Gender Identity Paragraph

How Does It Feel to Be Transgender?

 

In the short story “No Bikini” by Ivan E. Coyote, the author writes about the “sex change” he had when he was a six-year-old girl (Coyote).  As a six-year-old girl, going to swimming lessons would mean wearing a top and a bottom instead of just a bottom like the boys; but in this story, the little 6-year-old didn’t wear her top, and since she was so young, everyone thought she was a boy. To answer the inquiry question, being transgender doesn’t really feel like anything, it’s just natural. One doesn’t choose to be transgender it just naturally happens. In the story, the author’s mom asked why she was going around all summer half naked. The author says he “never, not once, felt naked” which shows that it’s just who she was she was meant to be a boy (Coyote). Being the gender that you actually feel you are makes things easier. If a girl feels more like a boy, they will feel better and more confident as a boy. It’s easier being the gender that you feel. The author talks about how “it was that simple, and it only got easier” because he finally looked how he felt (Coyote). The inquiry question is very broad, there are many different feelings transgender people would go through; but, to be transgender just feels natural for the people that are, it isn’t a choice they make, it’s who they are.

 

Works Cited

Coyote, Ivan. “No Bikini.” Coyote, Ivan. Close to Spiderman. Arsenal Pulp, 2005.

Narrative Essay

 

Two things that I was proud of in this narrative were my hook and my imagery of how I showed the story instead of telling it. Two things that I need to work on for my next narrative are my word choice and my grammar. I tend to use the same words a lot in my essays so I need to use different synonyms to have more variety. I also had many grammatical errors in the essay that I needed to change.

 

Washington Redskins Opinion Piece

A football team that recognizes and helps First Nations culture: The Washington Redskins. There has been a long, ongoing debate on whether the Washington Redskins should be allowed to use First Nations words like ‘Redskins’ as their name. Although there is an argument about it, the Washington Redskins should not have to change their name or logo.

The Washington Redskins have made it very clear that the name and logo aren’t meant to offend anyone; in fact, the Redskins logo was created in “close consultation with Native American leaders (Redskins Facts).” The Washington Redskins’ name is a “self reference in the context of the football team itself; and, in no way should be considered as a slur targeted at [First Nations] (Redskins Facts).” The Redskins have always been respectful towards the First Nations and have many First Nations supporters that take no offense in the name or logo.

The Washington Redskins do not use the name or logo for offense. The name and logo are in place to recognize and help First Nations. The Redskins created a foundation called the Washington Redskins Original American Foundation which is in place to help tribal communities and schools. The foundation ventures to help and manage the problems in the lives of First Nations people. They talk to the Chiefs of tribes across the country and help the tribes in any way they can. If the First Nations people really had a problem with the name and logo, they wouldn’t accept help from them. Even First Nations schools use the name Redskins for their team names.

The only reason that the name and logo of the Redskins have arguments around it, is because a small percent of First Nations people protest it. That small percent are the only people that are heard because they want change; but, the reality is, most First Nations do not take offense to it and won’t be heard because they have nothing to protest. National surveys have been held to see if First Nations people take offense to the Redskins name: 90 percent of the First Nations who took part in the survey, responded that the name and logo were not offensive.

The small amount of First Nations that protest the Washington Redskins name “took legal action to cancel the trademarks held by the team (Wikipedia).” The issue was taken to the Supreme Court of the United States. The outcome of the law case was that the Redskins did not have to change their name as that would be taking away the team’s freedom of speech. The protesting First Nations received the court case they wanted; they wanted the government to question the name and it happened. If the Supreme Court rules that the name shouldn’t have to be changed, then that’s how it should be.

The reality of this argument is that only a small percent of First Nations people are offended by the name. The Washington Redskins name and logo doesn’t offend most First Nations so why would they change it when it isn’t a big problem, and it helps to recognize First Nations and their culture. The Redskins work to help and honor First Nations people and their name should stay as it is.

Image result for washington redskins first nations supporter

Works Cited

Redskins Facts. 2015. Website. 8 March 2018. <http://www.redskinsfacts.com/facts>.

Wikipedia. 28 February 2018. Website. 9 March 2018. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Redskins_name_controversy>.

 

 

The Hunger Games

In The Hunger Games series, Suzanne Collins writes about a girl named Katniss Everdeen who lives in a poor district in a country run by a corrupt president. Katniss is put into a “game” where the participants are forced to fight until there is only one survivor. In the game, Katniss shows defiance by forcing the president to let two people out of the game alive. With that defiance, she sparked a rebellion that would eventually go on to take over the country and take down the President. Before Katniss showed defiance, no one in the country would’ve even considered to stand up to the government and the President who did anything he could to stay in power. When humans have too much power in positions of authority, it may get inside their head and can make them do anything to keep that power. This series shows that when something is corrupt, a single person can stand up and create change in the world for the betterment of society.

The Hunger Games trilogy: Impossible to put down