Belleville West High School presides in the middle of an abandoned field and a family oriented community. Here you’ll find different clubs and activities that can fit just about every student’s liking. However, Spectrum, the LGBT club, has the lowest rate of members of all school clubs.
Spectrum is a support group for those who are apart or supporters of the LGBT community. Those who attend share stories about their struggles living in the community. Many believe that Spectrum isn’t highly well known due to the fact of what they cover in meanings, but this isn’t in the case at all. “I’d say it’s because it’s still a relatively new club,” Says Mrs. Casper-Bassler, a well loved art teacher at West, “It takes about five years for a club to actually
…show more content…
catch on.” Those who have never attended such a club as Spectrum will argue that there isn’t much of a need for it.
But those who do attend see Spectrum as an escape route. “Spectrum is important because maybe those in the community are not accepted at home, so at least they have a place to feel good at.” Alyssa Marchand, a recently out member of the community states.
Many members who attend Spectrum are not only a part of the LGBT community, but also due with many mental health issues such as anxiety or depression. Although these are touchy topics, some of the meetings have discussions about their struggles. Many of the members believe that Spectrum should broaden their curriculum and touch more on ways to deal with things like depression or abuse. “I feel like we’re passed the day in age where certain things weren’t accepted..” Braeson Davis states, “I don’t think we need to belittle things anymore. It’s too big of an issue to ignore.”
Even though we live in a place in time where LGBT people can freely love who they want without facing consequences, there are still incidents of people being targeted just because of their sexuality or for being a support for those who are attracted to the same sex. Even at West many of the members of Spectrum have been demonized by bigots. As this still remains to be a huge issue, those in the club come together to find many ways to stand up against their bullies in a peaceful
manner. The biggest issue Spectrum faces is finding the right way to promote the club and how to educate the students on the LGBT community. “Maybe one of us can make a presentation or fliers or even go into classrooms and present information.” Jasper Paule states. The LGBT community sure has came a far and with the development of support groups in schools, the new generation of the community will develop skills that past generations neglected. Clubs like Spectrum give kids a shoulder to lean on and a place to escape the negativity in this country. With the help of clubs like Spectrum, students at Belleville West finally have a sense of belonging.
They develop four main themes surrounding their finds: leaving aggressive social environments, facing 'coming out' in meaningful ways, remembering the social environment, and turning challenges into opportunities and strengths (Askura and Craig 2014: 254-5). Asakura and Craig confirm that life did not automatically get better for these participants. They conclude, “future activism and media campaigns should incorporate stories on how LGBTQ people’s lives are getting better and focus on how we as a society can make it better for today’s LGBTQ youths” (Askura and Craig 2014: 265). Asakura and Craig cover detailed information and exceptional insight to whether or not the “It Gets Better” campaign has had an impact on LGBTQ youths. In comparison to Kidd’s “Not that There’s Anything Wrong with That: Sexuality Perspectives,” this article gives personal quotes on suicide instead of just insight. This source perceives the argument that life does not automatically get better for LGBTQ youth after watching an inspirational “It Gets Better” campaign video. However, the question still hangs whether or not the “It Gets Better” campaign has provided enough strength and motivation to decrease the overall amount of LGBTQ youth
In certain countries such as the U.S, people discriminate against others to a certain extent based off their gender, race, and sexuality. Butler states that “to be a body is to be given over to others even as a body is “one own,” which we must claim right of autonomy” (242). Gays and Lesbians have to be exposed to the world because some of them try to hide their identity of who they truly are because they are afraid of how others are going to look at them. There are some who just let their sexuality out in the open because they feel comfortable with whom they are as human beings and they don’t feel any different than the next person. The gender or sexuality of a human being doesn’t matter because our bodies’ will never be autonomous because it is affected by others around us. This is where humans are vulnerability to violence and aggression. In countries across the globe, violence and attack are drawn towards tran...
In the past decades, the struggle for gay rights in the Unites States has taken many forms. Previously, homosexuality was viewed as immoral. Many people also viewed it as pathologic because the American Psychiatric Association classified it as a psychiatric disorder. As a result, many people remained in ‘the closet’ because they were afraid of losing their jobs or being discriminated against in the society. According to David Allyn, though most gays could pass in the heterosexual world, they tended to live in fear and lies because they could not look towards their families for support. At the same time, openly gay establishments were often shut down to keep openly gay people under close scrutiny (Allyn 146). But since the 1960s, people have dedicated themselves in fighting for
There is arguably no group that has faced more discrimination in modern society than queer people of color. Although often pushed together into a single minority category, these individuals actually embrace multiple racial and sexual identities. However, they suffer from oppression for being a part of both the ethnic minority and queer communities. As a result, members are abused, harassed, and deprived of equal civil rights in social and economic conditions (Gossett). In response to the multiple levels of discrimination they face in today’s society, queer people of color have turned to the establishment and active participation of support organizations, resources, and policies to advocate for overall equality.
HIV/AIDS is a major risk factor affecting a large portion of the LGBT community, especially gay men. CDC.gov (2013) found that gay and bisexual men of all races continue to be at high risk for developing HIV. According to Krehely (2009) the drug and substance abuse risk factor, as well as mental health issues in the LGBT community often occur and are related to high rates of stress due to the lack of family acceptance of the LGBT lifestyle, systematic discrimination, and the lack of cultural competency in the health care environment. Sexu...
Homosexuality has existed since the beginning of recorded human history and yet, attitudes towards gay and lesbian individuals vary extensively. Some societies tolerate them; others openly welcome and encourage them; and most blatantly condemn them (Bates, 46). Throughout our country’s history, homosexuals have been misunderstood and discriminated against, leading many to acquire an irrational fear of gays and lesbians. Known as homophobia, this fear has prompted heterosexual individuals with a feeling a superiority and authority when using the word “homosexual” interchangeably with the words pervert, faggot, sodomite, and so on. Homophobes typically perceive homosexuality as a threat to society. Nonetheless, the Gay Rights Movement has achieved impressive progress since 1973 when the American Psychological Association (APA) eradi...
The persecution of homosexuals during this age of McCarthy proved exactly how vulnerable they were to attack and discrimination. Out of those persecutions came some of the first organized “gay rights” groups, known as Homophile organizations, the first two being the Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilibis (who focused their efforts on Lesbian rights). Founded in 1950 by Harry Hay, the...
It is very reasonable to conclude that research on depression of those who identify as gay, lesbian or transsexual is not accurate; there is an underreporting of people who identify as these sexual orientations because of the fear of being different. It is understood that those apart of the LGBTQ community actively hide their identity in hopes to avoid being rejected or abused (Bird, 2013). Once the reporting issue of having a smaller percentage of the actual representation of the LGBTQ population is put aside, there is evidence that highly suggests that lesbians and gay men are at higher risk for psychiatric disorders than heterosexuals (Cochran, 2001). Even after underreporting, there is still enough information to conclude that sexual discrimination can have harmful effects on the quality of life. Common factors that have been observed in lesbians and gays that can potentially increase depression during Cochran's study are anxiety and mood disorders and decreased self esteem. Cochran and her partner also noted that dissatisfaction with how one is treated beca...
Currently in today’s society, coming out as gay is easier than admitting to a serious mental health problem. This effect puts a burden on teens who suffer from problems and don’t know where to go which led to the increase of teen suicides as seen in the media. In the average classroom size, about three of the twenty-four students have depression, not mentioning other common disorders such as bipolar disorder, panic disorder, ADHD, conduct disorder, and eating disorders. Without better programs in schools to prevent and inform about mental disorders, the current taboo on them, the bullying of students suffering, and the romanticization of diseases will continue to increase the negative effect mental disorders have on teens. The media may have started a battle against the taboo with stars admitting to problems, but in most schools in America silence wrings through the halls about mental health.
This October 31st, eager children will fill the streets dressed in their black, pointy witch hats and striped socks, oblivious to the fact that only three centuries ago, those thought to be witches could be hung, tortured or burned at the stake. On that same night, fondly dubbed "Gay Christmas", LGBT members can roam the streets free of the harsh gaze of the militant religious. Throughout history, the label "Witch" has been synonymous with "Evil" and those with the label have endured extreme persecution, including the loss of their property, esteem and death. Today, those in the LGBT community experience similar conditions in that they have lost jobs, homes, reputation, and have even been physically abused, simply because of who they are.
Extracurricular clubs are just another thing added to students’ everyday schedule. It’s where they meet friends, share interests, find new hobbies and create memories that last a lifetime. What if schools didn’t provide the right club need for their students? In 2007, out of almost 100,000 schools in America, only 3,000 of those schools had registered GSA clubs (“GLSEN Releases Research” para. 2 ). “GSAs are student-run clubs that aim to make the school community a safer place for all LGBTQ+ and straight students” (“Frequently Asked Questions” para. 2). Students are relying on these clubs to help them stand up against discrimination and to help the school understand and respect the LGBTQ+ community (“Districts Get Warning” para. 7). Despite
Countless organizations are available with the purpose of serving LGBT people who may be suffering, physically, mentally, or emotionally. One of the many goals of the LGBT community is to celebrate individuality, diversity, and sexuality. The LGBT does serve these needs, as it provides a place where gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people can be apologetically themselves.
There are valid arguments for the various racially "isolated" clubs in that they provide a support network and common identity for students who might otherwise feel culturally marooned on a campus as large as ours. (Specifically, I feel that the "Iranian Students Club," "Armenian Americans" and "Hillel House," to name a few, all provide emotional support to students away from home and their native culture.)
When one hears the words “LGBT” and “Homosexuality” it often conjures up a mental picture of people fighting for their rights, which were unjustly taken away or even the social emergence of gay culture in the world in the1980s and the discovery of AIDS. However, many people do not know that the history of LGBT people stretches as far back in humanity’s history, and continues in this day and age. Nevertheless, the LGBT community today faces much discrimination and adversity. Many think the problem lies within society itself, and often enough that may be the case. Society holds preconceptions and prejudice of the LGBT community, though not always due to actual hatred of the LGBT community, but rather through lack of knowledge and poor media portrayal.
In Julie Serano’s book Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity she emphasizes that while the LGBTQ community is important and serves a purpose for its members, she also believes there is life outside such a community. Serano strongly states in her book that while the LGBTQ community serves a purpose, they would be more effective if they did not discriminate within their own community. According to Serano, discrimination within a community hurts all its members because not everyone feels accepted. In Andrew Holleran’s book Dancer from the Dance, he places a large emphasis on the need for community for those that identify as LGBTQ. In Dancer from the Dance, the community is portrayed as a place of safety and acceptance. Holleran illustrates through his characters that discrimination does not exist within their community, but he also paints the picture that there is little e...