Tag Archives: lgbt

Duck Dynasty

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On the Duck Dynasty issue: The comments which are most glaring from #PhilRobertson’s interview are these:

“Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men,” he tells reporter Drew Magary. “Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers—they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.” Only to then equivocate: “However, I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me. We are all created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all of humanity. We would all be better off if we loved God and loved each other.”

After bullshitting the interviewer and the readers on sexuality with his ill-informed beliefs, his respect isn’t worth anything until he actually attempts to expose himself to real gay/lesbian people and families, including the married, the poor, the rural, the artistic, the shunned. The onus is on him to mop up his assumptions. He can be invited to an LGBT town hall, or to an LGBT community center like LGBT Community Center of New Orleans, or to an LGBT-affirmative religious center like Metropolitan Community Church of New Orleans. He can actually *talk* to real live openly-LGBT people explain themselves, their lives and their loves! Shocking, ain’t it?

But that’s just leading the horse to the water. It’s up to him whether he wants to *understand* those who he just compared to animal abusers and terrorists, and not just “respect” them. He owes that, first and foremost, to his own employment at A&E, and owes it ephemerally to his show’s viewers. He can at least use that A&E money to seek to understand LGBT people. Respect does not happen without understanding.

Interview by Daniel Landreth regarding Equality

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This interview was conducted by Daniel Landreth for The Macon Statement, March 16, 2012.

1. What do you think the major issues of inequality are and what do you see in the future if inequality isn’t resolved?

The major issues of inequality are the following:

  • Lack of protection against anti-gay discriminatory behavior by co-workers and superiors in the workplace.
  • Lack of protection against anti-gay bias-motivated violence and intimidation.
  • Lack of robust pubilc education in favor of welcoming and affirming peers of all orientations and gender identities or expressions and against intimidatory rhetoric or behavior.
  • Lack of legal and institutional recognition for domestic relationships (including marriage, civil unions, domestic partnerships) for gay couples.
  • Lack of institutional provision and accomodation for LGBT people and relationships.
  • Lack of presence, clout or positive imagery for LGBT people in local telecommunications channels.

What I see as the future of any polity if such inequalities are not rectified is the continued intimidation of people of differing sexual orientations and gender expressions into silence and closeted darkness. I also see us staying in a state of ignorance or malice against LGBT people and relationships because of the lack of equality and equal treatment. I see LGBT people continuing to be demonized, dehumanized, dispossessed, ostracized and destroyed by their peers and authority figures because their sexual orientation or gender expression are misrepresented as “bad”, “loathsome”, “evil” aspects.

2. What government policies/programs affect the ability to resolve this problem?

The government, as the institution charged with the defense of its citizens and institutions from uninvited, massively-impactful dangers, is the top institution of power to look in regards to why any legal inequality exists. Right now in Georgia, there is no state-level hate crime law to more closely regulate crimes motivated by malicious hatred against sexual orientation or gender expression. In Georgia, there is no state-level recognition or protection for relationships between two people of the same sex; in Georgia, there is no legal protection from discrimination or firing by public or private employers on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The state government practically pales in comparison to the protections being afforded in many states throughout this country: even Texas, the one of the largest states in the Union, has a hate crimes law which covers sexual orientation.

This inactivity towards protections for LGBT people has the effect of relegating LGBT people to second-class citizenship in the native state of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who fought against such in his lifetime for both African Americans and for low-income laborers.

Furthermore, pandering to reactive political movements which dehumanize and illegitimize whole swaths of the population as “freaks” who do not deserve so-called “special rights” does no one, not even the participants in such campaigns, any long-term good. The so-called “defense of marriage” amendment which restricted marriage to heterosexual couples in Georgia and many other states does no one, not even those who back such amendments, any good by forcing the government to remain legally oblivious and ignorant to close, mutual relationships between two persons who simply happen to be of the same gender. Such amendments are anti-marriage and anti-human, and fly in the face of the science which affirms and supports the humanity of LGBT people both in our neighborhoods and all around the world.

3. What could we as a society do to help?

We, as a society, can help toward recitifying inequality by reconsidering our past thinking and rhetoric about homosexuality, bisexuality, transgender people. We can at least begin building social groups of solidarity and affirmation around our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender family members, peers, neighbors and service custodians, as well as their mutual, consensual relationships. We can do such in our homes, our workplaces, our places of worship or reverence, our schools, our political chambers, our social and political gatherings, and so on.

We can also speak up for equality when we know that other rhetoric is being directed against LGBT people. We can also press our lawmakers for laws which affirm and dignify LGBT people and relationships. We can even press people in positions of influence to change their assumptions or rhetoric about LGBT people until they realize that sexual orientation is not a choice, a fetish or a preference, but an immutable characteristic which is not a bad or avoidable thing.

Frankly, if one feels that equality and equal treatment for all people are good things to embrace, it is no longer enough to say that we know gay people or have gay friends or coworkers. We actually have to be there for our LGBT citizens and act when they are in danger.

4. How does inequality affect families?

Inequality affects families in not only their treatment of their LGBT members, but also affects whatever positive developments or rhetoric that could occur between members. Family members who are not knowledgeable of what equality can be for LGBT people can give off wrong, incorrect or downright-terrible information to their younger or older peers, miscoloring their worldview and affecting how they treat openly-LGBT, closeted or simply non-conformative people both inside and outside of their families. Such can have a snowball effect of rolling from a simple naivete and ignorance to a full-blown malice against “fags”, “faggots”, “homos”, “queers”, “freaks” and others.

For families who consist of at least one same-sex couple, such misinformation ultimately snowballs into their relationships by affecting the confidence and integrity of the relationship, the treatment of their children at school, the treatment at the hands of neighbors and landlords, the treatment at the hands and mouths of other family members, and so on.

5. How have people who support equality of the LGBT community been affected?

Inequality provides a disappointment for supporters of LGBT equality. The lack of equality means that our society will continue to lack grace and dignity for our citizens, that our society will continue to ignore the plight of those who do not fit within antiquated, inadequate and diversity-averse molds. Such molds do not address the long, lurid and ghastly history of treatment of LGBT people by our government, our institutions of power or influence or our channels of conversation. Inequality also makes for the frustrating statistics of deprivation and despair of LGBT people in our society, aspects which taint and miscolor our society as being anti-freedom, anti-liberty, anti-empathy, and anti-human. Such views are not what we who support equality for American LGBT citizens should project or allow to be projected without a challenge.

But, at the same time, inequality also provides a continuing opportunity for advocates and supporters of equality to push even harder and reach even farther and wider for support. Inequality provides advocates and supporters the opportunity to expand their vocabulary and reclaim the language for hope and equality rather than shame or inequality.

Ultimately, inequality or the threat of inequality, once recognized, is the only reason for any civil rights movement to exist. When equality prevails, the whole society benefits, and the civil rights movement can either stay on as a vanguard for the gains of equality in the years ahead, or can expand to other long-running civil rights issues, or both. The movement for equality did not start nor end with women’s rights, it did not start nor end with ethnic minority rights, and it did not start nor will it end with LGBT civil rights. These aspects of equality affect us all both now and in the future, no matter who we are, and we and our children will be better off when equality is accomplished and enshrined as the norm of everyday living.

Answers to questions on the Middle Georgia State College Gay-Straight Alliance

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This interview was conducted by Andrew Willis for The Statement, February 24, 2013.

1. What is the general purpose of the GSA?

The purpose of the Gay-Straight Alliance is to be a safe space of discussion and support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning individuals. We say that “Yes, it’s OK to be gay, and who you love or what gender you identify as does not affect the content of your character.”

2. Do you have to be gay to be in the GSA?

No, it is open and welcoming for straight, transgender and bisexual individuals to join and participate, and we encourage straight students to do so. However, it is expected by myself and our organization that our discussions and actions will be affirming and welcoming of both same-sex and opposite-sex sexuality as well as gender non-conformity. We will support, not condemn, your sexual orientation or gender identity.

3. How would you describe the GSA’s involvement in MGSC? (What events have you put on in the past? Do you have any plans for the near future?)

Members have engaged in advocacy both on and off campus. In the past, our members have protested against anti-gay hate speech in our student newspaper, participated at protests against so-called “reparative” or “ex-gay” therapy as advocated by various misguided religious institutions, advocating before the Bibb County School Board for safer schools and, as done in February 2012 by our former president Amanda Studebaker last year, advocated before the General Assembly in Atlanta for the Georgia Fair Employment Practices Bill (HB 630), a bill which would outlaw employment discrimination against state government workers on the basis of sexual orientation. Our GSA actively supports its passage into law, and members signed letters to our representatives calling for its passage.

In addition to regular meetings, where we discuss news, personal experiences, history and activism, we have held an LGBT Movie Night in the Residence Life Game Room, a welcoming event for a cross-state bike ride ridden by members of Georgia Equality (a civil rights advocacy organization from Atlanta), a trip to the LGBTQ and Allies Conference at Georgia Southern University in November 2012, and a “NOH8” protest against anti-gay bullying during the “Day of Silence” on April 19. In the future, we will hold another Movie Night and more events, and we invite ideas for more LGBT-inclusive events and activities on our campuses. We hope to extend this in the future to Warner Robins, Cochran and other campuses.

4. How would somebody get involved with the GSA at MGSC?

I would suggest coming to one of our meetings, usually on the Macon campus, in order to get a feel for what we discuss. But since the Macon and Warner Robins campuses have a history as commuter-friendly campuses, we also encourage people to get into contact with us on Facebook, Google+, and by email at mscgsa@googlegroups.com. For personal, one-on-one inquiries, I can also be contacted by personal email at harry.underwood1987@gmail, and our advisor Dr. Sheree Keith can be reached at sheree.keith@maconstate.edu. We invite honest, good-mannered questions and messages of support.

Also, could I get your major and age for the article? And just to clarify, what is the title of your position in the GSA? Thanks again for answering these questions!

My name is Harry Underwood, I’m a senior majoring in New Media and Communications (NMAC) and pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Science, and I’m the president of the GSA since Fall 2011. I will be graduating this semester.

Thank you for your questions!

Citations:

http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/government/2012-02-22/ga-house-panel-kills-sexual-preference-jobs-bill

Critique on “Becoming a Woman Through Wicca: Witches and Wiccans in Contemporary Teen Fiction”

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Harry Underwood

Journal Article Critique 2

COMM 3010

4/6/2013

 

Jarvis, C. (2008), Becoming a Woman Through Wicca: Witches and Wiccans in Contemporary Teen Fiction. Children’s Literature in Education, 39: pp. 43–52. doi:10.1007/s10583-007-9058-0

 

Summary

Religion, spirituality and ethics have all held a large role in both human self-perception and interpersonal relations throughout much of human history, especially for classes such as gender and sexual orientation. One religion, Wicca, has been notably differentiated from this history by its long-standing embrace of the “witch” as a foundational, individualized participant in the religion, its organizational default to individual or small-group observance, its lack of any central work of scripture, and its semi-amorphic adaptation to backgrounds and ideals as diverse as the witches who observe it. The history of the “craft” during the social upheavals and reforms of the 20th century, particularly those which affected women, provides a rich background for its purposing in genre fiction as a plot device. Jarvis’ analysis of Cate Tiernan’s Wicca series, among similar works, is largely an analysis of the series’ impact upon “the intersection between fantasy and the socially and historically grounded portrayal of spiritual/religious experience and practice” for an audience – young adults – who are most impacted by interests, life events and figures who play a role in shaping their future personal identities and worldviews as adults (45).

 

Rationale and theoretical scope

Jarvis intends to use this study to analyze the social value of a genre of teen fiction which presents “witchcraft as a religious choice for human beings”, namely teenagers (43). From the series, Jarvis derives insights into how the series portrays the impact of religion upon or within “the family, learning and self-discipline, and sex and sexuality” (46), which works with the analysis’ theoretical scope of this intersection between gender, identity and religion. She provides a historical background of the Wiccan religion, including its origin in the United Kingdom, its importation to countries like the United States, and its emancipatory relationship with the women’s liberation movement, with female witches creating observances which explicitly shunned the gender stratification which they had seen in Abrahamic religions.

From this point, Jarvis explores the impact of the Wiccan religion upon the characters in the series in the areas of “the family, learning and self-discipline, and sex and sexuality” with summarization of key events in many of the series’ books. The main character, Morgan, develops throughout the series from her role as a daughter of a devout Roman Catholic family to being introduced by a friend to a Wiccan observance to later strains with her family, with her abilities as a practitioner of the craft, and finally with divisive passions among elements of her own Wiccan community, all the while coming into her own as a young woman, an exceptionally-powerful and adept “blood witch” and an autonomous individual who bucks the determinations of others. This evolution, and the periodic comparison of key events in the evolution with cited commentary on the ethics and practice of the Wiccan religion, drive home Jarvis’ theory of the series as a work which redeems, in a utilitarian sense, religion (like Wicca) as a personal and empowering force in human experience, a force which is both ethical and embracing of individuation.

 

Implications

Jarvis further explores how fantasy and romance, major tropes in popular teen fiction, provide the proper “couch” for the presence of religion and personal maturation in the series, as the tropes of fantasy and romance in the novel are heavily “entwined with the theme of religious awakening” (49). Jarvis concludes that Wicca and similar works (such as the character Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Annie from the Circle of Three series), “without imposing the rigid morality and intolerance about other religions, women and sexuality that characterise many religions,” offer readers the fiction-based embrace of a more “liberal”, individuative, feminine-inclusive spirituality and resulting ethical and personal experiences which place the onus of fulfilling the Wiccan Rede – ‘Do what you will an it harm none’ – upon the characters as individuals (51).

 

Evaluation

The arguments made in the analysis are valid in that the numerous examples of key behaviors and statements by the characters are backed with citations of both the book and past writings on the Wiccan religion from both self-identified Wiccans and non-Wiccans. The arguments in the study are also consistent with each other in how they follow the character’s development and connote key stages as being reflective of both Wiccan practice and teenage female life, building to the conclusion of an interconnectivity between the two. The heuristic value of the study is that it provides opportunities for readers and writers to reappraise the intersection between fantastic cognitive constructs, both in religion and in more secular fiction, and real-world ethical observance, and also provides an interpretation of this intersection as one which can liberalize and individuate, rather than cloister and impress, prevalent societal identities and behaviors. The parsimony of the article is that the article’s main communicative theory can be broken down as four axioms: “Religion and spirituality are ethical frameworks for social and cognitive growth”, “Fantasy fiction presents observance of religion, magic and spirituality as integrable with teenage female life,” “Religion can emphasize ‘right behavior’ over ‘right belief,’” and that “Gender diversity and self-empowerment can be affirmed by religious belief and societal behavior.”

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, the analysis by Jarvis makes a solid attempt to engage the broader importance and popularity of religion and fantasy to teen girls. It reviews the history of Wicca and relationship with women’s history, compares the development of the main character of Wicca through life stages which mark her growth in all aspects to the ethical practices most identified in scholarly literature with Wicca, and the utility of fantasy and romance fiction as vehicles for ethical and spiritual tropes. It also pushes strongly for Wicca as both a feminine-inclusive, individuating religion and, as a result, a suitable plot device for engaging the minds of young adult women with advocacy of self-awareness and right behavior. The analysis of Wicca by Jarvis does a suitable job of appraising the series for its social and interpersonal relevance.

 

From a comment I made to Anne:

“If we LGBTs and Allies go, we’re excusing and abetting “business as usual”. If we stay home and boycott, Russia will still go ahead with “business as usual”. Either way LGBT Russians are screwed in some way. Plus, with far-right assholes from churches, think tanks and political parties abroad (including here in the US) who have confederated themselves (or twisted themselves and each other in angry anti-liberal knots) in “pro-family” material and rhetorical defense of the Russian, Ugandan and other anti-LGBT bills, how does one counter this industry and its bitter product? The only thing I can see as effective is forming an “underground railroad” for LGBT Russians and Eastern Europeans.”

I’m not arguing against a civilian boycott of the games. If moralistic and symbolic, it will at least keep people aware of what is going on. But don’t count on it to be effective beyond that, or in the short term. #lgbt #russia #sochi #olympics #ЛГБТ #России

Today is normal and secular, and lives have been made better

LGBT, ,

The request to those who advocated most strenuously for marriage equality to observe magnanimity in “victory” is short-sighted. There was no victory, no score, no feather on a cap. 

Same-sex couples do not exist to “win” anything. They exist out of long-term love and affection, and they exist for that same purpose. 

That gays were made into targets of culture warriors is a major tragedy, albeit not as grievous of an offense as the scapegoating, criminalization, demeaning and incarceration of homosexuality into a forced closet. 

There was no victory, only realizations. A realization of unconstitutionality, a realization of forcible impoverization, a realization of meaningless, unreasonable denial of humanity and worth. 

Yesterday, our nation, as a whole, realized yet another facet of our inhumanity toward other Americans, and reduced that inhumanity a bit more than the last time that we made such a reduction. 

It is a progression, one on which individualists and communitarians alike will evolve in their own ways, but hopefully will not devolve in irrational disgust. 

Let’s move forward. 

His choice of venue for suicide, his reasoning for this type of suicide, and his very basis of thinking is exactly the same reasoning and basis for the actions of Anders Breivik, the Norwegian mass murderer. Gay marriage will cause Sharia, White race is dying out by not breeding enough, etc. I’m surprised that he didn’t berate a conspiracy of the evil Jewish Muslim Marxist Hollywood liberal bankster Freemasons for the downfall of Louis XVI in his suicide note. AFAIK.

Organizing the First Middle Georgia State College Drag Show on Campus (+VIDEO)

This has been an extremely long day for me. It goes in 2 parts.

Part 1: Waking up at 7:30 am, I started it out by working on my final paper for COMM 3010 in preparation of a presentation for the class at 2 pm. Then I drove to The Ink Spot, found out that the requested GSA t-shirts weren’t ready yet, drove to the Macon campus, met Tenshi in the lunchroom, came to class to present, did well in it, helped someone from off-campus ask about who to contact to set up a future concert on campus, drove with Chanda to WR to the Ink Spot to pick up the t-shirts, drove to The Rainbow Center, met many of the denizens and operators, picked up Ravion and Tiana Starr, drove back to Macon campus.

Part 2: We started setting up, and many of the attendees of the 1st-Ever MGSC Drag Show! arrived to take their seats. I ran around the halls of the H/SS building and theatre like a mad chicken, making calls, talking to the guests, only to find out that we had NO sound or lighting technicians. So Drs. Keith, Trayers, Monk, and Sherry helped with finding out everything that we could possibly do for the show, the audience getting restless as the 7:00 hour came and slowly, painfully went. I was on the verge of tears, screaming rage, self-pity and other feelings at many points during this long ordeal. Doors were locked, buttons were complicated, CDs didn’t work in computers, etc., I honestly don’t know how they found the switch for the stage lights. But without the aforementioned teachers, plus Chanda, Chrissonia, and many others, we would not have gotten the show started at all, despite having basically started at 8:30 pm. But we did it.

Our 1st-ever drag show on Macon campus, at MGSC, did get started, and the performers – Ravion, Tangerine, Tiana, Paula, Trinity – did their work in front of the many who stuck it out despite my self-claimed incompetence and naivete as a one-time theater manager. They brought us to our feet, they elicited questions afterward, and I felt like I was a bit richer for having stayed on with this project. We sold t-shirts and rubber duckies, distributed materials. Our event practically ended at 9:50 pm. After dropping off Ravion and Tiana, Chanda and I went to Steak and Shake off Riverside for a long decompression from at least 9 hours of non-stop activity. I got gas, dropped her off, and drove in the silence of the wee hours back to WR.

Video will be online soon, photos will likely be online sooner. I hope to work on it either Tuesday or Wednesday.

But now I need rest. I will be busy in the afternoon, and getting this historic event to the people on campus is something that I will say made this semester all the more worthwhile. But damn, it hurts!

The Safety Net: Communication within coming-out groups for LGBT people

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Harry Underwood
Compare and Contrast Pt. 2
COMM 3010
3/26/2013

The Safety Net: Communication within coming-out groups for LGBT people

In the decades since the Stonewall riots of 1969, the mass movement for civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people has largely depended upon a willingness by the movement’s participants to self-disclose one’s sexual orientation or gender identity as a marker of identity and a challenging of social stigma. In the absence of a visible, persistent demarcation to personally indicate ancestral or other biologically-inherent backgrounds, the process of this self-disclosure, or “coming out”, has resulted in a sea change in the wider heterosexual and cisgender perception of the very concepts of sexual orientation and gender identity, leading to a greater integration of LGBT people into the socioeconomic life of human societies. The process of coming out, however, is one which strongly involves human communication between the “closeted” individual and the recipient of the disclosure, and the role of proper communication in any successful coming-out process is a mutually-sustained role, involving the behavior of the receiver in reaction to such news. This paper seeks to compare and contrast contemporary communication theories with each other in their explanations of aspects of the “coming-out group”, and to also explain the origins and utility of such a group.

The history of coming out to a peer group setting as a phenomenon derives in part from women’s “consciousness-raising” meetings in the 1960s, in which women shared their personal, everyday experiences as women with each other in a group setting. Through these events, women’s rights activists could inspire women to challenge their current lot in life and reassess their own humanity, sexuality and sense of power. An important tool in the growth of political awareness of women’s rights in the 1960s and 70s, consciousness-raising was imported by lesbians who had worked with the women’s liberation movement into the growing number of gay liberation organizations in the United States (Taylor and Whittier, 1998, p. 351). The process of self-disclosure, in itself, also derives from early suggestions by the likes of pioneering sexologists Magnus Hirschfeld and Iwan Bloch to early 20th-century German homosexuals to disclose their sexuality to their family and authority figures in order to push against anti-homosexual legislation (Johannson & Percy, p. 24).

Two theories can be applied to this phenomenon of the coming-out group: symbolic convergence theory and uncertainty reduction theory. These two theories come at the phenomenon of coming out to welcoming peers from slightly-differing perspectives. While uncertainty reduction theory is concerned with how “interpersonal relationships develop as individuals reduce uncertainty about each other,” symbolic convergence theory is more concerned with the development of a symbolic and fantastic narrative which engages, unites and propels the emotions of the participants (Yoo, 2004, p. 191). Uncertainty reduction theory, on the other hand, relies upon the pre-existence or prerequisite development of an active, certain relationship or a mutual openness to such. Furthermore, while symbolic convergence tends to be applied more to group settings, uncertainty reduction theory was largely crafted with interpersonal relationships in mind.

Both theories, however, are similar and compatible with each other in that they each find exhibition in the coming-out group’s changing or challenging prior assumptions about sexuality or gender among the participants. Uncertainty reduction is at play, as newer attendees who are unaware of how to properly approach their own or others’ sexual orientation become more aware of how to conduct their inquiry and exploration further on in the midst of peers. Ramón cites Soliz et. al on how families of LGBT people may become more distanced with their LGBT loved ones “if a new dimension is added to the relationship after a child’s sexual identity has been disclosed” due to the “parents often suffer[ing] cognitive dissonance when trying to understand the conflict between inundation of negative images surrounding homosexuality and the loving relationship they have established with their child” (Soliz et. al, 2010, p. 78-79; Ramón, 2013, p. 20). When such does arise, the next best solution for the LGBT person seeking to develop a social network which is less fraught by such images is to seek out a body of peers who already possess a minimum body of LGBT-affirmative symbolism and more likely to be open to a certain, more familiar process of welcoming of the individual from out of the closet. Stein calls the “coming-out” process “the gay community’s ‘development myth’. It was an account of heroism in the face of tremendous odds and societal pressure that was based on the ideal of being ‘true to oneself’, expressing one’s ‘authentic’ self” (Stein, 1999, p. 83).

In conclusion, there is a synergy which takes place between symbolic convergence and uncertainty reduction theories when it comes to assessment of the communication and interaction styles in a coming-out group. Such groups are likely to possess the prerequisites of both theories – a membership or leadership with a base familiarity and certainty concerning personal and mutual conduct and an oppositional narrative against, or parallel to, negative images – often making such organizations a more affirmative environment for LGBT people than their own estranged biological families. This convergence also demonstrates that coming out just as much involves and impacts the receiver of the news as it does the deliverer, and finding an infrastructure which is welcoming to the individual and prepared to consensually close the distance of uncertainty is paramount in the self-realization of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Works cited

Johansson, W. & Percy, W. A. (1994). Outing: Shattering the Conspiracy of Silence. pp. 24. Harrington Park Press

Ramón, E. K. (2013). “Mom, I’m gay.” Homosexual language used in the coming out process and its effect on the family relationship. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from Texas Digital Library). http://repositories.tdl.org/tamucc-ir/handle/1969.6/398

Soliz, J., Ribarsky, E., Harrigan, M. M., & Tye-Williams, S. (2010). Family communication with gay and lesbian family members: Implications for relational satisfaction and outgroup attitudes. Communication Quarterly, 58, pp. 77-9. Web.

Stein, A. (1999). “Becoming lesbian: identity work and the performance of sexuality.” The Columbia Reader on Lesbians & Gay Men in Media, Society, and Politics. Gross, L. P., & Woods, J. D. (Eds.) pp. 83.  New York: Columbia University Press.

Taylor, V., and Whittier, N. E. (1998). “Collective Identity in Social Movement Communities: Lesbian Feminist Mobilization.”  Social Perspectives in Lesbian and Gay Studies: A Reader. P.M. Nardi and B.E. Schneider (Eds.). New York: Routledge.

Yoo, J. H. (2009). “Uncertainty Reduction and Information Valence: Tests of Uncertainty Reduction Theory, Predicted Outcome Value, and an Alternative Explanation?” Journal of Human Communication, 12(2), pp. 187 – 198. Retrieved from http://www.uab.edu/Communicationstudies/humancommunication/05_Yoo_final.pdf

2013-2014 Point Foundation Essay

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This is my series of answers to questions for the Point Foundation’s 2013-2014 Scholarship. I was semifinalist for the scholarship, and realized the gravity of why I didn’t get the scholarship when the day for finalist notifications was set back another day on the original day of the notifications. 

 

Point Essay #1

How has your work contributed to bring about positive change for LGBTQ persons? How did you influence this change, what was your role and describe the impact and results?

 

My work as a website designer and social media assistant has often gone to causes or efforts which have helped raise awareness for LGBT rights and support.

My work with PFLAG Macon is something which I note with a sense of pride. Before my involvement with the chapter, the website of PFLAG Macon consisted of no more than 3 static HTML pages which were barely updated because of a lack of time and know-how on the part of the chapter president about maintaining a website. I volunteered my time to install WordPress, a content management system, onto the domain, reposting older media (i.e., photos from past PFLAG Macon events) onto the site, setting up a PFLAG Macon brand page on Facebook and created an account on NetworkedBlogs for the syndication of posts from the new site to the Facebook page. This has allowed for a greater number of Google search hits indexing a greater variety of content posted onto the site, making it easier for locals to find information regarding solidarity and support for the target audience: lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their straight friends, family and parents.

I also take pride in helping represent the our college’s GSA at events held both on our campus as well as off-campus, be it at conferences and events held at other local institutions of higher learning, churches, political meetings and so on, and I also maintain various web presences for our group, including Facebook and Google+. Through this, I have found ample amounts of opportunities to talk and connect with students from the local area who are frustrated with the lack of, or are yet to be made aware of, of a support and discussion base within reach. I have represented my GSA before at least one television camera to communicate our ideal for marriage equality after President Obama endorsed it. I have connected to various people from the most diverse backgrounds and have pointed them in the direction of of LGBT-affirmative institutions in the Middle Georgia Area, and have also discussed strategy and resources for our group with members of Georgia Equality, our state’s leading LGBT lobby.

Finally, I have also filmed a documentary, “Honor in Equality”, interviewing Sgt. Danny Ingram, the president of the American Veterans for Equal Rights, who lives in Decatur. The immediate effect, for many who have seen it, is that the effects of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” were given a “local” “human” face who they could identify, helping them to better understand a person’s fight to end it and bring equality to our military.

I hope that my actions have inspired others in this area to do the same for others, and I hope to be an asset for other movements or institutions supportive of LGBT persons and their concerns.

 

Point Essay Part #2

What are you most looking forward to gaining intellectually from your college experience and why?

Intellectually, I seek to engage and be challenged by individuals who understand digital media in all of its presentation and utility. Being raised in the age of the World Wide Web’s rise to prominence as the platform du jour for commerce and campaigns of all sorts, I have long embraced an awareness of how digital media has been a transformative utility in human expression and identity (as well as the myriad uses which we can find in it as our information technology continues to develop), and it is a field in which I seek to contribute both intellectually and physically.

I hope to gain a better understanding of the technology which makes our current tech infrastructure possible, the theories which paved and continue to pave the way for our infrastructure, and the technology which will advance our infrastructure further. I also aim to gain a better understanding of how the Web, and other decentralized media networks, have enabled mutually-beneficial (and not-so-beneficial) human experiences. I also wish to work on student-professor research collaborations which delve into newer tools of communication, such as augmented reality.

Finally, when all is said and done, I not only want to apply my experience in the Information Technology field as a go-to consultant, programmer and teacher for digital media, but also to participate in and affect the building of more liberating and innovate means of communication for the next generation of the commons to enjoy and employ. I hope that what I impart to my protégés from my college experience will lead to disruptive and innovative effects upon our perceptions of, and relations with, each other – all aspects of ourselves, including our sexual orientations and gender identities – and our world.

Discuss your experience with marginalization.

My trouble with marginalization has largely been a force of geo-economic isolation and cultural reinforcement. I live in an area of the country, among many other areas of this country, in which LGBT-affirmative institutions are very scarce and limited. LGBT persons like myself largely start from an economic disadvantage of little personal income and great dependency upon family members, with varying levels of tolerance or respect, for support. In the process of pursuing my education while under such constraints, I find my ability to accommodate or express my sexual orientation to be severely limited.

What is most grating about this experience is the constant insistence from my own family members and peers that “broadcasting” my sexual orientation by disclosing such information on, say, a social network profile or when asked about such in day-to-day conversation makes me “vulnerable” and “unhireable” in the eyes of employers who are feared as being “Internet-savvy” with the usage of search engines and social networks for employee background checks. As I have a long history of using the Internet, as it is the medium through which I realized my sexual orientation, and as it is through this medium that I realized a lack of shame in my orientation, I take a deep umbrage at this fear that my orientation toward men should in any way reduce someone’s perception of me as an employee or colleague.

This fear of disclosure, in my honest opinion, is largely propelled by a toxic combination of our economic situation and our cultural homophobia. In a better, more affirmative culture, disclosure of my orientation, voluntary or systematic, would neither be grounds for “unemployability” nor grounds for fears of such a state. This fear dents my loved ones’ ability to respect my orientation or expressions thereof, which is unreasonable.

Point Foundation Essay #3

a)      “Please describe a time you were unsuccessful at bringing about positive change and what you learned from this experience.”

In October 2012, I had scheduled and publicly announced our GSA’s first LGBT Movie Night, screening The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love. I and our advisor had prepared for a month for this night, with food being brought and flyers being distributed to all campuses, and, as president of the GSA, I took this as a personal test of my ability to engage the public and bring positive changing of sentiments. However, on the night when the event was to take place, I was sorely disappointed that no members or students were able to come to this movie night, and I blamed myself for its failure.

Surprisingly, some individuals within our group had come to the campus to see the film, but had misidentified another, similarly-named game room in another building on campus as the location of the Movie Night. Worse, not that many people had even known of, or ever visited, the game room in the dormitory where we held the Movie Night. I learned that community events should be held in familiar and accessible venues, and that such events should be comprehensively promoted and discussed as much within the organization as without.

b)      “Describe a specific time when you motivated others to reach a particular vision or goal. What did you do? How did you motivate others to achieve this goal or vision? How might this leadership trait translate into future involvement in the LGBT movement and society in general?”

I announced in February 2013 that we would hold an LGBT Public Awareness Event, one which would promote the GSA, its goals and its focus. I requested for all members, by all possible channels of communication, to come to the event to help operate the table and engage the public. I went into the planning of this event in a manner which initially felt haphazard and affected by events like the aforementioned Movie Night, but I personally bought supplies, totalling over $70, on the idea that all such crafts material would be useful to drawing members to participation in the event.

Bringing the crafts to a public table, our secretary immediately took the reins and designed a number of beautiful crafts, including beaded bracelets. Soon, other members joined us at the table, and we raised over $50 from selling the bracelets, and I decided on our advisor’s advice to donate the money to a local AIDS/HIV live-in center for lower-income people. It became my first voluntary attempt at helping raise money for a charitable organization, but I saw that offering opportunities for creativity and allowing members to engage on their own strengths are powerful motivators for social engagement.