Blog #5 Safe Spaces & Gender Fluid
Safe Spaced & 11 and Gender Fluid
This week’s reading focus mainly on the LGBTQ+ community. I like to believe that I am apart of this community by being an ally. At a very young age, being homosexual was perceived as abnormal or wrong inside my household. My parents never really spoke of it, the term “That’s gay” was use on the daily. I knew the basics of being gay, you know, a guy liking a guy and a girl liking a girl. But I never understood it. I never understood what people who were gay had been through and continued to go through. It wasn’t until my cousin Gabrielle started to question herself that it made me take a step back. Asking her what she was going through was a tough topic for her but also so interesting me to. First, she was asexual then she was pansexual. I remember my father just hating every part of it. Him and his friends would laugh about it, “What the hell is pansexual” they would all say or “People can’t like both sexes, that’s not possible.” It was then on that I began to stick up for her. If she wasn’t there to do it than I had too. My teachers in school began the discussion of LGBTQ+, they educated me, my actions next were to educate others.
Fast forward 5 years and my dad has completely changed and his outlook on the LGBTQ+ community has changed. I could see over the years how he had stopped making jokes and started making questions to understand the process my cousin was going through. He went to my brothers and I to ask what we were learning in school and where he could find more information about equality and acceptance.
The day that changed everything was in August of 2018. I knew from then on that my father had not only made a breakthrough but also became an ally. That day at church the pastor started to bash homosexuals and transgenders, my father and I walked out and never looked back. A few weeks later, he saw a friend who also attend our church, they had asked where we had been. When my dad was explaining it to her she said, “Don’t hate the sinner, hate the sin”, instead of agreeing with her my father told her how he really feels. He explained how he will love and support someone no matter who they love or who they want to be. This was the point of true acceptance. He had done a complete 180.
This turn around in events proves to me that together, we as a community can change the perspective of homosexuals. We can flip the stigma that being gay is abnormal and wrong to that of something that is normal and right. Through educating our youth in schools, it will educate their parents, family members and friends.
My favorite class of all time that has really made me understand human sexuality is my Human Sexuality course at Rhode Island College. This class speaks about gender roles, gender identity, gender expression and so on. This is the type of class that needs to be taught to every student. I think it should be considered a general education requirement because it is so essential to teaching others about human sexuality. The book we are studying from can be brought from here.
Emily, I really enjoyed the little comic that you used. It was clear and pertained to the topic. In regards to your dad, that really was a big change. To go from homophobic to supporting the LGBTQ community is a huge turnaround.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your story about your father. Having your dad support this community is a massive change that not everyone can make. I feel like because the world is more open and excepting to the LGBTQ+ community, many people change their views on the topic. Also, your picture is a great representation of the articles. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about your connection to the article like I stated in mine the world is more accepting of this now then back then.
ReplyDeleteEmily, your blog is very well said, It made me think of the quote that went something like, "You're never too young to teach, and you're never too old to learn." Your text made great points, one of which being , "Through educating our youth in schools, it will educate their parents, family members and friends." Well said!
ReplyDeleteEmily, I really related to your blog and your connection. In my household, as a kid we also used the phrase "that's gay" often and it was never really spoke of but it was clear my dad was not very open to the idea of people being gay. However, when it hit closer to home for him and my cousin, his nephew and sisters child had announced he had a boyfriend, he changed his views on it drastically. When it is somebody that you love it sometimes puts things into a different perspective and is truly eye opening and I am glad that our parents and people in the older generations are becoming more comfortable with the LGBTQ+ community.
ReplyDeleteI Love the picture you added to this response to the article. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the jesus that broke so many stereotypes that we have about religion. I think that was a good choice in regards to our current reading.
ReplyDeleteI can completely agree with you about growing up in a household were "gay" just meant boys or girls liking each other. My father never really spoke much of it and always had comments to make. My mother supported it because she had many gay friends who she was very close with. Just like you my father when I was in high school finally realized its important to accept everyone for who they are.
ReplyDelete