This summer, I have hung out almost exclusively with queer people, and I've had a blast. I've been participating in a lot of queer social organizations that I didn't have time for last year, I've attended several LGBT-orientated conferences, and most of my friends who stayed in Boston over the summer or that I met this summer are queer.
BAGLY, the Boston Alliance of GLBT Youth, had its 28th Anniversary Party recently, which drew more than a hundred queer youth from across Boston. We saw a amazing slide show about the the history of BAGLY, and the Executive Director did a Q&A. I also performed with the Boston Radical Cheerleaders, and there was lots of cake. It was fabulous.
It was at the Anniversary Party that I realized the extent of the queer bubble that I have been living in all summer. I'm not really sure if this bubble is a good thing that has provided me with a much needed supportive environment, or if I have just been isolating myself from “the real world”. All I know is that I'm not looking forward to going back to school and shattering this bubble.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
I want it to happen in my lifetime
"I didn’t think it would happen in my lifetime." I often hear that statement from older GLBT people in reference to same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. In 2004, the MA Supreme Judicial Court ruled that not allowing same-sex couples to marry was unconstitutional. I was in 7th grade, and I wrote my final history paper on it. On May 17, 2004, at midnight, the City of Cambridge began issuing marriage certificates to same-sex couples. I was there. I remember the celebratory mood, the disbelief that we could finally get married, but undeniable happiness that we were now equal.
We have fought for the last 4 years to protect our right to marry, and have defeated campaigns to take our rights away. The 1913 law, which prohibited out of state couples from getting married in MA if their marriage would be illegal in their home state, was recently repealed, and now everyone who wants to can get married in MA.
I was 16 when I heard about ENDA. I had been doing trans-related activism for under a year, and didn’t understand the history behind ENDA. But I did understand that it was not right that GLBT people could get fired from their jobs for being themselves. I also knew that transgender people were disproportionately affected by poverty, and faced significantly more employment discrimination that the rest of the community. I understood that the transgender community needed legislation that provided them with much-needed protections.
Massachusetts passed their sexual orientation non-discrimination act two years before I was born, and many other states still do not have these protections. I’m 17 years old, and I’m still not protected against discrimination based on gender identity or expression in employment, education, housing, credit, or anything else.
We, as a community, have put amazing resources into fighting for marriage. Now, we need to devote our resources to fighting for non-discrimination legislation that includes our whole community. I want to be able to believe that, in my lifetime, we will be protected from discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression.
We have fought for the last 4 years to protect our right to marry, and have defeated campaigns to take our rights away. The 1913 law, which prohibited out of state couples from getting married in MA if their marriage would be illegal in their home state, was recently repealed, and now everyone who wants to can get married in MA.
I was 16 when I heard about ENDA. I had been doing trans-related activism for under a year, and didn’t understand the history behind ENDA. But I did understand that it was not right that GLBT people could get fired from their jobs for being themselves. I also knew that transgender people were disproportionately affected by poverty, and faced significantly more employment discrimination that the rest of the community. I understood that the transgender community needed legislation that provided them with much-needed protections.
Massachusetts passed their sexual orientation non-discrimination act two years before I was born, and many other states still do not have these protections. I’m 17 years old, and I’m still not protected against discrimination based on gender identity or expression in employment, education, housing, credit, or anything else.
We, as a community, have put amazing resources into fighting for marriage. Now, we need to devote our resources to fighting for non-discrimination legislation that includes our whole community. I want to be able to believe that, in my lifetime, we will be protected from discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
I Don't Know
When I was at the GLSEN conference about a month ago, one of the workshops that I went to was about why we say “I don’t know.” We talked about why people say it, and what can be said instead that will be more helpful. This workshop really struck a chord within me, and I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently, especially in regards to college and my plans after high school.
Most of the time, when I get asked about college, I say “I don’t know.” In this case, I am using “I don’t know” because I don’t want to tell them the answer. I actually do know exactly what is important to me in a college, and after significant research, I’m also pretty close to finalizing the list of schools I am applying to. I just don’t want to share this list with people who don’t really care where I am going, and are only asking me so that they can make judgments on me based on the schools that I am interested in.
Most of the time, when I get asked about college, I say “I don’t know.” In this case, I am using “I don’t know” because I don’t want to tell them the answer. I actually do know exactly what is important to me in a college, and after significant research, I’m also pretty close to finalizing the list of schools I am applying to. I just don’t want to share this list with people who don’t really care where I am going, and are only asking me so that they can make judgments on me based on the schools that I am interested in.
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