Geography
In each case, what are the symbols of Irishness and Englishness?
The symbols of Irishness according to the Irish-Americans who organized the parade in Boston included heterosexuality. Their definition of their "nation" did not include those with alternate sexualities. This may have been reinforced by the strong Catholic ties in the group. In the case of Blacks in the English countryside, the Black woman feels accepted as "English" when she accepts the "sense of place" from the larger society that she belongs in urban areas but not in the overwhelmingly White countryside.
Whom did you feel sympathy for in each case? Why?
I felt sympathy for both groups. Those who organized the parade were blind to the gays and bisexuals among them, and for whatever reason, alternate sexualities just weren't part of what they thought of when they thought of "Irish." But at the same time, it's hard to imagine that the gays and bisexuals should have to give up their cultural identity because of one aspect of their lives. In the case of the English, my sympathies are entirely with the Black woman: how can one Black woman threaten national beliefs? Is she so different just because she's Black? It seems to me that being gay brings far more differences along with theological problems. At least on the surface, there's a class between the subgroup...
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