Pride On The Sidewalk
This is my second action project for my humanities course, Global Peace. For this project we were tasked with picking an issue to act on through a form of peaceful protest. The paper and presentation below is the summation of my research, my action and my purpose.
In today's world, young LGBT people feel alone. The lack of representation and recognition in the media and minimal at best protections from discrimination. A few small steps have been made towards addressing systematic oppression, but not much has been done to address what is known as cultural violence. Cultural violence is the unspoken stigma of a community or society that can establish, normalize and justify oppression. It is part of the bedrock that sparks direct violence, a specific incidence or an act harming a person or group of people. Direct violence targeting the LGBT community is a norm hardly ever addressed by the traditional mainstream news outlets. This complete disregard of an abominable injustice that so many people face is despicable. Young LGBT people are bullied and harassed daily. Of the reported, 3.2 million teens identifying as LGBT+, 58% or 1,856,000 students feel unsafe in their school (Williams Institute). We are long past the point of necessitating action against the injustices that our fellow humans face.
Before confronting any issue it is important to understand the problem. On the ladder of tolerance, a ranking of the severity of a conflict, LGBT discrimination in America falls on the fifth rung, dehumanization. Not long ago and even still in other countries, it would fall one rung down, oppression. The tree, a method of conflict analysis, is a useful way to do this. The tree method can be used to look at the roots of the problem, what are the underlying causes, then compare those to the branches, what the perceived story and conflict are. LGBT discrimination has been standard practice for centuries, with the origin often cited as the bible. This may be partially true, some individuals interpretations of Christianity and the word of god have perpetuated this. However, there is not one mention of the word homosexual in the bible. I would consider the roots of LGBT discrimination the lingering historical sentiments and standards. The branches of the issue are the present day acts of violence, both direct and cultural.
A non-violent organization that is making a change is The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project is the leading organization in the US serving LGBT youth. They provide crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBT teens and youth. They also advocate for laws and policies that will reduce if not end, suicide. Since its founding in 1998, hundreds of thousands of young people have reached out to the projects multiple in-person and online resources. These people are still alive today thanks to the Trevor Project. This work, addressing direct violence.
I have chosen to take action using two of Sharp’s methods of peaceful protest. The first one, number 18, displays of flags and symbolic colors. The second one correlating with my actions, number 26, paint as protest. I drew the pride flag and wrote the iconic “#lovewins” throughout my neighborhood using sidewalk chalk. My goal was that any LGBT person who saw, especially those who are unable to come out, to know that they are not alone and that there is hope. I chose to act through paint as protest because it is a simple act that is both highly noticeable and a good way to reach a wide audience. Historically, paint has been used extensively to spark change in a community. I felt Sharp’s point of displays of flags and symbolic colors was defining of my action. I utilized the meaning of the flag, its colors and the hashtag to communicate my message. The pride flag is a well-known symbol and the hashtag is a slogan synonymous with the community, both things meaning hope and unity. The flag was adopted by the community in the year 1978 thanks to San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker. Some additions have been made and alternatives exist, but the original version featuring 6 colors the original is most recognizable. Each color has its own meaning. Red represents life, orange represents healing, yellow represents sunlight, green represents nature, blue represents harmony and peace, and violet represents peace.
Sarvodaya, one of Gandhi’s guiding principles of peaceful protest, is the uplifting of all. If you bring up one person you are uplifting all. This is relevant to the purpose of my action as I set out to uplift the oppressed because even one small act can do a world of good.
After doing this I was unsure if anything would happen if people would take notice and react to it. The effect my action has had on people is something I will never know for certain. I do know that my action has had a positive impact on me. I have gained a greater understanding of not only the topic of LGBT oppression but also how I can make a change. I learned change starts at the small and seemingly insignificant things.
 |
| Pride Flag, Wikicommons (2005) |
In today's world, young LGBT people feel alone. The lack of representation and recognition in the media and minimal at best protections from discrimination. A few small steps have been made towards addressing systematic oppression, but not much has been done to address what is known as cultural violence. Cultural violence is the unspoken stigma of a community or society that can establish, normalize and justify oppression. It is part of the bedrock that sparks direct violence, a specific incidence or an act harming a person or group of people. Direct violence targeting the LGBT community is a norm hardly ever addressed by the traditional mainstream news outlets. This complete disregard of an abominable injustice that so many people face is despicable. Young LGBT people are bullied and harassed daily. Of the reported, 3.2 million teens identifying as LGBT+, 58% or 1,856,000 students feel unsafe in their school (Williams Institute). We are long past the point of necessitating action against the injustices that our fellow humans face.
Before confronting any issue it is important to understand the problem. On the ladder of tolerance, a ranking of the severity of a conflict, LGBT discrimination in America falls on the fifth rung, dehumanization. Not long ago and even still in other countries, it would fall one rung down, oppression. The tree, a method of conflict analysis, is a useful way to do this. The tree method can be used to look at the roots of the problem, what are the underlying causes, then compare those to the branches, what the perceived story and conflict are. LGBT discrimination has been standard practice for centuries, with the origin often cited as the bible. This may be partially true, some individuals interpretations of Christianity and the word of god have perpetuated this. However, there is not one mention of the word homosexual in the bible. I would consider the roots of LGBT discrimination the lingering historical sentiments and standards. The branches of the issue are the present day acts of violence, both direct and cultural.
A non-violent organization that is making a change is The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project is the leading organization in the US serving LGBT youth. They provide crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBT teens and youth. They also advocate for laws and policies that will reduce if not end, suicide. Since its founding in 1998, hundreds of thousands of young people have reached out to the projects multiple in-person and online resources. These people are still alive today thanks to the Trevor Project. This work, addressing direct violence.
I have chosen to take action using two of Sharp’s methods of peaceful protest. The first one, number 18, displays of flags and symbolic colors. The second one correlating with my actions, number 26, paint as protest. I drew the pride flag and wrote the iconic “#lovewins” throughout my neighborhood using sidewalk chalk. My goal was that any LGBT person who saw, especially those who are unable to come out, to know that they are not alone and that there is hope. I chose to act through paint as protest because it is a simple act that is both highly noticeable and a good way to reach a wide audience. Historically, paint has been used extensively to spark change in a community. I felt Sharp’s point of displays of flags and symbolic colors was defining of my action. I utilized the meaning of the flag, its colors and the hashtag to communicate my message. The pride flag is a well-known symbol and the hashtag is a slogan synonymous with the community, both things meaning hope and unity. The flag was adopted by the community in the year 1978 thanks to San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker. Some additions have been made and alternatives exist, but the original version featuring 6 colors the original is most recognizable. Each color has its own meaning. Red represents life, orange represents healing, yellow represents sunlight, green represents nature, blue represents harmony and peace, and violet represents peace.
Sarvodaya, one of Gandhi’s guiding principles of peaceful protest, is the uplifting of all. If you bring up one person you are uplifting all. This is relevant to the purpose of my action as I set out to uplift the oppressed because even one small act can do a world of good.
After doing this I was unsure if anything would happen if people would take notice and react to it. The effect my action has had on people is something I will never know for certain. I do know that my action has had a positive impact on me. I have gained a greater understanding of not only the topic of LGBT oppression but also how I can make a change. I learned change starts at the small and seemingly insignificant things.
Comments
Post a Comment