Stasis Theory Comes Out
The oppression of gay people existed in the 1960s. It is evident by the unequal treatment of homosexual and heterosexual people. As it says on the cover of “Come Out”, “a homosexual is legitimate as an individual but illegitimate as a participant in a homosexual act.“ People should be judged based on their character, not who they love. The purpose of the newspaper was so the homosexual community could have a voice and a place to discuss ways to end their oppression. By publishing articles to this newspaper, the gay community hoped to unify the homosexual community and other oppressed groups and make the discrimination they faced unacceptable. This newspaper was a great outlet for people to express their opinions and raise awareness to the unfair way gays were treated, but in a humorous way. Come Out tried to get gay people to come out and take pride in who they are, and that is exactly what they should do, because, “being homosexual says only one thing: emotionally you prefer your own sex. It says nothing about your worth, your value as a human being.” In the 1960s, Americans lacked this understanding, but with these types of articles and other demonstrations, started to change their minds. Ultimately, it is up to each individual about how they feel about homosexuality, however, they have no right to treat them any with any less value as a straight person.
The oppression of gay people existed in the 1960s. It is evident by the unequal treatment of homosexual and heterosexual people. As it says on the cover of “Come Out”, “a homosexual is legitimate as an individual but illegitimate as a participant in a homosexual act.“ People should be judged based on their character, not who they love. The purpose of the newspaper was so the homosexual community could have a voice and a place to discuss ways to end their oppression. By publishing articles to this newspaper, the gay community hoped to unify the homosexual community and other oppressed groups and make the discrimination they faced unacceptable. This newspaper was a great outlet for people to express their opinions and raise awareness to the unfair way gays were treated, but in a humorous way. Come Out tried to get gay people to come out and take pride in who they are, and that is exactly what they should do, because, “being homosexual says only one thing: emotionally you prefer your own sex. It says nothing about your worth, your value as a human being.” In the 1960s, Americans lacked this understanding, but with these types of articles and other demonstrations, started to change their minds. Ultimately, it is up to each individual about how they feel about homosexuality, however, they have no right to treat them any with any less value as a straight person.
I like your analysis of the newspaper through stasis theory, although it sounds a bit like you're assuming that the newspaper was read by the general public. I would think that its audience would be extremely limited in scope, reaching out only to members of the LGBT community of the 60s and calling upon THEM to openly represent the gay community, in turn. The rhetoric of the newspaper was likely tailored specifically to appeal to its LGBT audience as opposed to trying to persuade conservative opponents of homosexuality. This embodiment of style might be an important point to consider and keep in mind when studying this text.
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