Ivy Sheward’s 3-2-1-Blog! Week 10

1st thing I learned: I learned that ‘queer’ isn’t a derogatory term. Though it has been used that way in the past (and sometimes now), it is a term that encompasses people identifying as Gay, a Lesbian, or Bisexual, etc.

2nd thing I learned: I learned about this “Smear the Queer” game. Basically, when played the ‘queer’ is on the bottom and everyone piles on top of them. We can look at it as queer people being under attack or being suppressed by straight people. Also, the ultimate power of this game belongs to the person on top of the pile because they aren’t being squished.

3rd thing I learned: I learned that 30% of suicides are committed by people that identify as a part of LGBTQIA+. I don’t really have words to describe how this makes me feel. It is sickening that there are people in the world that can’t feel free (or feel that it’s right) to be themselves.

1st connection I made: A connection I made was to the safety aspect of the reading. In grade 10, A student came out as gay in front of the school at a pep rally. The teachers at school didn’t want him to do it because they were worried about his safety at school. To their surprise, after he came out, the school welcomed him and there were more people coming out publicly.

2nd connection I made: Another connection I made was gay people in real life and on TV. In many TV shows there are gay (or non-straight) couples like Modern Family that get a lot of negative attention because they have gay actors and portray gay ideas. I can even say I’ve had friends who stopped watching How I Met Your Mother because they found out Neil Patrick Harris is gay. Isn’t that despicable?

1 question I still have: Though people with sexual identities different than mine don’t make make me uncomfortable, if a student confides in me about their sexual identity and asks for advice, what do I do? What resources can I use or people can I talk to?