I needed this

Last night was the final class meeting for my Intro to GLBT Studies class: students planned a potluck, so we had a lot of cookies and pop, and although I did some teaching, mostly we celebrated and shared what we'd learned.

One student who's been struggling to come to class (and complete assignments!) said something that surprised me when it was her turn to talk: she said that she hasn't ever been one to speak up in class, but she's felt safe to do so in our class. That experience has enabled her to speak up in her other classes, too: she's gotten brave.

I felt proud about that! And then this morning, I checked into the class's webpage, and I found this message from her:

Subject: A letter to my favorite class <3 br="br">

First of all, I want to say that I feel so blessed to have met each and every one of you. You are all beautiful people. This class has meant so much to me, probably more than any of you will ever know. Like I said in tonights class, because of you all I was able to break from my shell and show you who I really am. Thank you so much for always accepting my thoughts and opinions with open arms. This class has had a tremendous impact on me as a person, and I will always carry that with me. You all will remain in my heart forever. Thank you, Julie for providing such a wonderful learning environment, and being a marvelous teacher. You are an amazing woman. Thank you all.

Much love,

[Student] (:

Delay

I guess if I'm not on vacation, I don't get around to blogging. Is it that I'm just busy? Sort of. Also, it seems as though I don't have much to blog about.

The week after spring break, I had one-on-one conferences with my writing students. I gave them back their midterm portfolios (five or six pieces of writing in each, which I had to grade before, during, and after break). Most students seemed to take the news of their midterm grade well. Notice I say "most." My Ethiopian grandfather is not happy, and about a half-dozen students did not show up for their conference.

This week, class is online because I was appointed (!) the moderator and respondent for our college's GLBTQ Film Fest all week. Yesterday, we watched The Celluloid Closet; today was Boys Don't Cry. I hadn't seen today's film, and it's a tragedy in so many ways. Absolutely stunning acting, too.

Hate

Last night, I went to bed in Minnesota. This morning, I woke up in some other state. Minnesota's legislature voted last night to put on the fall 2012 ballot a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

What is wrong with people? Why do heterosexuals think that the institution of "marriage" is something only they should have?

I just don't get it, especially because the latest Gallup Poll found that the majority of Americans support legalizing same-sex marriage.

Oh wait, I *do* get it: politics. Republicans make a power-play to beat-up-on the Democratic governor.

Republicans seem to be the party that's protecting the patriarchy: Suzanne Pharr's "Homophobia: A Weapon of Sexism" explains so many of the Republicans' moves for social control. They want to limit anything to do with the feminine, continue to keep women in subordinate positions, preserve the privilege of the patriarchy.

Fight back against their power to show that might does *not* make right.

For Class

The New York Times section called "Vows" has a weekly wedding video. This week, it's a great video of a same-sex couple. Enjoy!

On another note

I have been considering whether or not to post the YouTube video of a bunch of boys (some quite young) harrassing a man after Sunday's Pride festival. Now that MPR has written a news story about it, I'll pass it along.

If you check out the original YouTube video, you'll see that some of the commenters just turn their hatred on the Somali boys: as if two wrongs make a right.

And one comment confirms Suzanne Pharr's assertion that homophobia is a weapon of sexism: the comment reads "you have to feel sorry for the guy, but in the few times you see him speak, he's handling himself like a 14-year old girl." Clearly, acting like a 14-year-old girl is NOT a good thing. Right.

Wouldn't it be great if we lived in a world where acting like a 14-year-old girl was a COMPLIMENT? Something to aspire to? To admire?

No Dumb Questions

This weekend I "worked" (it was just as much fun as it was work) for the college at the Twin Cities Pride Festival. Although I was pretty frustrated on Thursday (schlepping boxes, a tent, a table drape -- all at three different locations on the campus, all involving parking in weird and even prohibited spaces, all while in a long skirt on a hot-and-humid day), by Sunday evening with the re-packing of my car I was happy and energized, reminded why I do this important work.

I probably talked with nearly a hundred people: some current students, some alums and former students, some really interested prospective students, a few faculty members, and many random interesting folks.

The stories I heard made me think about this good website, "No Dumb Questions," which provides video clips of LGBTQA folks -- stories we all need to hear. Here's a good example:

Wake up to homophobia

Every year, I organize the volunteers for our college's table at Twin Cities Pride. This task should rightfully be the Admissions office's responsibility, but they don't think the event has a big enough "yield potential for the college" (more than 400,000 people attend the two-day festival, so I'm just not sure what kind of "yield potential" the Admissions people need).

At any rate, yesterday I sent out my usual invitation for volunteers and woke up today to a half-dozen emails in response: five were "Yes, I can volunteer for a shift!" but one was as follows:

"Julie,

"I am NOT interested in this at all.
"Please remove my name off of your list for functions that pertain to this issues."

I wrote back, thanking her/him for the message [my inner good-girl coming out here], and noting that I did not know how to remove a single person from the "everyone" email ist I used: did s/he know?

I'm especially concerned about this situation because we've had some weird discussion on our campus about the "everyone" emails. Some people, evidently, hate them and are causing enough noise for our college to send out a survey asking about the use of "everyone" emails.

When I completed my survey last week, I couldn't imagine why anyone would object to the "everyone" emails -- if the message doesn't apply to you, just delete it is what I think! I personally like getting them because communication at our college is SO TERRIBLE that the "everyone" emails at least give a person the chance to know something about what's going on.

Since I couldn't figure out why anyone would object to the "everyone" emails, I brought up the topic at our department end-of-the-semester meeting last Friday. Two of my colleagues - one a long-time faculty member and one new-ish - railed against the "everyone" emails! They "hate" them because they go to class and come back to find "tons" of messages in their inboxes. The information "never" pertains to them. They "hate" them!

I was stunned by their reaction at first, but they are two very lazy colleagues, so it seems as though that characteristic may apply here.

The point related to the homophobic response, though, and the thing that makes me concerned is that our intensely incompetent and arrogant IT director will probably lock-down the "everyone" email option (currently, anyone can send an "everyone" email, which is just fine I think in terms of communication freedom). This man has come in and *wrecked* our IT infrastructure (and hired folks who are terrible, terrible, terrible -- the purple email above was from an IT person, coincidentally).

Anyway, it's now summer, and I should let go of the problems at work -- but I'm teaching summer school, including an Intro to GLBT Studies course, so maybe this homophobia will be a "teachable moment" for me. We'll see.

Great Video

I've been showing some videos in my Intro to GLBT Studies course, and I just finished previewing another one tonight: "Daddy & Papa: A Documentary Film by Johnny Symons." (Here's a video clip.) It's a wonderful look at gay fatherhood, many different kinds. We had it in the Century College Library when I went to pick up my usual "alternative families" video, "That's a Family!"

Both films raise more issues than simply sexual orientation; the intersections of race and class are not far under the surface. It's tough to see the blatant discrimination still alive in so many places, such as Florida. It's only *last week* that a judged ruled the state's ban on gay adoptions as unconstitutional. What century are we in?

It makes such a difference

I teach both required courses and elective courses. Last night was one of the electives, Intro to GLBT Studies. Students who take this course are actually interested in the topic unlike the students who take my other courses, Composition 1 or Tech Writing. Those students are compelled to take these because the courses are required for their degrees.

Last night, students engaged right away, had things to say, offered answers/solutions/insights to me and to *each other* in a way I infrequently get in my required courses. Last night students felt free to ask questions for which they *really* wanted to know answers:

For example, as we began our course with a discussion of vocabulary and definitions: "My husband's coworker used to be a man and had the surgery and now is a woman. Is she a transsexual or transgender?"

My answer (a paraphrase from memory): "You've brought up a really good issue that has to do with the meanings of words, categories, definitions. Things we think we all know -- like what 'woman' is or means -- aren't really so simple when we're talking about human beings who don't quite fit into our preconceived notions about a binary system. Some folks might call this person a transgender person because she's moved from the gender of 'man' to the gender of 'woman.' Some people might call her 'transsexual' because she's altered her body's sexual parts to be in line with 'woman.' But this person herself might not want either category or label; she might just want to be known as a 'woman,' plain and simple, because she's worked hard to achieve that status!"

I went on to talk more about the premises that undergird our understandings of words, concepts, ideas, and how these premises need to be revealed in order to understand what we're talking about. The mere fact that I brought up the word "premises" made two of my students think that their Logic course would be related to this GLBT course: how great is that! Students making connections across disciplines!

What a good night of conversation and learning with interesting, interested people.