11.25.13

Our GSA Potluck last week was a huge success!
Our main takeaways are that we are grateful, honored, and humbled to have the little GSA family here at LPS. We appreciate feeling heard and safe, and we love each other!
Photos coming soon...


Today, we discussed the privilege of "passing;" how that manifests in terms of being 'outed' versus having choice, the correlations to race and other identity markers, and focused primarily on transgender issues. What are the dangers of not being able to "pass" (i.e. physical harm, examples from high school bathroom), versus what are the responsibilities of being able to "pass" and still speaking up?  We considered the power of 'coming out,' even (or especially) coming out as the pronoun that most would assume, or coming out as straight or as an ally.  The act of choice and the rarified privilege of speaking out dovetail to make a political stance. 

11.18.13

Safe Space Submission Form

11.11.13

Andrea Gibson:  “I said to the sun, ‘Tell me about the big bang.’  The sun said, ‘it hurts to become.’

• the idea that we are constantly becoming ourselves...
• “Cogito Ergo Sum” -- I think, therefore I am
• it is only through pain that we know who we are

Making t-shirts!

• Wearing t-shirts...showing pride, people can tear down posters but this shows solidarity
• Pre-made t-shirts, or make our own?

Assignment for Friday:  come up with designs for shirts!

Video:

• different parts of San Jose?
• Co-production with Drama Club of video

11.1.13 Meeting Minutes

• Trans issues at single sex colleges
• Discussion of families – do we feel accepted?
• the need to feel accepted and feel loved for who we are, versus being scared
• we don’t feel SEEN
• parents aren’t there for us
• forcing us to do things (dressing in certain ways)
• “you can try with my little brothers, but your time with me is up...those first few years counted, and you weren’t there”
• “I was the test run child”
• The right to self-identify (‘who has the right to say they are a lesbian?’)
  
  

  by not honoring that fluidity, you are ostracizing those who made you feel marginalized

• The similarities between identity signifiers…gender and sexuality and race
• Identity politics!
• Performativity – Judith Butler
• Gender Trouble
• Differences between sex (cis, what you were born), sexuality (who you are attracted to), and gender (what you perform)