So, this week was Pride Week at my school. This was our second year doing this and my first being involved in running it. I'm really glad that I got to be part of it this year. I had so much fun this week, it was unbelievable. So here's a rundown of what happened:
Monday - General Pride Day: Monday was the opening day for us. We had Ryan Cassata present during all of our lunch periods and he was totally awesome! He gave an amazing presentation on being trans* (four actually) and he's one of the coolest dudes I've ever met. I'm so glad he came to my school. He made some great changes while he was there. After my Assistant principal sat through some of the presentations and talked with a transgender student, he decided that he would allow the trans* students to use whichever bathroom they choose. This is an amazing step forward for my school, where the only gender-neutral bathroom is out of the way in the nurses' office. Now, the bathrooms are open to all. Thanks Ryan, for helping to bring that change about.
NOTE: By the time this was published, the bathroom privileges had been revoked for trans* students. We're working to have that rectified. It seems we still have a ways to go in my school.
UPDATE 5/27/2013: As of a few weeks ago, trans* students can use the gender-neutral staff bathrooms after they talk with a school administrator. Staff were sent an email notifying them about any students who were planning on using the staff bathrooms. I am planning on getting this permission for the upcoming school year.
Tuesday - Trans* Day: We had a really cool informational poster set up in the common area in my school. A couple kids stopped and read the poster, but no one asked any questions. Either the poster did a really good job explaining or they were to shy to ask. What kids did ask a lot of questions about was our LGBT celebrities wall. I saw people stop and ask their friends what "androgynous" and "asexual" meant so I made sure I stopped and explained everything to them. I think the wall was more educational than we intended it to be.
Wednesday - Bi Day: This was the most jam-packed day of the week. We (again) had a poster set up in the school's common area. Paired with that, we had face painting. We painted red equal signs (support for the two cases being heard by the Supreme Court dealing with marriage equality) and pink triangles (gay pride symbol). It was a lot of fun. Messy, but fun. We also had a scavenger hunt. We printed out miniature bisexual flags and hid them around the school. If someone found any of the flags, they could go to the GSA adviser's classroom and answer a question about bisexual stereotypes. If they answered correctly, they got a piece of candy. I'm still not sure who won...
Thursday - Wellness Day: Alright, this day actually wasn't part of Pride Week. It's something my school plans every year. We get to skip our classes to go to special courses and hear guest speakers. The only reason why I'm mentioning this day is because we had Michael Fowlin and Zach Wahls as guest speakers. Michael Fowlin is an actor and psychologist who talks about... well, he talks about a lot of things. One of his main ideas is that words really can hurt people. And even though we've heard that message so many times, it's nice to hear it from someone new (who happens to be great at making strange voices). Zach Wahls is a college student who spoke at the Iowa House Judiciary Committee to fight legislation that would have made same-sex marriage illegal. He was a fantastic young man who dispelled the stereotypes that go along with having two moms. They are both wonderful speakers and we were so lucky to have them present at our school.
Friday - Day of Silence: For those of you who don't know, Day of Silence is a day when you can choose to be silent to support those who have been bullied into silence or even suicide. The day was quite successful, and many conversations were sparked about what the day meant. All of the students and staff were very respectful of those participating. And after all of that, we had a party! My GSA hosted another school's GSA at our school for a Breaking the Silence Party. I really didn't know what to expect, but it was a lot of fun and I met so many new people. We had a great discussion about how Pride Week, specifically the Day of Silence, went for both schools. After we determined that both schools had a successful day, there was plenty of pizza to be had.
All in all, this was a great week for my school and I'm so glad I got to be part of it. I can't wait until next year!
Reminder: Please, please, PLEASE, post questions, comments, and suggestions for topics for me to write about in the comments section below. I really want to hear from you guys.
Lots of love,
Nick
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Cisgender Privilege: Some People Just Don't Get It
"Hey Nick," my brother asked the other day, "why do you go around telling people that you're gender fluid? Do you really have to tell everyone?"
"Well, yes." I responded.
"Why? Why do you have to be so out there?"
I get this a lot from him. He's still young, so I understand how he still doesn't really grasp how being trans* has affected my life other than the fact that he can't tell our mom and dad about my being trans*. But he's not the only person out there who doesn't get it. Being trans* has a huge impact on how you live your life. Cis people don't realize that the things they take for granted become a lot harder to do or access when someone's trans*.
Bathrooms: Do you have any idea how difficult it is to use the bathroom as a trans* person? There's always a fear that you will be thrown out of the bathroom because you "don't look like a man/woman." In some places, there are gender-neutral bathrooms. However, my school doesn't have any. Well, there's one, but it's in the nurses office which is away from most classrooms. Some days I walk up to the bathrooms at my school, look left towards the boys bathroom, look right towards the girls bathroom, and then turn around and head back to class. Why? It may not be safe for me to use either of them. The girls could scream and try to kick me out. The guys could try to beat me up. While that probably wouldn't happen at my school, I'd rather not take the risk.
Getting a Job: There is still a lot of discrimination in the workplace against people in the LGBTQ community. It becomes much harder to find a job if you're open about your sexual/gender orientation. In some parts of the country, yes the U.S., it is legal for someone to deny you a job or even fire you because you are transgender. 97% of trans* people have been mistreated at work because they are trans*. Also, the unemployment rate for trans* people is double the national average. They can't get jobs or are fired simply because of who they are.
Housing: Just like in the workforce, there are a lot of trans* people who can't find proper housing because they are trans* According to the National transgender Center for Equality, about 19% of trans* people have experienced homelessness. That is much higher than it should be. 19% of trans* people have also been denied housing because they are out. People should not have to hide who they are just so they can get some decent housing.
Medical Care: This one may seem odd, but it is a real issue. About 50% of trans* people often have to educate their own doctors on what being transgender is and what it means for their health (NCTE). I know I've had to educate some people I really shouldn't have had to simply because they're doctors and they should know at least the basics. Also, many trans* people are denied medical care because of their trans* status. 19% of trans* people report being denied medical treatment because of their trans* status.
Despite what people say about America being a nation of liberty and justice for all, it really is a nation of cisgender privilege. No one should be denied any right given to an American citizen simply because their gender doesn't match their sex. However, this kind of discrimination happens every day in the United States. So much for being the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Sorry this was a heavy one today. I just felt like I needed to say this. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for topics for me to write about, post them in the comments section below. Thanks, and I'll see you soon.
Lots of love,
Nick
P.S.: All statistics come from the National Transgender Center Center for Equality. To see their full website, click here: http://transequality.org/index.html
To see their page of statistics, click here: http://transequality.org/PDFs/Executive_Summary.pdf
"Well, yes." I responded.
"Why? Why do you have to be so out there?"
I get this a lot from him. He's still young, so I understand how he still doesn't really grasp how being trans* has affected my life other than the fact that he can't tell our mom and dad about my being trans*. But he's not the only person out there who doesn't get it. Being trans* has a huge impact on how you live your life. Cis people don't realize that the things they take for granted become a lot harder to do or access when someone's trans*.
Bathrooms: Do you have any idea how difficult it is to use the bathroom as a trans* person? There's always a fear that you will be thrown out of the bathroom because you "don't look like a man/woman." In some places, there are gender-neutral bathrooms. However, my school doesn't have any. Well, there's one, but it's in the nurses office which is away from most classrooms. Some days I walk up to the bathrooms at my school, look left towards the boys bathroom, look right towards the girls bathroom, and then turn around and head back to class. Why? It may not be safe for me to use either of them. The girls could scream and try to kick me out. The guys could try to beat me up. While that probably wouldn't happen at my school, I'd rather not take the risk.
Getting a Job: There is still a lot of discrimination in the workplace against people in the LGBTQ community. It becomes much harder to find a job if you're open about your sexual/gender orientation. In some parts of the country, yes the U.S., it is legal for someone to deny you a job or even fire you because you are transgender. 97% of trans* people have been mistreated at work because they are trans*. Also, the unemployment rate for trans* people is double the national average. They can't get jobs or are fired simply because of who they are.
Housing: Just like in the workforce, there are a lot of trans* people who can't find proper housing because they are trans* According to the National transgender Center for Equality, about 19% of trans* people have experienced homelessness. That is much higher than it should be. 19% of trans* people have also been denied housing because they are out. People should not have to hide who they are just so they can get some decent housing.
Medical Care: This one may seem odd, but it is a real issue. About 50% of trans* people often have to educate their own doctors on what being transgender is and what it means for their health (NCTE). I know I've had to educate some people I really shouldn't have had to simply because they're doctors and they should know at least the basics. Also, many trans* people are denied medical care because of their trans* status. 19% of trans* people report being denied medical treatment because of their trans* status.
Despite what people say about America being a nation of liberty and justice for all, it really is a nation of cisgender privilege. No one should be denied any right given to an American citizen simply because their gender doesn't match their sex. However, this kind of discrimination happens every day in the United States. So much for being the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Sorry this was a heavy one today. I just felt like I needed to say this. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for topics for me to write about, post them in the comments section below. Thanks, and I'll see you soon.
Lots of love,
Nick
P.S.: All statistics come from the National Transgender Center Center for Equality. To see their full website, click here: http://transequality.org/index.html
To see their page of statistics, click here: http://transequality.org/PDFs/Executive_Summary.pdf
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