Hubbard Brokeback Mountain Week 1

For years homophobia and sexism have been amongst the many issues in America's society. Yet different, they have a lot in common and play a big part in the way others think and view others that fall into the two categories. Homophobes have a fear of homosexuals and there are many cases of them having hatred toward them. I always wondered if people that hated homosexuals experienced sexual abuse by the same sex. Yes, many people discriminate due to their religious beliefs but sometimes it's much more than religion. Homophobia is a personal decision that one chooses. People just don't wake up and say, "Hey I want to be afraid of gay people and hate them." There are personal issues behind those feelings inside. Sexism is another another personal decision. There are many reasons why people discriminate against men but mainly women. A lot of it goes way back to what some may define as the "role of the American woman". A long time ago it was accepted for women to be submissive to their husbands and only focus on caring for the family. However, times have changed tremendously and things are quite different now. Women are strong independent human beings that have aspirations to do many things. It's irritating to hear that there are jobs such as men or women only jobs. That's false, false, and even more false! These are some of the many issues that allow homophobia and sexism to exist in the American society.

In Annie Proulx's short story "Brokeback Mountain", These issues are prevalent. The two main characters were Jack Twist and Ennis del Mar. When hired to work as sheep herders on Brokeback Mountain, the two met as teens. As time passed, they develop a friendship that soon led to a sexual relationship. Proulx wrote how they denied themselves as being "queer". Like many gay people now, Ennis and Jack lived to separate lifestyles. They eventually married women and a family of their own. They were forced to play the role of a "man", the one that does all the hard labor to support his family. Men are supposed to be masculine and a dominant force. Homosexuals were not tolerated and were viewed as less of a man; they were sort of on the same level as women. Women also had certain roles, they were the ones that cooked, cleaned, cared for the children and obeyed their husbands. Its stereotypes like these that made Jack and Ennis deny their sexuality. Sexual activities between the same sexes are thought to be unnatural and there was no explanation to make them excusable.

Homophobia and sexism are like one of a kind and play a major role in discrimination amongst others in our society. They are personal decisions that can cause major destruction in someone else's life.