Love is Love

In the last unit of Rhetoric, we learned about how a group of people can ultimately change something that they don't agree with. For the last Action Project in the Rhetoric course, we had to sound off on an art form. We had to pick a topic that we felt passionately about. For my topic, I chose to focus on the LGBT community and the rights they do and don’t have. I am passionate about this topic because I have a few family members and many friends who are part of this community and I don’t think it is fair that they have to be scared of being ridiculed because of whom they love. I am proud of the work I did; I think that the background of my art piece is very meaningful and I also am proud of my work itself. I had a very clear vision of what I wanted it to look like and I think I executed that very well. One of the main things I struggled with was figuring out what I actually wanted to do for this project. I was not sure what I actually wanted to tackle, so it took me a while to decide on my topic, and once I had chose my topic, I had to decide on the best medium to get my point across.

MF, 2015. Love is Love 

In the current age, it seems to me that being gay is glorified. There are countless movies about GBFs (gay best friends) and being gay is often represented in pop culture as being cool. But at the same time, people are still strongly against the LGBT community. Since the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage all across the United States on June 26, 2015, people who are against gay marriage have been protesting nonstop (NPR). While others have created a barrier around the LGBT community with tweets and Facebook statuses about how everyone is equal and should be able to love who they choose. 

This topic speaks loudly to me because I am one to fully support equal rights for everyone. I want everyone to be able to make their own decisions about themselves. It isn’t fair that only certain people deserve to be happy. In my opinion, the arguments people use against gay people make no sense. They claim that the Bible is against gays, but they seem to have forgotten that the Bible is also against pork, tattoos, rounded haircuts, gossiping, woman helping men in fights, etc. People need to realize that saying “I can’t do this because it goes against my religion” is perfectly fine;what is not fine, is when people say, “YOU can’t do this because it’s against MY religion.” 

What other people do should not concern anyone but them. People need to realize that even if someone is gay, they are still a human being with feelings. It is a fact that 1,500 gay and lesbian youth commit suicide every single year due to bullying (SPEAK). Kids will go to school, but instead of learning, they will be focused on tearing each other down. Many people have been speaking out about homophobic bullying, but nothing seems to be changing. Kids are still ridiculing their peers because of who they are. Adults will try to justify the things that their children say but some people just need to realize that “This world would be a whole lot better if we just made an effort to be less horrible to one another” (Ellen Page, Time to THRIVE). 

So many teens are so scared to come out of the closet because they are afraid of being tormented by their friends/peers. No one should have to be scared to be who they are. Everyone should be able to be who they are in peace and not be worried about what everyone else thinks.

Facts:

• On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in all 50 states of the USA.
• 30% of gay youth attempt suicide by the age of 15.
• It has been conservatively estimated that 1,500 gay and lesbian youth commit suicide every year.

To sound off on this issue I decided to create a painting. I drew an American flag and made a tear in the center which it shows the LGBT pride flag behind the American Flag. I chose this medium because I think that it clearly shows that since gay marriage has been legalized, we are moving into a brighter future. But, at the same time, there are still people blocking this new future from becoming a reality, which is why I didn’t show the completed LGBT flag. I also chose to write love is love instead of drawing the 50 stars that represent the 50 states to show that now everyone is free to marry who they want all across the USA.

The rhetorical appeals I used to represent my viewpoint artistically were pathos and logos.. I used pathos with the flag itself because it shows how people need to ultimately make room for this new future because it is coming whether they like it or not. It makes people upset to see the American Flag being dismembered but people need to realize that this new era is coming.

I would like my art piece to be displayed on the streets, I wouldn’t want it just sitting in a museum somewhere. I would want it painted on the streets in every city. I want it to be all over the place so people can see it and understand that love is love.


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Citations:
Chappell, Bill. "Supreme Court Declares Same-Sex Marriage Legal In All 50 States." NPR. NPR, 26 June 2015. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.

"SPEAK: Suicide Prevention Education Awareness for Kids." SPEAK: Suicide Prevention Education Awareness for Kids. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.

Michelson, Noah. "13 Things The Bible Forbids Other Than Homosexuality (That You're Probably Guilty Of Doing)." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 3 Aug. 2012. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.