Dec

15

Speaking Out Against Homophobia: Next Steps

Filed Under Uncategorized | By Morgan J Curtis | Leave a Comment

by Tim Love and Morgan J Curtis

We promised to do a follow-up to the anti-homophobia pledge, and just when you were probably starting to give up on us, we are finally making good on our word.

So, we tried really diligently to come up with a nice round list of ten. And then, we thought to ourselves “Selves, why are we trying to adhere to some externally-imposed norm that lists like this have to be in tens or fives?” Forget that. Below are the six ideas that seemed important to use at this time as a follow-up to the resolution poster earlier. And if you are still hung up on the externally-imposed idea that lists should be in multiples of five, then please feel free to send us four or nine or fourteen (you get the idea) more ideas that really speak to you. It’s obviously not an exhaustive list, but it’s a good start.

  1. Notice your language – Does your language suggest an assumption that everyone is heterosexual? Do you ask women about boyfriends and husbands or men about wives and girlfriends without knowing their sexual orientation? For example, an instructor in a class Morgan was taking always said, “when you go home to your kids or your spouse…” Using terms like “spouse” are meant to cover both men and women who might be married, however, when marriage is only available to a certain segment of the population, it also inherently leaves out people who might be in committed relationships without the option of marriage, or who have chosen not to get married (and we can talk about that in a different blog post). In contrast, a different instructor would refer instead to people’s “partners” when discussing romantic relationships. These two different approaches set a very different tone in interactions and can be the difference between making people feel welcome or making them feel alienated. It might seem like a small issue, but language is a very strong component in setting and perpetuating norms. What kind of language do you use? Also, some heterosexual individuals have chosen to use the term “partner” to refer to the person they are in a romantic relationship with, rather than referring to the person as their wife, husband, boyfriend or girlfriend. (Note: If you make the choice to use the term “partner”, resist the urge to correct people if they assume you are not heterosexual. Use the opportunity, instead, to talk to the person about why they shouldn’t make assumptions.) Read more
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Dec

5

The Soundtrack of Justice

Filed Under Powerful Women | By Tim Love | Leave a Comment


Injustice is a difficult thing to talk about.  Sometimes we feel it all around us, but can’t point at any one event or characteristic of our world and say, “There it is.”  It can deeply affect how we feel inside, and yet because we can’t always name it or explain the feeling, it can get stuck inside of us and feed destructive anger and paralyzing despair.  

In the history of social movements, music has often been the one vehicle that can accomplish the complete expression of injustice – put to words our thoughts and emotions and release and express the anger, pain and despair that sits within our stomachs, allowing our very souls a voice so often silenced.  This release and expression allows our spirits to be uplifted and often helps us find a clear path for action.  For me, it has been singers like Pete Seeger, whom I saw perform at a protest in Fort Benning, Ga., Ani Difranco, Rage Against the Machine and, recently, the Flobots and Eliza Gilkyson.  For many of those who struggled for civil rights in the 1960′s, that voice was that of Odetta, who passed away in New York yesterday at the age of 77.  A Reuter’s story quotes “The Times” as saying that Rosa Parks was once asked which songs meant the most to her.  Rosa’s reply was, “All the songs that Odetta sings.”  The poet Maya Angelou once said “If only one could be sure that every 50 years a voice and a soul like Odetta’s would come along, the centuries would pass so quickly and painlessly we would hardly recognize time.” 

To find out more about the amazing voice, message and life of Odetta please check out the Reuter’s story above or simply google “Odetta.”  Also, you can listen to some of her music, including “O Freedom” which she sang at the Civil Rights March in 1963.

Have you discovered a song or singer who gives full expression to the injustice, or the good, you feel and see in the world around you? 

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