Aristotle and Dante Novel Study
Real World Connector
Article Link
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LGBTQ teenagers struggle to come out to their parents
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Showcases the prevalence of this issue in modern society
Video Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw2vXUe6kzE&ab_channel=WOODTV8
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Man stripped and beaten because solely because he was homosexual
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Won’t face appropriate charges since hate crime is legal if due to sexual orientation
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Similar to how the people who beat up Dante did not face legal action
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Injustice for LGBTQ, need to punish perpetrators
Explanation
I find it concerning how Dante’s burdens regarding his homosexuality in the 1980s are still commonplace in the lives of other LGBTQ members.
Much like Dante’s hesitation to confess his sexuality with his parents, many teenagers still continue to feel anxious when faced with such a daunting task. In the article, multiple LGBTQ members of a high school share their fears and experiences when coming out to their parents. Fortunately, I feel like reading this book and considering the actions of both Ari’s and Dante’s parents can help make the process more affectionate and accepting for both parties. When Ari tells Mr. Quintana about how Dante was afraid of confessing his sexuality to him, he responds saying, “I don’t care about grandchildren. I care about Dante.” Mr Quintana’s response can help parents rethink their values in life; religion and personal beliefs are important, but is it as important as your own child’s freedom and happiness? Furthermore, Mr. Quintana’s prior disconcerting as to why Dante didn’t confess to him may encourage those in Dante’s position to bite the bullet to improve the trust and closeness with family.
While parents may be more accommodating with their child’s identity, strangers may exhibit the exact opposite; it’s disturbing to acknowledge the persistence and severity of LGBTQ bigotry, as well as the lack of repercussions for the perpetrators. Similar to Dante’s situation of being physically assaulted for his sexuality, my chosen video involves a case where a 17-year old was stripped and beaten for being gay. To add on with the parallelism, just like how Dante’s assailants did not face legal action, Trevor (the culprit in the video)’s actions were not labelled as a hate crime. A bill was proposed in Michigan to include sexual orientation as a hate crime motive subject to punishment, but it failed to pass. Unfortunately, the inhumanity of the situation doesn’t end there, and extends into the comments of the video itself; people praised Trevor for his actions, and found the recorded footage of the assault “satisfying to watch”. After witnessing the reaction of society and the lack of consequences for Trevor, I’m inclined to believe that the safety and stigma of the LGBTQ community has failed to improve. Fortunately, this book can help solve the root of the problem by changing people’s mindsets; Dante’s innocence and lack of resentment towards his assailants can make people question why they uphold such beliefs in the first place.
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