Trying.

soylgbtq: flynturtle: Straight People and Lesbian, Gay,...

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:39:07 -0400

flynturtle:

Straight People and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Folk: Ally Training 101

I held an ALLY training 101 workshop with a group of about 30 high school students a week ago. Of the about 30 students, 20 or so were male identified and roughly 10 were female identified. The workshop is designed for college aged students and young professionals. And because the mini-conference asked us to host a workshop within a week of the event, I didn’t have much time to tailor it to my demographic. To be honest, I thought that the activities would allow the students to better understand their similarities and differences, learn the basics of LGBTQ, Ally, and privilege language, and allow them to have a dialogue about their own experiences in positions of powerlessness and need for support and allyship. Man, I was so wrong.

When it came time for the students to discuss their own experiences with oppression or times when they needed support, no one said a thing. The clock was louder than the students. I don’t think my partner knew what to do in that moment either; our activity was clearly not working with this group of students, even though we had tested it out two weeks prior with a high school aged youth group.

Luckily most of the students were Hmong, and I have experienced or witnessed many of the experiences they may have gone through. So I said, “I’m going to say a series of statements. If y’all have ever felt or experienced this before, please raise your hands.” Not knowing what to expect, I began saying a bunch of stuff.

“Girls, raise your hand if you’ve ever argued with your parents.” All of them raised their hands. “Girls, raise your hand if you’ve ever felt that the way you and your brothers are treated is unfair.” Again, all of them raised their hands. Then I asked, “Boys, raise your hands if you can stay out later than your sisters.” Most of the raised their hands. I followed with, “Boys, do you notice a difference in the way you and your sister(s) are treated?” Most of them raised their hands. “Do you ever think it is unfair how your sisters are treated.” Again, most of the boys raised their hands. “Boys, raise your hand if you’ve ever seen your sister argue with your parents or cry, fuss, or complain to you about the way she is treated.” All of them raised their hands.

“Boys, raise your hands if you’ve ever stepped in to support your sister in those arguments or let her cry to you, talk to you, or complain to you? None of the boys raised their hands. And then I asked, “Girls, raise your hand if your brothers have ever stepped in to help you during arguments or be a shoulder for you? None of the girls raised their hands. I followed with, “Girls, how many of you would have wanted your brothers to support you?” All of the girls raised their hands.

“What does it mean to be an ally?” I started, “An ally, at its core, is someone who supports, stands up for, and advocates for another person when he or she cannot stand up for themselves. As boys, you can stand up for your sisters without in ways that your sisters cannot because of fear, violence, or otherwise. You saw how the girls in the room wanted their brothers’ support and love, and you saw how many of you boys have never shown that support and love to your sisters in those situations. You, as someone who is privileged, who can act without the same consequences that girls face, must stand up for them and support them until they can stand up for themselves. And then you stand with them in their struggle for equality.”

“It is the same for LGBTQ folks. We cannot voice ourselves, defend ourselves, and advocate for ourselves in the same way that many of you, as heterosexual folks, can. For many of us, if and when we stand up for ourselves as LGBTQ folk, for our equality, there is a fear of violence, of disownment, of homelessness, of losing our families, of losing everything. For many of you in this room, you do not face these same consequences. You can support us, you can advocate for us, you can voice yourselves without the same fears and repercussions. You can be an ally and love your queer brothers, sisters, and friends through your support and your voice until they can support themselves. You do this because you love them. And you do this because you can.”

I had given a monologue to the students without realizing it. And then, they started clapping and they kept clapping. It was surprising, but it felt good. It felt good because it seemed like my words broke through to them, and that they understood what it meant to be an ally to someone - queer or not. Afterwards, during the Q&A a girl asked me, “Are you gay?” To which I replied, “No, I’m not…I’m hella gay, girl.” It was fun to be able to watch them start off not knowing what LGBTQ was and then seeing many of them leave with the understanding that being an ally, in the simplest terms, means loving someone enough to stand up for them. It made me miss the kids that I used to work with a lot. But one workshop down, an entire community to go.

SOY’s leadership team in action! Go team! Let’s continue educating the larger Hmong and Asian Pacific Islander community together! :)

Thank you.

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:58:16 -0400

Thank you.

the-japanese-diet: mameya8787: 五臓六腑に染み渡る、とはこのこと。#okayu Okayu ...

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:38:46 -0400

the-japanese-diet:

mameya8787:

五臓六腑に染み渡る、とはこのこと。#okayu

Okayu

Ahhhh…
Itadakimasu.

18mr: Happy birthday, Yuri Kochiyama! She turns 93 today.

Tue, 21 May 2013 02:37:52 -0400

18mr:

Happy birthday, Yuri Kochiyama! She turns 93 today.

djcreelfish: did i shout you out? i feel like i did in case you...

Sat, 18 May 2013 01:02:52 -0400

djcreelfish:

did i shout you out? i feel like i did in case you missed it press play

crudamoral:

1. Brandy “Slower”
2. Sisqo “Thong Song” (BOATS remix)
3. Kendrick Lamar “Poetic Justice (Oso Oakland remix)”
4. Cashmere Cat “Aurora”

— Set by DJ Creelfish —

5. BOATS “Warm Up”
6. Moods “Love Is Real” Instrumental

— Set by DJ Creelfish —

7. Moods “Love Is Real” Instrumental

Guess who’s baaaaack?! Yup, you guessed right. It’s Oakland native, DJ Creelfish — he graced our studio just 4 weeks ago for the very first time and we invited him one mo’ gin for yet another session of hot fire. His first set gives us a glimpse into the soundtrack of a Matrix-esque cave…in Zion. You’ll have to listen to understand better understand the description! Later in the show, he previews his new solo mixtape “the brxxk up” which is available for streaming/download on his soundcloud page! Press play and get your friday started the right way…

Creelfish; pride o’ the Town

Ah! Moe’s + cuppa tea(?) + plank.

Sat, 18 May 2013 01:00:35 -0400

Ah! Moe’s + cuppa tea(?) + plank.

explore-blog: Heartening stat of the day: Gallup finds that...

Wed, 15 May 2013 01:12:06 -0400

explore-blog:

Heartening stat of the day: Gallup finds that support for marriage equality has doubled since 1996, with approval now surpassing disapproval. Also see this animated GIF map of the geography of marriage equality since 1970 and the seminal 1993 essay instrumental in shifting the paradigm.

And don’t miss the most beautiful meditation on the issue yet – from a politician, no less.

explore-blog: Know your tome – anatomy of the book. Pair with...

Sat, 11 May 2013 12:56:04 -0400

explore-blog:

Know your tome – anatomy of the book. Pair with how a book is made, from antiquity to the Middle Ages to today.

andrewkodama: ipho

Sat, 11 May 2013 12:51:32 -0400

andrewkodama:

ipho

oldtimefamilybaseball: For once an athlete taking off his hat,...

Tue, 07 May 2013 23:31:35 -0400

oldtimefamilybaseball:

For once an athlete taking off his hat, shoes, and shirt for a fan doesn’t lead to scandal. Instead, Matt Kemp gifted those to a disabled fan when the team was in San Francisco last week.

And that’s why Matt is the MVKemp of my heart (to shamelessly steal David Temple’s phrase.)

Wow. No love for the Dodgers, but Matt Kemp giving the shirt off his back? Literally.

stevenbeckly: I have some work in the beautifully put together...

Tue, 07 May 2013 02:28:01 -0400

stevenbeckly:

I have some work in the beautifully put together third issue of Korean magazine, AVEC 03 La Main, The Hand. Preview the issue on their website, or order a copy here.

andrewkodama: pretty hyped, a photo I took was featured in a...

Mon, 06 May 2013 23:05:08 -0400

andrewkodama:

pretty hyped, a photo I took was featured in a Korean culture and lifestyle magazine called Avec. The photo was also used for their promotional poster.

http://www.avecmagazine.kr/index.php?/03-la-main/

sweeeeeeeet

Kudos! Reminds me of Michelangelo’s finger of God. (Or, ehem…Tenacious D’s Pick of Destiny)

sbnation: Jason Collins’ coming out receives support from Kobe,...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:56:58 -0400

sbnation:

Jason Collins’ coming out receives support from Kobe, Baron Davis and other NBA players

Ummm…

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 02:49:37 -0400

Ummm…

prometheusbrown: Come be the first to see and hear...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 21:20:28 -0400

prometheusbrown:

Come be the first to see and hear works-in-progress including previews of tracks from the forthcoming The Bar album Barkada and the fetus version of some unreleased Blue Scholars tracks. This event is my conclusionary presentation of my 3-month Town Hall Seattle artist residency, which also includes a presentation from scholar-in-residence David Mitsuo Nixon. Shit’s only five bucks and it’s from 6-9pm so you can watch Game of Thrones spoiler-free afterwards.

Click the photo or go here for tickets and more info.

indopacificradio: Bangka Journey Celebrates National Poetry...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 07:34:10 -0400

indopacificradio:

Bangka Journey Celebrates National Poetry Month April 2013

ROCK the BANGKA Poetry Contest

Write no more than 5 lines of your Bangka (Canoe)-themed poem written in English/Pilipino/Other Language/Halo-Halo

Deadline April 22, 2013

Four winners (plus 1 lucky friend each) will win a sailboat ride in a private boat on the San Francisco Bay. *18 Years and Above Only*

Sail May 2013

Submit poems, author’s name, address, contact info, email and date of birth to

Mylene@bangkajourney.com

by April 22, 2013.

Judges include Writer Paul Manansala

&

Leng Leng

For more information check out

http://bangkajourney.com/

Old Time Family Baseball: Beyond Good and Barry Zito

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 01:38:35 -0400

Old Time Family Baseball: Beyond Good and Barry Zito:

oldtimefamilybaseball:

(Photo via Pechner Sports)

“He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into the Barry Zito the Barry Zito also gazes into you.” - F. Nietzsche

It would be tough for any pitcher to live up to the seven-year, $126…

Zeetz; übermensch.

Elvis Costello - Tramp The Dirt Down (by alexredcloud) Scathing.

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:50:50 -0400

Elvis Costello - Tramp The Dirt Down (by alexredcloud)

Scathing.

Margaret Thatcher: the villain of political pop

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:34:13 -0400

Margaret Thatcher: the villain of political pop:

“I could name dozens more but there are hundreds in the third category: whole careers, like that of the Smiths, implicitly underpinned by opposition to Thatcherite values”

mari_matsuda Apr 06, 6:30pm via Twitter for BlackBerry® With...

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:24:38 -0400

mari_matsuda Apr 06, 6:30pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

With @BambuDePistola. 2 critical race theorists. Big mahaloz!