In present day America, we are seeing an increasing number in the amount of gays and lesbian people. This has led to an overwhelming amount of homophobic feelings in society, which further leads to violent crimes. Warren J. Blumenfeld and Diane Raymond take an in depth look at this societal issue in their essay, “Homophobia and Heterosexism.” This essay takes a look at how heterosexism has caused homosexuals to struggle in expressing their sexual identity. Blumenfeld and Raymond support their thesis that homosexuals face a great deal of hate due to heterosexism through the use of description, allusion, and anecdotes.
             Blumenfeld and Raymond successfully use the rhetorical strategy of description to show how homosexuals are often faced with a high level of conflict when society discovers their sexual identity. Blumenfeld states, “Direct violence against lesbians and gays is a nationwide phenomenon.” This statement clearly supports the thesis by showing the level that this violence has risen to in the past few years. It has now become a nationwide phenomenon, and deserves to be addressed. Blumenfeld goes on to say, “Direct violence is simply the most visible means by which homophobia is expressed.” The use of description in this statement lets the reader know that homophobic views are generally related to violence. The use of this rhetorical strategy supports the thesis by showing how heterosexual people, who are homophobic, must act out in violent ways in order to feel content. Blumenfeld also uses description in the statement, “Having little protecti!
             on under the law, gays are often the target of police entrapment and harassment through periodic raids on their bars and other social meeting places; frequently police respond slowly to a request for aid from a gay person and often refuse to respond at all.” This statement helps support t
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