quotes I'm choosing (2-4):

Appearances by Carmen Vazquez
"Men who are not pursuing sexual conquests of women at every available opportunity, who disdain sports, who choose to stay at home and be a house-husband, who are employed as hairdressers, designers, or house cleaners, or who dressin any way remotely resembling traditional female attire, are very likely to experience the taunts and sometimes the brutality of ' bashing.'"

"I would add that men look like all men and all men look like men. There is no guaranteed method for identifying sexual orientation."

"Mickey pulled off his wash-faded black denim jacket and wrapped it around his waist. An iridescent blue tank top hung easy on his shoulders. Micky steered his girlfriend onto the dance floor."

Becoming Members of Society by Holly Devor

"People are believed to be unable to change genders without sex change surgery, and those who do change sex are considered to be both disturbed and exceedingly rare."

I have to do a research paper later on Gender roles and Disney movies, so I want to save that other topic (such as men's traditional roles now taken on by women and vice versa) for that one.

I want my paper to be about how over the years society has changed a great deal as gender roles, gender identity, how people dress and what not. And even though people may seem or look like a homesexual, it is not always the case. Americans need to realize that every person is a human and no matter what they are on the outside, we are all the same on the inside. People cannot judge someone's sexual orientation by how they look or how they dress, because "all men look like all men and all men look like men."

I would like to my introduction my topic on how children are taught to dress and act like their own genders. and then my first supporting paragraph will talk about the difference between gender (sexes), gender roles, and gender identities and quote "people are believed to be unable to change genders without sex change surgery, and those who do change sex are considered to be both disturbed and exceedingly rare."

my second supporting paragraph may talk about how homosexuals dress, that even though they may dress a certain way or act a certain way, it does not mean that they are .

and the third maybe talking about the dangers and violence (-bashing) of homesexuals and even innocent people who are perceived as but are not .

And then conclusion. It will be a 3-4 pg paper.

Is this more of a specific topic?
I might still need to narrow down the argument a bit.

I think you need to find a different topic. This is just too emotionally charged, IMO, for any student to write about -- it's too subjective (and almost ephemeral). You'll be trying to argue points that simply cannot be made. Or you'll be writing such generalities that it will be next to meaningless.

I did not allow any of my students to take on any of these emotionally charged topics, and my advice to you is to find a topic that is far more factual to deal with.

PS -- I think your premise is off. You wrote, "I want my paper to be about how over the years society has changed a great deal as gender roles, gender identity, how people dress and what not." I don't believe this is true. Too many young people in today's society think all aspects of our culture weren't around in the 1900s, 1800s, 1700s, etc. Think again!! And do some research.

I agree with Writeacher.

If you want to research something about clothing and culture, you might try researching the history of women wearing pants.

http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS342&q=women+pants+history&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

My mother (born in 1905) was in the generation of women to first wear pants. Yet her mother would never wear them, even when gardening. It wasn't until the 70s, I believe, that girls were allowed to wear pants to school, except on the coldest days of Michigan winter. It was about that time that a local restaurant/bar made the news because it wouldn't permit a woman wearing a tunic and pants into it. She simply took off the pants and went in without them.

But I'm not in High School, I'm in college and my professor encourages to write about anything we feel. These are the stories we are reading about this week and she wants our essays to be related to the stories somehow. Our discussion last class period was all about how people in today's society dress. How men may be perceived as but it might not be the case. How some men shave, wear pink, wear accessories, do their hair, take ballet, work as a hair dresser, but it does not mean that they are a homosexual.

The textbook we are reading this semester is Rereading America and the Topic this week is True Women and Real Men: Myths of Gender, which I believe covers 11 stories which includes the two that I'm quoting from above.

Should I be in a different category since I'm in college level English? maybe I'm in the wrong place if it is too emotional? which part? the -bashing?

And I really thought that society has changed over the decades, as far as gender roles and how we dress and what not. People weren't so open with their sexuality as they are today, and people didn't dress back then as they do today. So I'm really not sure what you mean by:

Too many young people in today's society think all aspects of our culture weren't around in the 1900s, 1800s, 1700s, etc. Think again!! And do some research.

I'm aware it was not around. So doesn't that mean it changed throughout history? I don't understand that part.

My intentions was to write an essay that is related to the stories we were assigned for the week. It just makes it that much easier for me plus this is not a research paper. We have to stick to stories we have discussed in class to support our essay and must quote from them. There is no rule to what we are not allowed to write about as far as violence, race, religion, it all about opinion and argument and what the write believes in.

Let me know if I'm in the wrong category or if I'm even allowed to be on this site for help. Thanks.

Your topic of exploring how society has changed in terms of gender roles, gender identity, and appearances is indeed specific, but it could benefit from further narrowing down the argument to make it more focused and manageable for a 3-4 page paper. Here's a suggestion for refining your argument:

Introduction:
- Start with a general introduction to the topic of how society's perception of gender roles and appearances has evolved over the years.
- Discuss the influence of childhood socialization in teaching children to conform to traditional gender norms in terms of dressing and behaving.
- Introduce the idea that judging someone's sexual orientation based on appearances is not accurate or fair.

Supporting paragraph 1:
- Focus on discussing the difference between gender (sexes), gender roles, and gender identities.
- Quote: "People are believed to be unable to change genders without sex change surgery, and those who do change sex are considered to be both disturbed and exceedingly rare."
- Explore the societal stigma and misunderstanding surrounding gender identity and transgender individuals.
- Discuss the importance of recognizing and respecting diverse gender identities.

Supporting paragraph 2:
- Discuss the issue of stereotyping based on appearances, particularly pertaining to how homosexuals may dress.
- Quote: "All men look like all men and all men look like men."
- Explore common stereotypes and misconceptions about LGBTQ+ individuals and their appearances.
- Emphasize the need to avoid making assumptions about someone's sexual orientation based on their appearance or behavior.

Supporting paragraph 3:
- Discuss the dangers and violence faced by LGBTQ+ individuals, including "-bashing."
- Highlight the harm caused by assumptions and prejudices based on appearances, leading to discrimination and violence.
- Include examples or statistics to illustrate the prevalence and impact of hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community.
- Emphasize the importance of promoting acceptance and combating discrimination.

Conclusion:
- Summarize the main points discussed in the paper, highlighting the changing perceptions of gender roles, appearances, and sexual orientation.
- Restate the importance of not judging individuals based on appearances or stereotypes.
- Conclude with a call to action for fostering greater acceptance, understanding, and respect for diverse identities and appearances in society.

By narrowing down your argument and focusing on specific aspects of the topic, your research paper will have a clearer structure and more impactful message within the given page limit.