After reading Corrupting Justice: A Primer for LGBT Communities on Racism, Violence, Human Degradation & the Prison Industrial Complex answer two of the following questions.
10 Comments
Sandra Montes
1/14/2015 04:51:30 am
1. As the case of Lawrence v. Texas was taken to the Supreme Court, it sought to fight sodomy laws in the entire country, and overrule the Bowers v. Hardwick case that gave the states permission to involve themselves in the private sexual encounters of same sex people. Just as the reading describes, homophobic arguments were used against the plaintiffs, and the decision of the Bowers case was used to justify their arrests. At the time of arrest, Lawrence and Garner were shown unjust treatment; Lawrence describes being dehumanized and not allowed to put any clothing on when arrested. Also, the harassment that the reading describes happens to people from the LGBT community happened to Lawrence and Bowers, as they were now criminalized for the arrest, and lost many opportunities that people without a record receive.
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Diana Orozco
1/14/2015 01:57:27 pm
The first thing that came to mind when I read part one was the first day of class. Crystallee asked us what we think of when we hear the word "dehumanized". We talked about being treated as an animal and being called an animal. These people the system discriminates on treats the people like animals in the way they cage them and chain them. Most of these incarcerated people won’t even dare harm a fly, but they are treated as if they are uncontrollable animals.
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DIANA GOMEZ
1/14/2015 02:48:55 pm
Sandra i agree and that is much correct.
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DIANA GOMEZ
1/14/2015 02:39:22 pm
Describe one of the cases below. What themes from the Corrupting Justice reading relate to the case you chose?
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Sandra Montes
1/14/2015 03:07:50 pm
I agree with what you are saying about the establishment of the norms. We have learned that cultural norms help to establish the law, and because heterosexuality is the norm, laws have been created in their favor. I do believe that those fighting against gay rights used the hysteria over AIDS in their favor. Labeling AIDS as the "gay disease" made it a tool in making discrimination against gay people lawful. Using fear and cultural norms as tools help to keep the general public silent against discrimination to groups who are considered different. Luckily, the win against sodomy laws in this case, helped set the motion for change within the system, and hopefully equality will be reached.
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DIANA GOMEZ
1/14/2015 02:48:19 pm
Sandra i agree and that is much correct.
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Diana Orozco
1/14/2015 03:04:56 pm
In the video, Overruled, not only did the police discriminate against Darrell Garner and John Lawrence, the two gay men caught having intercourse under their own roof, but the state of Texas discriminated against this couple. Garner and Lawrence were arrested for participating in gay sex. The Corrupting Justice article mentions a “getting tough on crime” idea that has been around for about 30 years. This idea resulted from the inflammation of the incarcerated population, despite the fact that violent criminals have decreased. The idea is that the system has created no tolerance laws and has sentenced any person that went against the law, whether violent or not. The article also mentions that this “get tough on crime” idea has become an excuse to allow the system to abuse its power while mistreating any person or group viewed as an “enemy”. This statement explains exactly what happened in Overruled. The state of Texas feared what they didn’t understand; homosexuality. Texas saw homosexuals as a threat because they were going to cause change in the American culture. This fear caused the creation of the Sodomy Laws that incarcerated Garner and Lawrence. Of course, these Sodomy Laws violated the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal, and all men have the right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. The laws deprived Garner and Lawrence of their rights to all three. They were not allowed the respect of privacy, but instead were humiliated and dehumanized.
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fay
1/14/2015 03:37:30 pm
“This fear of other people or groups continues to influence law today. Laws have been created and bent in multiple ways to subliminally discriminate and incarcerate people of color, homosexuals, women, and the lower class. To prevent this discrimination, we need to end this fear or prevent fear from sinking into the minds of innocent people. Discrimination can be prevented from liberating the minds engulfed by white supremacy ideas.” Diana Orozco
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FAY
1/14/2015 03:46:44 pm
To bring humanity to the ones dehumanized we must become blanket of unconditional love.
Fay
1/14/2015 03:12:27 pm
Blog #4: LGBT equality, sanctioned discrimination, and the criminal justice system
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