go a long way in breaking down barriers with challenging topics. You’ll have to consider that although they are there to talk about life from their perspective, it still can be a nervous and somewhat challenging experience because they are “putting themselves out there.” That being said, I thought you as a class were more nervous than our speakers. I hope you found the discussion to be helpful in understanding how people operate and experience life. These things might be useful when considering how health providers might market to LGBT groups for their services, and how to be more welcoming and thorough when engaged with sexual minority populations. I hope you noticed the various ways that our presenters identified themselves, gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, transgender…it’s important to note how folks identify ...

I like to eat. I like people who eat. Perhaps it’s all wrapped up in Southern Culture, sharing food with others. Eating with others seems to be the way to go, a way to facilitate being the social animals that we are. I found some King Cakes (at least Kroger’s version of these tasty cakes) and brought them to class this past Tuesday. I was looking forward to learning whoever would find the hidden baby Jesus in their slice; it’s supposed to be a good luck thing. Plastered on the carton they came in were warnings not to eat the plastic ornamentation (beads and baby Jesus) as they could cause choking and asphyxiation. Well, where’s the fun in that? Baby Jesus perched out for the entire world to see.  Well the cake was a hit, I was worried that I’d be taking some home, but I forgot how hungry college students are, and they got in line during our break and sliced those cakes up. And some were not shy in slicing large portions of this up…little piggies. I was happy that this w...

My blog entry to my class for the week: I felt as though there was a lot of synchronicity surrounding our class this past week. For example, in trying to come up with ways to approach the topic of stereotypes, I am acutely aware of the power of these labels, these words and images that are associated with this important topic.  While many in the class can easily brush these things aside, I do recognize that some cannot. Stereotyping hurts. I don’t say this theoretically, but as someone who has at different times in my life has had to endure hurtful assumptions made about me, my family, or with cultural groups that I identified with. Until I found my “voice”, I let it slide, but it was hurtful. During those times, I never sought to actively challenge what was being said, that is, challenge folks on their most wrong of assumptions. Whoever came up with the adage “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” lied to us. These cognitive shortcuts hurt, they wo...

Mental health. What a loaded word...so much implication, intent, and misunderstanding. Right now, I'd just settle for health care benefits that covered mental health services.

I'm slower than the rest of you. Everyone's already listed and discussed their New Year's resolutions. I hope that your dedication and resolve have not withered away. It is only day numbered three. Here's what I have been mulling over and have decided to address thus far. I may add to this listing if I am so inspired. So it goes like this: Complete my dissertation. At times it has felt like wrestling with the Kraken and other times the thoughts and words flow so easily. I'm close, really close to wrapping this up. I've been dissatisfied directionally at times. I am becoming more comfortable knowing that this is part of the process. Ebb and flow. My chair gave me a compliment in our last meeting, she said (in the context of our discussion about struggling with this) that I was approaching this from a creative perspective. I don't think she realized what a compliment that was. And she's correct, it would be easier to produce a product that is stamped ...