“
Sexuality is a spectrum.”
I’m sure you’ve heard this
sentiment
many
times
before, as it’s become the poster
slogan for a progressive view on
what it means to be queer. As
younger populations continue
to explore queerness, our pre-
established binary definitions
of attraction begin to blend
into a continuum of different
levels of sexual, romantic and
gendered attraction.
As Generation Z (Gen Z)
becomes more accepting and
open to these identities, we
implicitly hold expectations for
what a person of each sexual
identity should look and act
like, which often align with
how masculine and feminine
we believe a person should be.
Society expects a gay man to
be feminine, a lesbian women
to be masculine and a bisexual,
pansexual or queer person to be
somewhere right in the middle.
Consequently, the vice versa of
this is true, where we assume
feminine men and masculine
women must fall in to their
implied queer identities.
Notably,
many
of
our
expectations around queerness
still
revolve
around
the
pre-concieved
notion
that
everyone must be attracted
to men. Bisexual women in
relationships with men are
assumed to be straight and
in search of attention, and
therefore are less comfortable
coming out. On the other hand,
bisexual men are assumed to
be gay and too afraid to admit
it. The inherent assumption
that
all
people
must
be
attracted to men stems from
the androcentric structure of
society and its incessant need
for men to be idolized. Even
male heterosexuality revolves
around a constant need to
“perform,”
for,
or
compete
with, other men. In the same
way a high body count (a more
recent phrase for number of
sexual partners) is villainized
in women, it becomes a token
that men will use to compete
with their friends. For women,
decisions such as choosing
to wear makeup or revealing
clothing are assumed to be for
the purpose of male attention,
while liking things such as
sports and cars have been
recently deemed “pick me”
activities, a new phrase used to
describe situations where girls
use more historically masculine
interests to get attention from
guys.
Young women being accused
of hopping on the “bisexuality
trend”
for
attention
is
a
continuation of the expectation
that anything women do is for
men. “Alt girls” (or alternative
girls) became a trend on TikTok
in 2020, where mainly bisexual
women
would
wear
darker
makeup and unique clothing.
As people drew correlation
between
“alt
girls”
and
bisexual girls, the trend-like
nature of the former creates an
association between bisexuality
and trends. If men do validate a
feminine presenting bisexual or
lesbian, it’s often in the context
of sexualization, such as in
porn. Queer women are mainly
represented in a sexual context
in media, harming the overall
image of queer and bisexual
women, and minimizing it to
sex.
People will justify their claim
that bisexuality is a “trend” by
discussing how a large number
of
youth,
especially
young
women, all began to come out
at around the same time. From
2015-2019, the number of non-
straight
identifying
15-
to
17-year-olds grew from 8.3%
to 11.7%; for girls, this number
went from 12.2% to 17.8%,
approximately a 46% increase.
This rise has led many adults,
straight youth and even queer
youth to question how valid the
newest members of the bisexual
community
are.
What
this
line of questioning threatens,
however, is the comfort people
find in having a community. A
2022 poll from Gallup showed
that 62% of respondents were
somewhat or very satisfied
with how lesbians and gays are
accepted in the U.S., up from
55% in 2021. More people aren’t
“becoming”
queer,
they’re
instead finding the bravery and
communities they need to feel
safe coming out.
Despite
the
increase
in
progressive
thought
surrounding queerness within
our society, the conflict between
the
androcentric
structure
and the rise in population of
LGBTQ+ youth leaves the queer
community,
and
specifically
the bisexual and pansexual
communities, with the need to
“prove” their sexuality. When
I originally came to terms with
my own bisexuality, I knew I
wouldn’t come out until I was
dating a girl. As a feminine-
presenting girl who had only
been
romantically
involved
with men in the past, I felt as
though my sexuality wouldn’t
be taken seriously unless I had
something to show for it. Even
now, as I discuss my sexuality
with others, it has become
compulsory to me to include
the fact that I had a girlfriend
in the past, in order to provide a
sort of ethos within the subject
of sexuality.
However, as I’ve developed
more
relationships
with
women, my friends make little
quips of “I feel like you’re
actually just a lesbian.” In
response, I’ve felt pressured
to reign in my attraction to
women
and
develop
more
relationships with men in order
to prove and authenticate my
sexuality. Many of my sexual
and romantic decisions since
coming out have been dictated
by society’s view of the validity
of my sexuality, instead of
being driven by the freedom to
simply be attracted to who I’m
attracted to.
The
future
of
sexuality
and the queer identity as a
whole requires us to remove
expectations. Being queer is not
a personality trait, as there is no
one personality that aligns with
queerness or any queer identity.
Instead, it is a part of one’s
identity that can present itself in
any way. We have to continue to
push for nuanced concepts in the
conversation on sexuality, such
as bisexual men or women who
come out and continue to date
members of the opposite gender,
or bisexual men and women
who “seem straight” due to their
hobbies, history or personality.
The entire point of coming out
as bisexual is to finally have the
freedom to explore whatever
relationships you want, and
we have to stop limiting that
freedom simply because we
have certain expectations of
what bisexuality looks like.
T
he Michigan winter.
It’s a phenomenon I
had grown tired of
hearing about in the weeks
leading up to my first semester
at the University. It was always
the first thing my friends and
relatives in India asked me
about when I mentioned this
school, because even halfway
across the world, tales of the
Midwest winter are common
knowledge.
Although
it
annoyed me, I understood
their concern. How was a
boy who has lived all his life
in a city that has never seen
snow going to survive in Ann
Arbor? I was afraid, but I
always comforted myself with
one thought: how bad could it
possibly be?
It
was
bad.
The
first
discovery, which came as a
massive
surprise,
was
the
approximate time period of
this “winter.” I had asked
around, and most people said
that it gets really cold by
December and stays that way
until February. What I did not
realize, however, is that “really
cold” is a relative concept. As
early as October, my resolve
started to crumble. The lower
temperatures
coupled
with
seemingly unyielding winds
made for a duo that I was not
prepared for. After less than
a week, I considered opening
up my collection of winter
clothes. That was when I made
my second discovery.
The
cold
might
be
unbearable, but it’s your ego
that kills you. I had promised
myself very early that if other
people were not wearing a
winter
jacket,
I
wouldn’t
either. If people were walking
out of Starbucks or M-36
holding a cup of coffee with
their bare hands, I would not
be wearing any gloves either.
My goal was to not put on a
single piece of winter clothing
until the first of November.
I succeeded, but at great
personal cost. On every walk
to the Michigan Union and
every bike ride across the Diag,
I remember being unable to
feel my hands and desperately
trying to cover up every inch
of my body to prevent any wind
from reaching it. Every step in
the freezing cold of Ann Arbor
was a reminder of the worried
look on my parents’ faces
when I said I wanted to go
to Michigan and that I’d deal
with the cold. The addition of
a thick winter jacket and boots
to my set of winter clothes
helped, but it couldn’t keep
up with the rapidly falling
temperatures.
Over the last week, as we
collectively felt the mercy
of the weather gods (albeit
only temporarily, it seems)
I thought back to the peak
winter months and felt a sense
of victory. I had, for the most
part, made it through my
first
winter.
Nevertheless,
I couldn’t deny the effect
weeks of cloudy skies and
shorter days had had on me.
From a very young age, we are
surrounded by the idea that
winter is associated with more
negative themes — sadness,
loneliness and sometimes even
death. Recurring themes in
poems I was taught during my
middle school and high school
years — even the greats often
resorted to this archetype. It
is also an idea many echo when
they speak of the adverse
effects colder weather have
on college students, and to a
certain extent, I agree with
this sentiment.
From
being
unable
to
play outdoor sports to being
discouraged
from
leaving
the house at all, the harsh
winters
of
Michigan
did
curb some of my happiness.
I began to notice that on the
rare occasions when we had
a warmer day, I would see
a drastic upturn in not only
my mood, but the entire vibe
on campus. This past week
has been a testament to that.
In what couldn’t have been
a better buildup to the St.
Patrick’s
day
celebrations,
seeing people in shorts and
t-shirts, gathering in masses
at Elbel Field or the Diag, was
a sight for sore eyes. It might
not be spring yet, but it feels
like the first few weeks of
the fall semester, which were
some of my most memorable
on this campus. That being
said, I firmly believe that the
Michigan winter is part of the
experience. It is a part of the
lore of this great school and
if nothing else, it has given
me a newfound appreciation
for the sun. I might not have
known it before, but boy, oh
boy do I love the sun.
That is, of course, until
I’m back in India for summer
break and wishing that I was
sipping some hot chocolate in
snowy Ann Arbor.
A
n
unavoidable
consequence
of
the
war in Ukraine will be
shifting energy supply chains
globally.
European
Union
member
states
dependent
on Russian oil have already
voiced a strong desire to
establish
better
energy
security. In the short-term,
that
will
require
burning
greater quantities of fossil
fuels. European consumption
of imported natural gas and
coal are expected to increase
as EU imports of Russian
oil are slowly phased out
by 2027. In the long-term,
however, the EU has indicated
that renewable energy will
fuel energy security on the
Continent.
America’s relationship to
Russian oil is less precarious
than that of our neighbors
across
the
Atlantic.
The
war has caused gas prices
to skyrocket — which often
harms low income Americans
the most — but has not
endangered
our
long-term
energy
supply.
We
only
imported 8% of our crude
oil from Russia in the year
preceding Biden’s import ban
and, furthermore, we are net
exporters of energy. Even
so, the U.S. attitude toward
action
abroad
for
greater
renewable
energy
should
not be indifference. America
ought to seriously evaluate
whether we are on track to
successfully
transition
to
renewable energy alongside
the rest of the world.
Aggressive
climate
policy is a top priority for
the
Biden
administration.
Last year, President Biden
announced a plan to decrease
emissions by 50% (from 2005
levels) by 2030. To achieve
this
ambitious
goal,
rapid
investment
in
solar,
wind
and other renewables will
be necessary on a massive
scale.
At
the
same
time,
Biden’s industrial policy —
protecting American industry
from
foreign
competitors
and
bringing
industrial
plants back to America — has
the
potential
to
frustrate
his climate goals if it is not
executed strategically.
Policy decisions affecting
the
solar
power
industry
illustrate the tension between
the interests of labor and
swift climate policy. President
Biden wants a rapid shift
to clean energy, but at the
same time wants American
solar manufacturers to play
a major role in that shift. To
demonstrate his commitment
to
American
labor,
Biden
extended
and
amplified
Trump-era “Buy American”
economic policies aimed at
protecting
manufacturing
jobs, including jobs in the
solar
power
industry.
In
practice, that has meant the
continuation of tariffs levied
on solar panel components
imported from China.
Because
Chinese
polysilicon,
a
major
component of solar panels, is
much cheaper, tariffs imposed
on Chinese imports lead to
increased
costs
for
firms
installing solar panel fields
and slow down the pace of
increasing
America’s
solar
power capacity. Because of
this complication, tariffs of
this nature are generally not
popular among economists.
However, President Biden’s
(and Trump’s) concern about
the economic well-being of
manufacturing workers is not
misplaced, only misdirected.
Advocates of the transition
to solar tend to make the
argument that because the
burgeoning
industry
will
create jobs, those working
in fossil fuels stand to lose
nothing
in
the
transition.
Though the “more jobs” claim
is correct, the second — and
arguably more important —
claim that solar jobs are just
as good is not.
The American Federation
of Labor and Congress of
Industrial
Organizations,
or AFL-CIO, a prominent
U.S. labor union, came out
against
the
Green
New
Deal when it was pitched in
2019. Although other unions
supported the bill, AFL-CIO’s
leader,
Richard
Trumka,
was concerned about what
the
legislation
as
written
would do to the livelihoods of
fossil fuel workers. Evidence
suggests
his
worry
was
warranted.
Currently,
the
average
compensation
for
California fossil fuel workers
is
$130,000
(including
benefits),
while
the
same
figure
for
solar
power
workers is roughly $86,000.
Comparing wages across these
industries nationally tells a
similar story, with oil workers
making roughly $27 for every
hour worked, compared to
an average $24 an hour wage
for solar workers. Without
labor laws that strengthen
the position of labor unions
in the clean energy industry,
a hasty transition to solar
energy would give hundreds
of thousands of workers an
effective pay cut.
Opening up trade with China
is essential to the future of
American renewable energy.
China has long been dominant
in the race to produce solar
power; continuing to protect
American solar manufacturers
is a noble, though idealistic,
project. Even so, the Biden
administration must work to
ensure that the interests of the
new generation of workers in
the clean energy industry are
not ignored by providing the
legal backing necessary for
unionization. The transition
to green energy will not be
painless, but it is inevitable.
Striking
a
better
balance
between rapid development
and fair labor conditions must
become part of that transition.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Opinion
Wednesday, March 30, 2022 — 9
Solar power, unions and the need for a
new clean energy paradigm
ALEX YEE
Opinion Columnist
Design by Anya Singh, Opinion Cartoonist
Our crumbling world
The snow and the sun:
My first Michigan winter
RUSHABH SHAH
Opinion Columnist
Stop asking bisexuals to prove their identity
CLAUDIA FLYNN
Opinion Columnist
believe that
the Michigan