THE RISE OF GAY POLITICS IN THE AIDS EPIDEMIC OF
1980S IN NEW YORK IN
LARRY KRAMER’S
THE NORMAL
HEART
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
RADITYO KRISNAMURTHI
Student number: 114214111
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
ii
THE RISE OF GAY POLITICS IN THE AIDS EPIDEMIC OF
1980S IN NEW YORK IN LARRY KRAMER’S
THE NORMAL
HEART
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
RADITYO KRISNAMURTHI
Student number: 114214111
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
iii
A Sarjana Sastra Undergraduate Thesis
THE RISE OF GAY POLITICS IN THE AIDS EPIDEMIC OF
1980S IN NEW YORK IN LARRY KRAMER’S
THE NORMAL
HEART
By
Radityo Krisnamurthi
Student Number: 114214111
Approved by
Sri Mulyani Ph.D 15 November 2016 Advisor
v
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yand bertanda tangan dibawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma
Nama : Radityo Krisnamurthi Nomor Mahasiswa : 114214111
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul
THE RISE OF GAY POLITICS IN THE AIDS EPIDEMIC OF
1980S IN NEW YORK IN LARRY KRAMER’S
THE NORMAL
HEART
Beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin kepada saya maupun memberikan royalty kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal 10 November 2016 Yang menyatakan,
vi
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY
I certify that this undergraduate thesis contains no material which has been
previously submitted for the award of any other degree at any university, and that,
to the best of my knowledge, this undergraduate thesis contains no material
previously written by any other person except where due reference is made in the
text of the undergraduate thesis.
Yogyakarta, November 10, 2016
vii
viii
For
My Dear Grandpa in Heaven
And
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This page is dedicated to those who help and support me in the process of
my study in Sanata Dharma and writing this undergraduate thesis. First of all, I
would like to thank The Almighty God, my savior Jesus Christ, Holy Mary and to
all of the angels and saints for their overflowing blessings and strength during my
process which enable me to overcome many difficulties.
Second, I would like to express my gratitude to my thesis advisor, Sri
Mulyani Ph.D, who has helped me in writing this thesis. I thank her for the
advice, the encouragement and the guidance that she gave to me patiently. I also
express my gratitude to Dra. Theresia Enny Anggraini M.A., Ph.D. as co. advisor
of my thesis. I thank her for her advice and guidance to complete my thesis. I
would also like to thank all the lecturers of English Letters and the staff for the
guidance and knowledge that they gave to me since I entered English Letters
Department.
Most importantly, I would never finish this undergraduate thesis without
help, support and love that comes from many people in my life. My deepest
gratitude for all love and support from both of my parents who never stop
encourage me. I am grateful also for my big sister‘s endless support and love from
abroad. For my late grandpa, thank you for your wisdom and believe.
My last gratitude goes from all of my friends who take part in supporting
x
Department and John De Britto that I cannot mention one by one, I am grateful for
their support.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ... ii
APPROVAL PAGE ... iii
ACCEPTANCE PAGE ... iv
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ... v
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ... vi
MOTTO PAGE ... vii
B. The Rejection of the Disease by New York City Citizen in The Normal Heart ... 35
C. The Rise of Gay Politics in The Normal Heart ... 38
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ... 41
xi ABSTRACT
Radityo Krisnamurthi. The Rise of Gay Politics in The AIDS Epidemic of 1980s in New York in Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart. Yogyakarta:
Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2016.
This undergraduate thesis focuses on the play The Normal Heart written by Larry Kramer. This play reflects the real condition of New York society in the early 1980s as the impact of HIV/AIDS. The main character is Ned Weeks based on the writer himself and his experience during the rise of gay politics in 1980s.
There are two objectives in this study on which the researcher wants to achieve. First, to find out the depiction of the society of New York as seen
through Larry Kramer‘s The Normal Heart. Second, to find out the rejection of the HIV/AIDS and the relation towards the rejection of the homosexual as seen on
The Normal Heart.
The researcher applies library research method to gather the data and references for this study and uses cultural studies approach who analyze the novel to have a better understanding in the rise of gay politics and gay rights movement.
From the analysis, the researcher reveals some practices harassment towards LGBT especially gay men community. The rise of gay politics started in the sexual liberation movement in the late 1970s. Then the sexual liberation movement manages to create a state of mind in the gay community where they can have free sex without being ashamed of their sexuality. These free sex relationships caused a widely-spread disease which later called HIV/AIDS and caused many young gay men under the age of 40 to die. Then the gay community created many ways to tackle this deadly epidemic eventually cause the rise of gay politics that help LGBT to have the same rights as anyone and take action towards HIV/AIDS epidemic.
xii ABSTRAK
Radityo Krisnamurthi. The Rise of Gay Politics in The AIDS Epidemic of 1980s in New York in Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart. Yogyakarta Jurusan
Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2016.
Skripsi ini berpusat pada drama yang ditulis oleh Larry Kramer. Drama ini merefleksikan keadaan masyarakat kota New York pada awal tahun 1980an sebagai dampak dari penyakit HIV/AIDS. Krakter utama dalam drama ini adalah Ned Weeks yang merupakan penggambaran dari penulis yang mencerminkan kebangkitan politik gay di tahun 1980-an.
Penelitian ini mempunyai dua tujuan yang ingin dicapai penulis. Pertama, untuk mengetahui gambaran dari masyarakat New York seperti yang terlihat melalui The Normal Heart karangan Larry Kramer. Kedua, mengetahui penolakan dari HIV/AIDS dan hubungannya terhadap penolakan kaum homosexual pada drama ini.
Penulis menggunakan metode penelitian kepustakaan untuk mengumpulkan data dan referensi untuk penelitian ini dan menggunakan pendekatan kajian budaya ketika menganalisis drama tersebut untuk memiliki pemahaman yang lebih baik dalam kebangkitan politik gay beserta pergerakan hak-hak gay.
Dari hasil analisis, penulis mengungkapkan beberapa praktik pelecehan terhadap LGBT oleh masyarakat umum, khususnya laki-laki gay. Maraknya politik gay dimulai pada gerakan pembebasan seksual pada akhir 1970-an. Gerakan pembebasan seksual berhasil menciptakan keadaan pikiran dalam komunitas gay di mana mereka dapat melakukan aktivitas seks bebas tanpa perlu takut akan sexualitas mereka masing- masing. Markanya praktik seks bebas ini menyebabkan tersebarluasnya penyakit yang kemudian disebut HIV / AIDS dan menyebabkan banyak pria gay muda di bawah usia 40 untuk mati. Kemudian komunitas gay menciptakan berbagai cara untuk mengatasi epidemi mematikan ini akhirnya menyebabkan munculnya politik gay yang membantu LGBT memiliki hak yang sama dengan siapa pun dan meng ambil langkah dalam
1 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of Study
Psychology Today states that sexual orientation is a term used to
describe on which human patterns of emotional, romantic, and sexual
attraction. Human senses of personal and social identity are also based on
those attractions. There are three main sexual orientations within the
heterosexual-homosexual continuum: Bisexuality, heterosexuality and
homosexuality. There is rarely any scientific explanation why people develop
a certain act of sexual orientation. The issue of what determines one sexual
orientation is still commonly debated. While most scientists agree that both
nature and nurture play complex roles, the determinants of sexual orientation
are still poorly understood.
(
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/hide-and-seek/201509/when-homosexuality-stopped-being-mental-disorder) Current research into its
foundations frequently focuses on the role of genes, environment, brain
structure, and hormones. Sexual attraction between people in the same gender
which is broadly known as homosexuality is possible in the human
community and also animal kingdom as well. This attraction can be either
male to male or female to female. Gay is a term that mostly refers to a male
sexual orientation for being a homosexual. The term gay can also refer to the
alter their appearance and the way they look, their speech patterns, gestures,
manners and general bearing immediately give them away.
The term homosexual started to rise in the late 19th century and has
gradually increased in the 20th century. In the late 19th century, the gay
community has emerged among people in America and has become one of the
largest communities in New York City. The sexual liberation for gay
community in the 1980s was haunted by the disease that today called AIDS.
The Normal Heart is a play that was first premiered on April 21, 1985, Off-Broadway production. This story is about Ned Weeks, a gay writer, who
struggles in pulling together an organization focused on raising the awareness
of unidentified which kills a large amount of gay men. Larry Kramer, through
his play, shows the gay community (which focused on GMHC and Ned
Weeks) struggles to convince the US citizen that AIDS is a national plague
which is not only can be brought by gay people only. The play also has some
biographical parallels which are shown through the characters and the plot of
the play.
The objective of the study is to inform the readers how AIDS is very
closely related to the rise of gay politics. The reflection of the setting and the
development of the characters would allow the researcher to help evaluate the
study in order to help the researcher depict the situation of that time in that
era. The Normal Heart questions the government policy regarding the AIDS epidemic. It questions on how and why the government did not do much to
community. How the gay community move between social aspects and started
to speak in political area among gay and how the wider community sees it are
reflected through the play. Until today, there are only speculations regarding
the history behind the gay politics. With this study, the historical background
and the social background of gay politics can be identified.
B. Problem Formulation
The researcher formulates two questions to help answer in the analysis,
which are
1. How is the society described through the setting and the characters in The Normal Heart?
2. How is the rejection of the diseases related to the rejection of the
homosexual itself through The Normal Heart?
C. Objectives of The Study
The main goal that the researcher attempts to achieve on this
undergraduate thesis is not only to describe the social condition and political
condition of the homosexual (gay people) but also to use the queer theory to
elaborate the issues that are related with their sexual orientation and how they
react in public, the society and their own society group or organization.
The researcher aims to find the missing pieces that cause the plague
spread widely in the U.S according to the play. Besides finding, the researcher
plague spreading. Then after finding the relation of the political and social
concerning the gay community, the queer theory would help the researcher to
access the deviant act of these characters as the result of the changes in the
political background.
D. Definition of Terms
Based on the stem, Gay Politics is described as the revolutionary ways
based on the movement of homosexual who wanted to be involved in the
politics in order to diminished the sexual orientation wall and to fight for
equality everywhere especially in the political area (Diamond: 1993). Most
people believe that the political states directly related with the historical past
of one geographical chapter, but these factors also coexist with the other, the
more recent influences. On the case of Gay politics, the issues that the gay
5
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
A. Review of Related Studies
Several studies have been done to analyze certain questions regarding gay
politics and queer theory, among other, is the writer Steven Epstein with his
Gay Politics, Ethnic Identity: The Limits of Social Constructionism. This journal shows the contradictory ideas of answering the question about gay and
what it means to be gay or lesbian certainly testifies the difficulties of
answering it. Sexuality is one of the main topics that this journal discusses.
This article does not only discuss what causes homosexuality or heterosexuality
instead this article also explores how lesbians and gay men live on a day-to-day
basis and interpret their sexual desires and practices to situate themselves in the
world. These theory and self-understanding may or may not block or shape the
political activism by gays. The idea of essentialist and constructionist
understandings of gay identity also appear and discussed in this journal. It
discusses more about how gay politics related with the socially constructed
contexts and the psychological aspects of homosexual from which helps the
researcher to analyze the grounds behind gay political movement.
The second journal that used is written by Neil Deuchar called AIDS In New York City with Particular Reference to the Psycho-Social Aspects. This
article which is taken from British Journal of Psychiatry in 1984 shows data on this epidemiological surveillance. This article shows data related to AIDS in
journal. This article created the survey of qualifications of AIDS patients. How
AIDS came to the United States and the statistics of the originated people who
came from Europeans, Africa and Asia, and the cause of AIDS at that time
which is still unknown. According to this journal, there are some indication of
a person that gets this disease. There are also some effects on the public. Many
AIDS victims have been fired from their jobs, driven out from their home by
terrified and ashamed families, and abandoned by similarly disposed lovers.
The body of patient often disowned by family, and even the funeral director
refuse to the handle their bodies as seen in the The Normal Heart the movie.
The media have played a role in feeding the public a huge amount of
sometimes misleading information. Eventually, most AIDS patient only
contacted with their nurse with their masks, and gloves. The effects of the
attitudes towards the patient are horrible. From subtle cognitive changes, lack
of sex drives and withdrawal from the society, this journal helps the researcher
to show the impact of AIDS in New York from the Psycho – Social Aspects
since AIDS is not simply a concern for scientists, doctors and medical
researchers, it has important social dimensions as well. And from the data of
this journal helps the researcher to analyze other aspects aside from the loss of
the New York citizens (Problem Formulation no.1).
The third entry of the related studies is a dissertation written by Jessica De
Young Kander entitled: Reading Queer Subtext in Children’s Literature:
Finding LGBT Voices in Literature for Children and Young Adults. This
gay, bisexual and/or transgendered (LGBT) identities to find depictions of
queerness in subtext underlying seemingly ―straight‖ texts. This journal
analyze on how these children and teenagers can see children books as a queer
literary work. The researcher uses five children‘s texts: Ferdinand, Elmer, Ivy and Bean, Speak, and Harry Potter. These examples are used to illustrate
binaries in our culture between what is considered normative (the expected
norm) and identities that are labeled as deviant (in opposition to the constructed
norms). She uses Queer theory as a ‗surgical equipment‘ to identify the
children literature one by one. As a result, each of the children text which can
identify as a ‗straight‘ text can be seen as a Queer text also. The dissertation by
Jessica De Young Kander helps the researcher to use the Queer theory as an
analytical tool as seen on her dissertation.
B. Review of Related Theories
Here are some of the theories that are necessary to support the analysis.
1. Queer Theory
Queer can be adjective, a noun, or a verb. In widespread use, it is most
commonly an adjective, meaning ―not normal,‖ or, more specifically, not
heterosexual (Dilley, 1999: 37). Queer is by definition whatever is at odds
with the normal, the legitimate, the dominant. There is nothing in particular to
which it necessarily refers. It is an identity without an essence. 'Queer' then,
demarcates not a positivity but a positionality vis-à-vis the normative
that emerges in the early 1990s. Queer theory is grounded in gender and
sexuality.
The theory mostly derived from post-structuralist theory and
deconstruction and was originally associated with radical gay politics of ACT
UP, OutRage! And other groups which embraced "queer" as an identity label
that pointed to a separatist, non-assimilations politics (Blackburn, 1996: 31).
‗Drawing on both Michael Foucault and Jacques Derrida, queer theory
explores the ways in which homosexual subjectivity is at once produced and
excluded within culture, both inside and outside its borders’ (Namaste, 1994:
229). Queer theory is grounded in gender and sexuality. Due to this association, a debate emerges as to whether sexual orientation is natural or essential to the person, as an essentialist believes, or if sexuality is a social construction and subject to change (Barry: 2002, 139-155).
The essentialist feminists believed that genders "have an essential nature (e.g. nurturing and caring versus being aggressive and selfish), as opposed to differing by a variety of accidental or contingent features brought about by social forces‖. Due to
this belief in the essential nature of a person, it is also natural to assume that a person's sexual preference would be natural and essential to a person‘s personality. (Blackburn: 1996: 34). Queer theory attempts to maintain a critique more than define a specific identity. The Queer theory started by the statement that there
is no ‗natural‘ sexuality- a traditional accorded to heterosexuality- there is no
Queer theory questions traditional constructions of sexuality and sees non-
heterosexual forms of sexuality as sites where hegemonic power can be
undermined. Queer theory is a continuation of the post structuralism in which
the insistence on the constructed nature of all classifications in terms of
(biological) sex, sexuality, and gender. Queer theory related with the play that
shown in the main idea of the play. The Normal Heart tells the story of a gay activist whom not afraid of being closeted gay. He tried to speak to the public
regarding to the AIDS epidemic and his work indicates a few critiques
towards closeted gays and towards the government. His movement in many
ways reflected the queer theory.
2. Queer Theory on Politics
There are arguments that stated sex is a private matter that should be left
to choose and kept out of public politics altogether. Since the rise of HIV and
many literary works that discusses it, so many people seemed affected by the
works of gay people. Although it appears that queers have a lot to say regarding their freedom and equality, but there is small evidence that queers
interested in politics. Since politics have a broader impact in Justice, freedom
and equality. All the rights that are demanded by gay people. Most theories
evolve around queers are psychoanalytic and historicist. Not one of them can
determine how queer emerge in the political area. ―The 1980s saw a massive
literature of social constructionism, designed to localize all concepts of
raises skepticism about rights discourse and other forms of universalism in
gay politics.‖
The researcher uses Laurent Berlant and Michael Warner‘s theory on
Heteronormativity to reveal the qualities of queer in the world of politics.
―By heteronormativity we mean the institutions, structures of understanding, and practical orientations that make heterosexuality seem not only coherent—that is, organized as a sexuality—but also privileged. Its coherence is always provisional, and its privilege can take several (sometimes contradictory) forms: unmarked, as the basic idiom of the personal and the social; or marked as a natural state; or projected as an ideal or moral accomplishment. It consists less of norms that could be summarized as a body of doctrine than of a sense of rightness produced in contradictory manifestations—often unconscious, immanent to practice or to institutions. Contexts that have little visible relation to sex practice, such as life narrative and generational identity, can be heteronormative in this sense, while in other contexts sex between men and women might not be heteronormative. Heteronormativity is thus a concept distinct from heterosexuality. ―(Berlandt and Warner: 1998)
It means that the world is set and structured in heterosexuality. Every
aspect of human lives, i.e. education, clothing, music, norms, religion etc. is in
heterosexual continuum including politics. The heteronormativity helps the
researcher to evaluate its role on the rise of gay politics.
3. Labeling Theory
Labeling theory is based on the idea that behaviors are deviant only when
society labels them as deviant. As such, conforming members of society, who
interpret certain behaviors as deviant and then attach this label to individuals,
determine the distinction between deviance and non-deviance. Labeling
theory questions who applies what label to whom, why they do this, and what
(politicians, judges, police officers, etc.) typically impose the most significant
labels. Labeled persons may include drug addicts, alcoholics, criminals,
delinquents, prostitutes, sex offenders, and psychiatric patients, to mention a
few. The consequences of being labeled as deviant can be far-reaching. Social
research indicates that those who have negative labels usually have lower
self-images, are more likely to reject themselves, and may even act more
defiantly because of the label. Unfortunately, people who accept the labeling
of others—be it correct or incorrect—have a challenging time changing their
opinions of the labeled person, even in light of evidence to the contrary.
a. Labeling in Homosexual
The application of labeling theory to homosexuality has been extremely
controversial. Alfred Kinsey and his colleagues have shown differentiation
between the behavior and the role attached to it. They also observe the
negative outcome of labeling and accursed of labeling people as homosexual.
"The term 'homosexual' is generally used to refer to anyone who engages in overt sexual practices with a member of his own sex, the practice being called 'homosexuality.' This usage appears to be based on a medical and legal frame of reference and provides much too broad and heterogeneous a categorization for use here. I refer only to individuals who participate in a special community of understanding wherein members of one's own sex are defined as the most desirable sexual objects, and sociability is energetically organized around the pursuit and entertainment of these objects." (Goffman, 1963)
The Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender are labeled as queer in
society. According to Goffman above, those who engage in the activity of
homosexuality are those who attracted only to one same sexual gender and
term has been used as a medical and legal conduct, society has been using
this term for harassing them and the label ―Homosexual‖ has become one of a
form of offense. The labeling theory is applicable in cases regarding with
LGBT. Labeling theory helps to analyze the effect of labeling in gay
community towards AIDS epidemic which leads to the movement of gay
activist both in the play or the reality. Labeling is how society act of putting
label to those whom they don‘t understand. The same situation occurs on
AIDS epidemic which the homosexual men started to feel afraid and some of
them even felt angry once more for having liberal sex because of it. Their act
of self-defense and why did they do these can be explained with the labeling
theory. Eventually, labeling of homosexual cannot be done without
heterosexual and thus those two terms complement each other.
4. Socio-Historical Background
Before the late 70s arrived, the stigma that surrounds LGBT was
highly negative and taboo. Especially before the Stonewall riot which
eventually embarked the birth of The Gay Rights Movement. By the end of
Jimmy Carter‘s presidency, the idealistic dreams of the 1960s were tattered
down by inflation, foreign policy turmoil and rising crime. In response, many
Americans embraced a new conservatism in social, economic and political life
during the 1980s, characterized by the policies of President Ronald Reagan.
This trend also continues in the raising of homosexual not only in New York
City, but also in the states. After World War II, New York City and the United
Stonewall confrontation provoked a firestorm of counter-resistance. The year
1978 was the prime time for gay men. It‘s the time for the sexual liberation
movement, not only for the homosexuals, but for the people in general.
Especially those who lived in urban areas such as New York City. People have
a higher percentage of tolerance towards homosexual in New York City more
than anywhere on the planet.
Ever since the HIV/AIDS go public, most people haven‘t grasped the
danger yet and with the misconception from the media, the government opt to
stay below the radar concerning HIV. For many people in the United States,
the early 1980s was a troubled and troubling time. The radical and
countercultural movements of the 1960s and early 1970s, the Watergate
scandal, the Vietnam War, insecurity in the Middle East and economic crisis
at home had destabilized Americans‘ confidence in their fellow citizens and in
their government the reflections of this statement can be seen from the late
Ronald Reagan‘s policy regarding with the HIV impact. How Gay men have a
strong relationship to each other is another result of The Stonewall Riot in
June 28, 1969 on a Gay bar in Cristopher Street in New York City. It‘s an
event that was regarded as one of the main catalyst of LGBT movement. From
the homophobic reaction which caused an actual riot, eventually caused the
first ever LGBT movement for their rights. Several organizations that existed
were Gay Liberation Front. Eventually, the word Gay pride has since become
many gay men eventually come out and join gay communities as their form of
alliance and a ‗save haven‘.
C. Theoretical Framework
This undergraduate thesis uses two theories: queer theory and theory of
labeling in homosexual and input other data to support the analysis such as
the history of HIV/AIDS and the history of New York as queer sites. The
queer theory is used to analyze the play: how the characters develop in the
queer theory sense. How the character emotions are used to play roles in the
play: how AIDS develops the character from the queer theory perspective.
The labeling theory is used to compare the hypothesis that is found about the
historical background knowledge of gay politics with queer theory caused by
anger and fear. The journals help the researcher to describe what the
situations in New York during the epidemic and how the play is related to the
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The object of the study is The Normal Heart, a play written by Larry
Kramer and it was first published in 1985 and first performed in April 21st
1985 at The Public Theatre, New York City. The book that the researcher use
entitled The Normal Heart and The Destiny of Me: Two Plays first published
in 2007 with a length of 256 pages. The story revolves around Ned Weeks, a
gay journalist whom at the latter stage of the play became a gay activist in the
history of New York. According to the story in the play, AIDS has impacted
homosexual to be aware to it. The first movement as a gay unity started when
one of them died in a horrible way. From that moment on, several gay workers
had to become an activist in order to bring awareness among their own people
which eventually also takes their lives one by one. Bruce Niles, a closeted
started to work as an activist and help Ned Weeks with his campaign for gay
people to stop having sex. They receive a lot of provocation and disbelieve
from their own people. After a couple of months, gay people kept on dying.
Ned Weeks was provoked by this and the gay liberation movement and AIDS
awareness are him and his colleagues‘ main focus for the rest of the story
New York, along with San Francisco, and Los Angeles, became the
ground zero of the first wave of AIDS epidemic. At that time, there was a
believe that AIDS could eradicate the entire population of homosexual men
and the gay community. In the play, one of the problem that faced by
homosexual men is how the AIDS campaign had a clash with the gay
liberation a decade back.
Gay men are intensely urban and only a few of them that lives in a country
free by choice on a permanent basis. Most of them live in a city because of the
variety that city offers them to enjoy one‘s live. Based on the play, the setting
of the place is at New York. The famed city is also known for the violent
demonstration that occurs in 1969 that widely considered as the single most
important event leading to the gay liberation movement and became the early
stages of the LGBT rights movement. In 2014, The Normal Heart was adopted to a movie with the same title and receive a hugely amount of positive reaction
from all layers of the society. Most of the actors who involves with the movie
itself are publicly open gay.
This study uses cultural studies approach because it is focused on the
finding and questioning of the historical impacts it brings to layers of society
throughout the literary text. Queer theory tackles many queer related issues
and the researcher will focus more on the rise of the queer politics. According
to Michael Warner (Warner, 1993:7) Queers live not only to engage coitus
with partners, but it implies that they want to have a ―mark‖ in the world.
Since the HIV/AIDS and The Stonewall Riot taken its place in the world, gay
people started to emerge from its closeted world. According to Berlant and
Warner, (Warner, 1998: 547) the sexual convention in society i.e.
pornographic videos, phone sex, etc. are all related to heterosexuality, but
what if the sex acts are not in your usual and conventional ways. The world of
politics in queer view can be seen through that same glasses. The contextual
approach of this study also can be seen explicitly on the details that surrounds
the play with the actual events that occurred during the HIV crisis of New
York. It is a form of protest and message to the people worldwide that related
with LGBTQ rights. Another approach that the researcher use is cultural
studies approach.
―Arising from the social turmoil of the 7960s, cultural Studies is
composed of elements of Marxism, poststructuralism and postmodernism, feminism, gender studies, anthropology, sociology, race and ethnic studies, film theory, urban studies, public policy, popular culture studies, and postcolonial studies: those fields that concentrate on social and cultural forces
Which means that cultural studies can be derived from many form of
theory and studies. The bottom line of this epic study is to focus on social and
cultural idea which eventually created diversity. For this undergraduate thesis,
the researcher uses Queer theory, labeling theory, and socio- cultural
background. It is not a single, standardized approach to literature (or anything else) but a field that binds its adherents through some common interests and purposes, although they are addressed in widely divergent ways.
―The intent is to connect historical, social, and economic knowledge surrounding the topic, a topic that may not seem to be very literary at all. Because any context is virtually unending, the critic never knows enough. As a result, interpretations made from a cultural studies perspective tend to be opened and continue to evolve as they are affected by new information.‖
(Dobie: 2012, 175)
Another point of interest quoted from Dobie is the intention of Cultural
Studies itself which is to connect historical and social knowledge in The
Normal Heart. Cultural Studies can help the researcher for the reinterpretation
of the play from an open perspective.
C. Method of the Study
The research of this study is library research. The sources can be collected
throughout the written form of the data and supporting data. The object can be
collected from libraries and internet sources. The primary source is the
original play written by Larry Kramer.
Before analyzing furthermore on the main objectives, the researcher reads
formulations. After formed the problem formulations, the researcher gathered
the theories and the previous studies which are related to the play and to help
solve the problem formulations. After gathered enough evidence and theories,
the researcher started to apply them into the play by using queer theory are
used after the researcher finished analyzing the main characters which are Ned
Weeks, labeling theory, and the HIV/AIDS historical development to answer
the problem formulations.
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
In this chapter, the researcher answers the problem formulations that
have been stated in chapter I. The first part of the analysis deals with the society
implemented according to the play. The second part talks about the relationship
between the rejection of the disease and the rejection of Homosexual as seen in the play. The focus on this undergraduate thesis is the Gay men and the society (how
the majority of people react at that time of AIDS) according to the play in the
United States of America in New York City. By the end of this undergraduate
thesis, the researcher creates a correct timeline of gay politics and determine how
The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer‘s plays a monumental part in the rise of gay
A. The Depiction of the Gay Society
Homosexual relationship in The Normal Heart is the essence of the play itself
and it is not just partially or secretly done by the characters in the play. Gay men
play a very important role to pursue the conflict and end it. A societal condition
can be seen through the lenses of many branches, such as historical, governmental,
environmental, etc. In this analysis, The Normal Heart has somewhat similar depiction of the society. The depiction of society in The Normal Heart mostly
describe the condition in New York City, United States of America in the year
1980 up to 1989.
1.Strong Relationship between Gay Men
There are conditions of several gay men in New York State area as stated
in the play in the first scene.
[DAVID comes out of EMMA's office. There are highly
visible purple lesions on his face. He wears a long- sleeved shirt. He goes to get his jacket, which he's left on one of the chairs.]
DAVID. Whoever's next can go in. CRAIG. Wish me luck.
MICKEY. [hugging CRAIG] Good luck. [CRAIG hugs him, then NED, and goes into EMMA's office.]
DAVID. They keep getting bigger and bigger and they don't go away. [to NED] I sold you a ceramic pig once at Maison France on Bleecker Street. My name is David.
NED. Yes, I remember. Somebody I was friends with
then collects pigs and you had the biggest pig I'd ever seen outside of a real pig.
DAVID. I‘m her twenty-eighth case and sixteen of them are dead. [He leaves.] (Kramer, 1985: 14-15)
The first act of The Normal Heart is between David, Craig, Mickey and
that including David and Craig. David and Craig are the first two victims of the
disease according to the play. David is the first known victim that seen in here.
There is an information that there are already twenty-eight cases regarding this
identical disease from the last line. In addition, seventeen of which are deceased.
The Homosexual in New York has disease that are widely spread between them
and Dr. Emma office has had twenty- eight cases of these ill homosexuals with
the same disease. Unfortunately, sixteen of them are declared dead. Another
aspect that the researcher can point is how David which is another stranger to Ned
and Mickey is willingly to telling Ned a distressing news which involves gay men.
The relationship of them shows how close of those to one another. For a
heterosexual, this phenomenon occurs very rarely. For normal person, it is strange
to share personal information or personal issue to someone they barely know each
other. It is different from gay people who thinks that sharing that sort of
information means telling their own deep and horrid secret. It shows the different
character of a gay men and how sexual orientation brings one closer to another
without any mutual sexual attraction.
2. The Inner Conflict of Gay Organization
The strong relationship won‘t last long, eventually their strong bond will
crumble. Ironically, this happens because of Ned Weeks‘ strong and tough
character. On every human organizations and community, conflict is inevitable.
Apparently according to the play, Ned Weeks and the member of GMHC have
most of them are non-essential neither to the plot nor the storyline. It can be seen
in the dialogue below on page 37-38. There are sorts of different opinion
regarding how these men see gay, sexuality, etc. In the end, this is the chapter
where they set aside different political agendas and created an official Gay
Hotline Service regarding AIDS.
MICKEY. "It's difficult to write this without sounding alarmist or scared." Okay, but then listen to this: "I am sick of guys moaning that giving up careless sex until this blows over is worse than death . . . I am sick of guys who can only think with their cocks . . . I am sick of closeted gays. It's 1982 now, guys, when are you going to come out? By 1984 you could be dead." …
BRUCE. But we can't tell people how to live their lives! We can't do that. And besides, the entire gay political platform is fucking. We'd get it from all sides. NED. You make it sound like that's all that being gay
means.
BRUCE. That's all it does mean!
MICKEY. It's the only thing that makes us different. NED. I don't want to be considered different.
BRUCE. Neither do I, actually. MICKEY. Well, I do.
BRUCE. Well, you are!
NED. Why is it we can only talk about our sexuality,
and so relentlessly? You know, Mickey, all we've created is generations of guys who can't deal with each other as anything but erections. We can't even get a meeting with the mayor's gay assistant!
(Kramer, 1985:37-38)
The dialogue above takes place in Ned‘s apartment where they have a
conversation regarding the presidency of GMHC. In this scene, Tommy
Boatwright is also introduced although he doesn‘t cause any significant changes
to the plot or the characters‘ conflict. According to the play, the dialogue on scene
started to argue concerning his published article about how gay men should act for
the greater good. Ned characteristic is seen in Mickey‘s quotation of Ned‘s article.
Ned‘s selection of foul languages gives this a sense of urgency for those who read
it. For gay men who have to live a different life, unlike Ned who is open about his
gayness, they are offended by his article. Bruce and Mickey are those gay men
who has a closed gayness and choose to be heterosexual if it necessary. Mickey
and Bruce attack Ned with their conceptions of gay men and gay political
platform. They believe that at the time, being gay men is about the free sex. Ned
oppose that idea and instead of support, Ned gets thwarted by his friends. It starts
from Mickey who quoted in what Ned writes and Bruce tries to deny what Ned
has stated. This is considered as the first spark that makes Ned‘s stands out from
the rest of Gay men in this play. How he dares to be different and speaks up with
irrational emotion is the main idea behind this play.
MICKEY. Or able to afford so much therapy. Although God knows I need it. [looking at his watch] Look, it's late, and we haven't elected our president. Ned, I think
it should be…Bruce. Everybody knows him and likes him and…I mean, everybody expects you to-
NED. You mean he's popular and everybody's afraid of me.
NED. [to BRUCE] Well, it looks like you're the president.
BRUCE. I don't think I want this.
NED. Oh, come on, you're gorgeous and we're all going to follow you.
BRUCE. Fuck you. I accept.
NED. Well, fuck you, congratulations. (Kramer, 1985: 36, 40)
Although it is not as significant as the argument before on page 36, but the
be set aside and the way he works is affected. The dialogue above on this scene
can be seen as how Ned‘s idea and confrontational way of resolve gay men
problems does not work and Bruce‘s placid way on dealing with their
complications win hearts of gay men. Eventually, this leads to Ned‘s outrage
towards the GMHC in the end of Act II of the play.
The main conflict in the organization starts to crumble on scene 13, this is
the part where Ned is removed from the GMHC board of directors. Although it
only happens to Ned Weeks, the main character, the main idea is still the same.
This is the board of the director letter to Ned Weeks. In this scene, the only one
who talks to Ned is Bruce, his close friend.
BRUCE. [takes a letter out of his pocket] The board wanted me to read you this letter. "We are circulating this letter widely among people of judgment and good sense in our community. We take this action to try to combat your damage, wrought, so far as we can see, by your having no scruples whatever Mr.
Ned Weeks is hereby removed as a director. We beg that you leave us quietly and not destroy us and what good work we manage despite your disapproval. In closing, please know we always welcome your input, advice, and help." [BRUCE tries to hand NED the letter. NED won't take it. BRUCE tries to put it in NED's breast pocket. NED
deflects BRUCE's hand.]
(Kramer, 1985: 57)
The quotation above is a reflection of most of gay men works at that time.
Most of the GMHC members are trying to resolve this problem without
adding drama or chaotic interpretation towards gay men. Meanwhile, most of
the GMHC agrees with Bruce‘s approach of the situation, Ned weeks‘
controversial and ‗harsh‘ style of problem solving does not suit well for
effective way to campaign their most critical and vulnerable time according to
Ned. The letters toward Ned as read by Bruce is the decision of the majority or
all of the board members of the GMHC. Ned‘s position as the Director of Gay
Men Health Crisis is dismissed by the board member, which is another word
in saying that he is fired by the GMHC. The words that are chosen in the letter
is emphasized how the majority of the GMHC are afraid that what Ned did or
done can backfire. By the end of this scene, Ned chooses to quit the GMHC
although the line ‗In closing, please know we always welcome your input,
advice, and help‘ is stated on the letter.
3. The HIV plague
The terrible fact which David reveals to Ned is one of the problems that
New York face at that time, which is around late 1980 and early 1981. According
to the New York Times, on January 15, 1981, the first known victim that died due
to HIV is a young man name Nick Rock. This is the first ever case that recorded
on the media regarding HIV at that time.
―A young gay man named Nick suffers a seizure and loses consciousness. His boyfriend, Enno Poersch, rushes him to St. Luke‘s-Roosevelt, where he‘s
diagnosed with toxoplasmosis, a disease usually found in cats. ―I had no idea it was the beginning of an epidemic,‖ recalls his doctor, Michael Lange.‖ (Farber, 1991)
The quotation above is stated in November 1, 1980. This is the date when
Nick Rock was brought by his boyfriend. This is one of the first documentation of
HIV/AIDS which deal with homosexual. Today, New York Times has made a
Heart also uses the story above which at that time has not been published to the
community yet as one of the scene on the play.
BRUCE. [calling from off] Where do I go? Where do I go?
EMMA. Quickly put him on the table. What happened?
BRUCE. He was coming out of the building and he started running to me and then he…then he collapsed to the ground.
EMMA. What is going on inside your bodies! [CRAIG starts to convulse. BRUCE, MICKEY, and NED restrain him. She takes a tongue depressor and holds CRAIG's tongue flat; she checks the pulse in his neck; she looks into his eyes for vital signs that he is coming around,- CRAIG'S convulsions stop.] You the lover?
(Kramer, 1985:20)
The quotation above has a similarity of action by the characters regarding
with the actual event that occurred on November as written by Altman, whom is a
New York Times journalist. Bruce Niles can be considered as Enno Poersch, the
boyfriend of the victim who is Nick Rock or in this case, Craig. This is the
beginning of the mysterious plague that is soon spread throughout the States.
Craig is the first ever victim of HIV/AIDS according to the play. In the first scene
of act one, Craig was collapsed on the road and Bruce, Mickey and Ned is there
with him. Although it is unclear how long and how do they bring Craig, in the end
he ended in Emma‘s hospital. Emma‘s reaction to Craig‘s body indicates that
Craig is not her first patient. Despite not her first, this disease is still a mysterious
one. There is also another point of interest in the text below.
knew about the diseases they caused and how they got around. I think I'm right about this. I am seeing more cases
each week than the week before. I figure that by the end of the year the number will be doubling every six months. That's something over a thousand cases by next June. Half of them will be dead. Your two friends I've just diagnosed? One of them will be dead. Maybe both of them. NED. And you want me to tell every gay man in New
York to stop having sex?
EMMA. Who said anything about just New York? NED. You want me to tell every gay man across the
country -
EMMA. Across the world! That's the only way this disease will stop spreading.
NED. Dr. Brookner, isn't that just a tiny bit unrealistic? EMMA. Mr. Weeks, if having sex can kill you, doesn't
anybody with half a brain stop fucking? But perhaps you've never lost anything. Good-bye.
(et al.)
The dialogue above take place in Emma‘s office after the death of Craig.
In her office, Emma also examine Ned for any signs of the disease. After
examining him, Emma propose a motion to Ned concerning gay men worldwide.
In this scene, Larry Kramer also dictates the situation of this disease. Without any
knowledge whatsoever, without any direction to solve and help the victims of
HIV, the helplessness of the character in the story is seen through the character
actions. Emma‘s first line above includes a brief comparison between AIDS and
hepatitis. The first step in eradicate or containing a virus is to discover and learn
how the virus spreads. Emma‘s only supposition regarding the disease is sexual
transmission. If gay men do not stop having sex, the victim will be doubled by the
second year. Through the looking glass of Ned, Dr. Emma‘s suggestion is
something that gay men have been strive for years and to immediately end it is an
scene, Emma get upset with Ned‘s reaction as he refers to die and have sex rather
to live and have safe sex.
FELIX. Aren't you worried about contagion? I mean, I assume I am about to become a leper.
EMMA. Well, I'm still here.
FELIX. Do you think they'll find a cure before I…
How strange that sounds when you say it out loud for the first time.
EMMA. We're trying. But we're poor. Uncle Sam is the only place these days that can afford the kind of research that's needed, and so far we've not even had the
courtesy of a reply from our numerous requests to him. You guys are still not making enough noise.
FELIX. That's Ned's department in our family. I'm not feeling too political at the moment.
(Kramer, 1985: 66 )
Scene 10 is the defining act that describe the whole situation regarding
HIV/AIDS. The dialogue above is between Felix, Ned Weeks boyfriend who is a
New York Times journalist. Scene 10 is approximately around a year after Ned
and Felix gets together one year after the first scene. At this point, it is still
unclear whether or not Ned already has the disease. Felix secretly visited Emma in
her office to check on his rapidly declining condition. Eventually they find out
that Felix has HIV/AIDS. It is stated by Emma that after one year, she still has no
cure or any indication to find the cure of this disease. The scene above depicts
how Emma is still clueless even after a year of handling HIV/AIDS patients. The
author has already stated about how dangerous this mysterious disease is
especially with only a handful of people that is active and tries to stop this
epidemic. This is only a matter of time that the world is about to start to count
not clearly stated as what we call today. There‘s no hard proof that it is AIDS
except the fact that it attacks the human immune system. In the first scene of the
play, Emma stated few facts (only known symptoms) of AIDS.
4. Denial from the Society
MICKEY. Well, I'll certainly write about it in the
Native, but I'm afraid to put it in the stuff I write at work. NED. What are you afraid of?
MICKEY. The city doesn't exactly show a burning interest in gay health. But at least I've still got my job: The Health Department has had a lot of cutbacks. (Kramer, 1985:15)
Another depiction of society according to the play is about the social
acceptance of Homosexual especially homosexual men. The term homosexual is
often categorized as a form of psychological disease, instead of gay are more to
the lifestyle. From Mickey‘s final line above, he stated that the city is not
interested in gay health, although 16 people are dead. The city means New York
City and Mickey works for the Health Department in there. Instead of helping, the
Health Department chooses to neglect the health issue because of the people that
affected are ‗merely‘ homosexual. Another point to be taken is how Mickey
realize how he and his friends are neglected, instead of fight the system, Mickey
chooses to bolster his job and even give credit to The Health Department. In this
scene, Mickey is talking to Ned and to tell the reader about his characteristics. The
evidence from the statement above can be seen in scene 7 of the play.
not started one single test tube of research. Where's the board of directors of your very own hospital? You have so many patients you haven't got rooms for them, and you've got to make Felix well . . . So what am I yelling at you for? (Kramer, 1985: 53)
The scene above is taken from page 53, scene 7. At this latter stage of the
play, the government should have noticed about the epidemic regarding gay all
over the state. Ned clearly states that the government does not do any single
action that help homosexual. Whilst the government does not take any action and
passively waits. From the forward script of the play by Joseph Papp (Papp, 1985:
8), the scene above is approximately around one year from the first scene. This
means that the labeling theory in homosexual can be seen as a deviant role in the
society even at this crucial stage of the epidemic spread. This is the phase whereas
the government notices about the AIDS spreading throughout New York City
state. Instead of intervene, the government chooses to neglect the fact that there
are already 238 cases for a single doctor.
EMMA. Don't be on my side! I don't need, you on my side. Make your side shape up. I've seen 238 cases me: one doctor. You make it sound like there's nothing worse going around than measles. (et al.)
The dialogue above is taken from Scene 6 of the play. Taken place in
Ben‘s office, Ned‘s older brother who works as a successful lawyer for years.
Both of them have a good relationship, but not as good as it seems. In this scene,
Larry Kramer wanted to introduce another point of interest in this play. The
definition of Gay often scare people, not only by the majority of people, but also
NED. All I'm asking for is the use of your name. You don't have to do a thing. This is an honorary board. For the stationery.
BEN. Ned, come on — it's your cause, not mine. NED. That is just an evasion!
NED. Would you be more interested if you thought this was a straight disease?
BEN. It has nothing to do with your being gay.
NED. Of course it has. What else has it got to do with? BEN. I've got other things to do.
NED. But I'm telling you you don't have to do a thing! BEN. The answer is No.
NED. It's impossible to get this epidemic taken seriously. I wrote a letter to the gay newspaper and some guy wrote in, "Oh there goes Ned Weeks again; he wants us all to die so he can say told you so."
BEN. He sounds like a crazy. (Kramer, 1985: 43-45)
The dialogue above is between Ned and Ben who are brothers. In this
scene, Ben already give Ned financial support that Ned needs. Ben is a lawyer in a
big firm which implies also that he has a lot of money. Ned eventually ask for Ben
aid in fighting HIV/AIDS and run Gay Men Health Crisis. From the dialogue
above, Ben already give Ned and the organization a sufficient amount of financial
support. This scene, Ned tried to ask Ben for his support by using his name as an
honorary board member in GMHC. Ben refuses and implies that he does not want
anything to do with Gay men problems and illness. From social background, Ben
is a heterosexual with a family consist of a wife and two children. The labeling of
homosexual is the base of action in Ben‘s part. In the late 1970s, the majority
people is still shocked on how many gay people that are opened. These gay men
and women who opened their sexuality to the world also affect their relation with
and opted to see it as a disease that need to be treated. This scene is stated that
Ben and his family took Ned to therapy a couple of time more than Ned should in
his lifetime. It is later stated in this scene that Ben still has trouble in accepting
Ned, not as his brother, but as his Gay brother. Ben condition is also a reflection
of the society at that time. Younger people who are not closeted anymore usually
from the age of seventeen up to the early twenty years old are not accepted
BEN. Look, I try to understand. I read stuff. [picking up a copy of Newsweek, with "Gay America" on the cover] I open magazines and I see pictures of you guys in leather and chains and whips and black masks, with captions saying this is a social worker, this is a computer analyst, this is a schoolteacher—and I say to myself, "This isn't Ned."
NED. No, it isn't. It isn't most of us. You know the
media always dramatizes the most extreme. Do you think we all wear dresses, too?
BEN. Don't you?
NED. Me, personally? No, I do not. (Kramer, 1985: 46)
It is clear that at this point how gay men‘s crisis on this epidemic shows a
potential to be an international trouble. There is also another problem that Gay
men have, which is the image problem. The image of gay men in public is only
not a hundred percent correct or wrong. How image can be achieved from mass
media and other communication form. Ben choose to recognize the sexually
openness and active of Gay men from Newsweek, a weekly magazine from
America established in 1933.
NED. In some place deep inside of you you still think I'm sick. Isn't that right? Okay. Define it for me. What do you mean by "sick"? Sick unhealthy? Sick perverted? Sick I'll get over it? Sick to be locked up?
BEN. I think you've adjusted to life quite well.
NED. All things considered? [BEN nods.] In the only area I consider important I don't have your support at all. The single-minded determination of all you people to forever see us as sick helps keep us sick.
BEN. I saw how unhappy you were!
NED. SO were you! You wound up going to shrinks, too. We grew up side by side. We both felt pretty much the same about Mom and Pop. I refuse to accept for one more second that I was damaged by our childhood while you were not.
BEN. But we all don't react the same way to the same thing.
NED. That's right. So I became a writer and you became a lawyer. I'll agree to the fact that I have any
number of awful character traits. But not to the factthat whatever they did to us as kids automatically made me sick and gay while you stayed straight and healthy. (Kramer, 1985: 45-46)
The above text is the proof on how there are many people becomes the
victim to this unknown disease (AIDS). How the government of the United States
of America uses this course of action can be referred as an act of queer theory on
heteronormativity. In 1981, the New York City government claimed that they
were not prepared to deal with this health emergency, as the city just recovered
from the fiscal crisis of the 1970s when Mayor Ed Koch took office. The direct
cover its deficits in the early 1970s. At the beginning of the epidemic there was no
funding from neither federal or city government. Many the people in the USA are
still in the phase of accepting these homosexual as one of their own part of the
society and the other are denies homosexual existence. Although the Gay
Community has made a few steps in dealing with this national pandemic, there are
still struggles regarding homosexual around the country at these times. Most of
the homosexual in the big cities such in New York, Los Angeles, etc. Are already
‗open‘, but there are still many homosexuals who are ‗closeted‘.
NED. You mean the word gay is on the envelope?
BRUCE. You‘re damn right. Instead of just the initials.
Who did it?
NED. Well, maybe it was Pierre who designed it.
Maybe it was a mistake at the printers. But it is the name we chose for this organization…
BRUCE. You chose. I didn't want "gay" in it. MICKEY. No, we all voted. That was one of those
meetings when somebody actually showed up. BRUCE. We can't send them out.
NED. We have to if we want anybody to come to the dance. They were late from the printers as it is.
BRUCE. We can go through and scratch out the word with a Magic Marker. NED. Ten thousand times? Look, I feel sympathy for young guys still living at
home on Long Island with their parents, but most men getting these. . . Look
at you, in your case what difference does it make? You live alone, you own
your own apartment, your mother lives in another state… (Kramer, 1985: 47)
From Bruce‘s testament above, who is a closeted homosexual, the fear of
heteronormativity can be felt even by gay movement board of directors. The
experience opening their true self (sexuality) to the world while the world is still
labeling them as ‗not normal‘. The fear of closeted homosexual also can influence
the settlement of AIDS epidemic. It is still an inconvenient situation to closeted
homosexual, especially Bruce Niles. He wants the government to help the
homosexual, but in the same time, he also wants to keep his low-profile sexuality
to a minimum which is almost an impossible task to do as the head of the Gay
men organization. The existence of homosexual men and their own denial as
homosexual in the eye of society causes a great deal of disunity among
themselves.
The social depictions above can be detected by applying the labeling
theory. Gay men can create a shift of their social interaction. The shift implies that
labeling theory can create layers in the society. If one chooses a heterosexual
partner as their sexual attraction, the society claims it as normal and convergence.
The other way around goes to homosexual. If one chooses a homosexual partner
as their main/or one of their sexual attraction, automatically the society will label
them as a divergence and abnormal social behavior. This abnormal behavior
according to the majority people can cause them to be mentally different and in
most circumstances tend to move to a group of the same sexual orientation
(Goffman, 1963: 81). One of the reason why gay men are very open to one
another which most of them are, is because of the safety from the ‗wrongdoings‘
of most people around them.
B. The Rejection of the Disease by New York City Citizen in The Normal
