Homosexuality as a Psychological Problem in "Am I a Feminist or a Womanist" by Staceyann Chinn

Abstract

: Recently, homosexuality has become a very widespread phenomenon in the world even in the eastern Islamic societies though it is considered a forbidden behavior. It is, therefore, necessary to search behind this problem. The current paper aims at exploring the socio-political aspect of poetry as related to the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community. The analysis will be conducted through the poem A Feminist or a Womanist by Stacey Ann Chinn which is actually a warning against such approaches. Namely, she does so by developing the poem over an imaginary conversation with another woman who is asking her about her lesbianism. So, as she is being asked in a manner that she finds offensive, she replies to the imaginary conversation partner that she is not asking the right questions. She considered that the issue is not about being lesbian but about being a woman. She basically projects the idea that the problem is in womanhood, not in the fact that she is a lesbian and/or feminist. However, as there are two viewpoints to this behavior-- one is responded to it while the other one is against it, this paper is going to show the religious viewpoint in both Islamic religion and Christianity as well as the medical viewpoints regarding it through discussing the biological and psychological factors behind this disease which actually Chin herself suffers from.