Closeted: The Bent People

A Review of the GLBTQS Rights Movement

By Kristoffer Martin

Class: Theory and Criticism
Joel Pace
November 5th, 2008

Prologue

Introduction: To discuss the blindness of socially accepted institutions in relation to homosexuality, specifically the majority religion Christianity.
Questions Part I, History as a Principle: has the GLBTQS struggle been on par with the Woman's Suffrage and Negro Suffrage movements of the late 1800s and early 1900s? Are there any strong parallels?
Questions Part II, Martin Thomas' Bent reflects on the treatment of gay men in Nazi Germany after the Night of the Knives. In what ways have the treatments of gay men (or more broadly people) changed or stayed the same since WWII?
Questions Part III, V for Vendetta portrays a future setting that is very similar to that of Bent, how are the two productions similar in story? How is homosexuality and difference portrayed?
Questions Part IV, The Present State: How has society remained blind to the struggle of homosexuals and how has this made them invisible? What is the present state of the GBLTQS rights movement? How is the current struggle of GBLQS suffrage similar and different than previous movements?

Epilogue

Part I: History
-This section sets up a principle of comparison found in the suffrage movements of yesteryears to compare the current rights movement for homosexual and alternate-sexuality rights with in the United States.
Biblical References
Black Rights-"Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
Women's Rights "Schneir's "Feminism"
The play Bent
Marxist analysis
Part II: Review of the play Bent by Martin Thomas
Part III: Review of the movie V for Vendetta (original graphic novel concept, David Lloyd, playwright Larry and Andy Wachowski)
Part IV: Present State
-This section will cover the current state of the GLBTQS rights movement. And the current political stance found in the United States, and will be a full conclusion of the paper.
Actions taken against the GBLQS community; both politically and interpersonally
Rights denied to the GBLQS community
The motion picture V for Vendetta

Epilogue: A Personal Reflection on being Bisexual

Authorial meta-analysis of the paper