social justice project2(combined)
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Table of contents<br />
LGBT<br />
in my community??<br />
---INTRO (SHORT IMAGES)<br />
----HOW PEOPLE REACT TO LGBT?<br />
(ARTICLE+STORY)<br />
-----HOW TO BE AN ALLY<br />
------WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO NOW?<br />
-------RESOURCES
INRTO<br />
WHAT DO YOU FEEL AND THINK IF A GAY COUPLE MOVES TO YOUR<br />
HOMETOWN? IF YOU WERE A PARENT WHO TAKES CARE OF YOUR CHILD,<br />
YOU MIGHT BE WORRIED ABOUT YOUR CHILD TO GET ANY EFFECT FROM<br />
THE COUPLE.<br />
AT LEAST, YOU DO NOT FEEL HAPPY OR WELCOME WITH THAT. THIS IS<br />
THE COMMON REACTION I CAN SEE IN REALITY. MY ZINE IS FOCUSED,<br />
PASSIONATE AND SUPPORTIVE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. TO CONVERT<br />
THIS GENERAL RECOGNITION AND ATTITUDE, I PUT CONTENTS THAT<br />
SHOW HOW TO BE AN ALLY FOR LGBT AND WHAT PEOPLE NEED TO DO<br />
FOR THEM.<br />
I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS ZINE AND IT AROUSES ANY CHANGE WITHIN<br />
YOU! THANK YOU!
Strengths and Silences<br />
heightened incidents of student victimization based on sexual orientation and gender<br />
identity/expression in schools<br />
Even though the government officially admit the rights or marriage of LGBT,<br />
There are still many people against them<br />
People are not likely to accept LGBT in their communities like the message images<br />
They show their boundaries towards LGBT by picketing or something like that<br />
Most parents in a village town or residence mind that LGBT come to their<br />
communities due to their kids.<br />
They do not want their kids to get any impact from<br />
LGBT<br />
This can cause the community relationship to break up<br />
by bringing pros and cons about LGBT<br />
Those divisions and protests give LGBTs shame and limit<br />
to get into the communities<br />
Even though they move to the community successfully,<br />
They can see the boundaries towards them by the behaviors of the others in the<br />
town
“3 reasons why schools will not offer curriculum that<br />
includes LGBT topics”<br />
1.Unsupportive Administrators - Many teachers will not enter into<br />
the domain of using curriculum that includes LGBT related topics<br />
because their administrators will not support them.<br />
2. Parent Pushback - There are small groups of parents in some<br />
districts, and large groups of parents in other districts who do not<br />
want their children, and any other children, exposed to LGBT related<br />
topics in school. School leaders and teachers have seen parents pull<br />
their children from when schools participate in the Day of Silence.<br />
Some parents bring their own values into the public school setting and<br />
want schools to abide by those values. Teachers will not test the<br />
waters of LGBT topics in their classroom if they feel that parents will<br />
pushback and administrators will not be supportive. There are some<br />
districts that are moving forward, but there has been a great deal of<br />
pushback.<br />
3. Don't Know where to start - Many teachers and leaders do not know<br />
where to start. They usually begin by using words like tolerance and<br />
acceptance (I prefer acceptance over being tolerated). The most<br />
important place to begin is with school board policies and student<br />
codes of conduct that stipulate discipline for students who harass and<br />
bully based on sexual orientation and gender expression.<br />
When I was in Canada, I saw some parents holding up pickets<br />
saying that “We do not let our children learn that!” in front of<br />
some secondary schools in sd43 district. It means that parents<br />
do not want the schools to get curriculum about LGBT.<br />
My homestay mother also joined the picketing. She<br />
supported the group she was involved in by preparing<br />
breakfast and hot lunch. At the dinner time of one day,<br />
homestay family and I talked about the picketing my host<br />
mother was working on. I asked her why she went against<br />
the LGBT curriculum. She answered that she did not want<br />
her children to get used to that kind of culture.<br />
At the moment, I was wondering what exactly “that kind of<br />
culture” meant she just mentioned. I did not ask back, but I<br />
expected that no one could define that. Milana, the<br />
youngest daughter of the family, cast a question “Can man<br />
get married to man?” For her question, my host mother said<br />
“Yes, but it is not normal.”<br />
Again,<br />
I was wondering what exactly the “normal” meant. What is<br />
the standard of the “normal” she mentioned? Who made the<br />
standard? On the contrary, my host father had different<br />
opinion. He said that the marriage of the same gender could<br />
be made. He argued that love is not limited and defined by<br />
gender. Also, he claimed that all people have their own free<br />
of whom they are going to love.
Because of the different opinion, each argument was going<br />
around the dinner table. My host father said that LGBTs are<br />
minority in our society and we need to respect them for our<br />
community. However, my host mother argued that in order<br />
to protect and truly improve our community, we do not<br />
accept LGBT because they have an impact on education of<br />
children and mess up our district by breaking the good<br />
community relationship.<br />
Who is right?<br />
I was confused. I felt both of them had appropriate<br />
argument on their own. Actually, I agreed with my host<br />
father’s argument of love. However, I do not know why, but<br />
I generally do not feel close or open-minded to LGBT as a<br />
friend like what my mother said.<br />
“who typically has the power and privilege to speak on this<br />
issue?”<br />
-in this case, not LGBT people, called majority, speak out<br />
their opinions against LGBT. However, I can tell the majority<br />
does not have the official power and privilege to push back<br />
the minority. I cannot find out specific reasons why the<br />
minority feels isolated even though they, themselves, do not<br />
know the reason.<br />
what the picketing people stand to gain by controlling the<br />
narrative?<br />
By the picketing activity, the group my host mother was<br />
involved in could gain a result that the district stopped the<br />
curriculum about LGBT.<br />
At the dinner table, the word “free” my host father used was<br />
attractive. However, I was also getting into what my host<br />
mother was going to say about LGBT. She mentioned one of<br />
reasons she cons LGBTs is that the way they share love<br />
causes a number of problems such as diseases.<br />
My host father, however, did not agree with her argument.<br />
He said seriously that people just fear things that are<br />
different from themselves. “men can be feminine! Women<br />
can be masculine!” People usually feel uncomfortable the<br />
way LGBT behave and wear clothes, but it is technically their<br />
free. People just do not like it because they are not<br />
accustomed to that. They do not have any right to complain<br />
that. Even if they protest and hide any issue related to LGBT,<br />
what they gain is only to be comfortable for themselves,<br />
which is more selfish.
On June 26 th of 2015, rainbow-colored lights shone on the White House. The<br />
constitution officially guarantees a right to the same-sex marriage in all 50 states.<br />
There were people who rioted about this. The more intensely they protest against it,<br />
the more severely sexual minorities isolate themselves from the societies. Even<br />
though their rights are legally accepted and guaranteed, they are still likely to hide<br />
themselves. My <strong>social</strong> <strong>justice</strong> issue “do we accept and give a consent to LGBT?” is<br />
still a controversial question. However, LGBT do not need to put walls from the<br />
world. In order to solve this problem, they had better know how to be allies with<br />
people. There are five steps for that. First, LGBT should understand their privileges.<br />
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage. This means that sexual<br />
minorities officially get their rights, so they should not get any penalty because of<br />
their identities. For example, there are many LGBT who get fired in their companies<br />
since they are sexual minorities. However, it does not make sense any longer. They<br />
have enough privilege to say that it is unfair and to take their rights. Therefore, it is<br />
very important to understand their own privileges. Second, LGBT have their<br />
homework. People are exposed to news and issues through newspaper or <strong>social</strong><br />
network service. They share a number of various opinions. They learn and experience<br />
what they did not find out within their own world. Therefore, for LGBT, they take a<br />
look at what people think about them and learn from it. They can build up their own<br />
opinion from the learning. They feel free to share those as a privilege, which is also<br />
known as homework for them coming from the learning process. Third, it is time for<br />
LGBT to speak up. One of the reasons some people put distance from LGBT is the<br />
difference they feel from LGBT. The difference has nothing to do with the people<br />
and has no any impact on them. However, the distance does not seem to get narrow.<br />
What if LGBT actively get their voice to the public instead of hiding themselves at<br />
the beginning when the LGBT issue comes up? I am wondering if people keep<br />
putting distance from them. People might listen, and some could start to think over<br />
about the issues. The sexual minorities speak up for their privilege and homework.<br />
The isolation they have makes people ignore and look down them. The next step to<br />
be an ally with people for LGBT is polite apology when they make mistake. When<br />
they speak up and try to share their opinions, it goes without saying that there are<br />
many conflicts. They could be upset at some opposite arguments and yell out loud<br />
their arguments with bad temper. That results in mistake. These cut off supports<br />
towards them. It is important not to make mistakes, but nobody is perfect. It is also<br />
important to apologize politely and quickly if they make any. That will absolutely<br />
help them get close to people and remove any stereotype people can have. People<br />
need to know the mistakes result from not intent but impact. The last step is to<br />
remember that “ally” is a verb. In other word, the most important to be an ally is<br />
practice. I have listened to issues related to LGBT, and I have a friend who is actually<br />
in the minority. However, I have not seen my friend practice one of these five steps.<br />
Whenever there is issue about LGBT, I can see pictures in which people are picketing<br />
and protesting, but there are few pictures of many LGBT passionately practicing.
Low-pitched tone of voice, big hands and wide shoulder make YG<br />
look more manly. It is more awkward to take the person as a<br />
woman. When I heard that YG is female, my eyes got the biggest<br />
size ever.<br />
YG and I are in the same club of Korean Student Association, and<br />
she is a president of that club. As many use “she” to call YG, the<br />
fact that YG is female is planted into my brain. However, she<br />
looks like a man so much.<br />
One day, all members of KSA went to a restaurant to eat out<br />
altogether. There was long line-up. We were waiting to be seated<br />
outside in Winter. YG was standing next to me in the line. We<br />
talked to each other. We shared funny stories and some secret.<br />
To tell me a secret, YG came close to me and put her mouth to my<br />
ear very closely to keep the secret. When she tried to do this, I<br />
stepped back naturally. I avoided getting her whisper in the short<br />
distance. My body reacted first to her approach.<br />
Do I consider YG a man unconsciously? Why did I get some<br />
distance from her even though I can whisper naturally to my<br />
female friends?<br />
Atmosphere from her is really similar to one from general men.<br />
Even though I know YG is female, her behavior and tone of voice<br />
make me confused with her real identity.<br />
Her identity issue is always a popular topic whenever she<br />
is into any gossip. She just got a new girlfriend now. This<br />
news is spreading so fast over the Korean community of<br />
Michigan State University.<br />
There are some typical questions following the news. “How do<br />
they sex?” “is YG girlfriend also a lesbian?” “Is it possible that<br />
they, the same sex, are dating?” When this issue springs up, 8 out<br />
of 10 people take them so weird and ridiculous. People do not<br />
celebrate the new couple but give them bad sights.<br />
Why do people not admit her identity she wants to have and<br />
respect it? I do not agree with those. I can see her really want to<br />
be male. This should be respected by people not be an issue in<br />
any gossip or conversation.<br />
Therefore, I use “he” as a subject when I refer to YG. I am not<br />
likely to touch YG freely as I am not to my male friends. When he<br />
tries to get close to me, I naturally step back and get away a little<br />
from him.<br />
To be honest, this kind of my behavior goes unconsciously. This<br />
tells me if people take LGBT what they want to be and keep their<br />
new identities in mind, consideration and respect for them is<br />
automatically followed.<br />
When I heard the news of new girlfriend from YG directly, I<br />
celebrated him with smile on my face. Also, I recommended fancy<br />
and delicious restaurants near the school. It is true that the<br />
typical questions people get also stay in my brain. I did not ask<br />
him them. I just clapped my hands as I do for my male friends to<br />
celebrate their good news.<br />
I tapped his shoulder not gave him a big hug. I kept some<br />
distance away from him. This is how I take action, dealing with<br />
him. This is a respect and consideration for him.<br />
People who heard his news do not have a try to understand him<br />
or take respect. They just say “that is weird” first. They even do<br />
not try to feel empathy to him.<br />
The word “consent” cannot be applied to the people at all.<br />
However, YG has kept his love well despite this not-welcomed<br />
atmosphere. I believe he can do that since there is some great<br />
cheers for him from people like me.<br />
Determined to take YG as a male, I put male images on YG. This<br />
really helps me consider YG a man. Actions I have taken plays an<br />
important role in respecting YG’s sexual identity.
Resource<br />
• Text images: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/three-steps-to-disable-imessageand-not-lose-your-mind/<br />
• The article of three reasons:<br />
“LGBT in my community?”<br />
Have you made a friend with LGBT? Here is an interesting author’s personal<br />
story happened as she became a friend with a lesbian! Stop reading boring<br />
LGBT issues anymore! Are you a person who feels you are far, far away<br />
from LGBT people? Then, you should get this! A big change will shot your<br />
brain and body by only $7.00! You can find this change in your close<br />
bookstores in East Lansing, or you can order online without shipping fee<br />
from April to June!<br />
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2015/07/3_reasons_<br />
why_many_schools_wont_offer_LGBT_curriculum.html<br />
Thank you<br />
• Background images: http://www.aroundyou.com.au/articles/find-a-friend-inbrisbanes-lgbt-community<br />
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn26511-out-in-the-open-is-science-lgbtfriendly/<br />
http://www.fioregroup.org/lgbt-and-inclusivity-at-work/<br />
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT<br />
$7.00 US