Youth Transgender Support Group

The Fight for and the Right to Independence

We have just concluded another 4th of July celebrating the independence of our great country.  It seems quite ironic that for many in this country this fight for independence and freedom, for which many have fought and died carries conditions.  I'm reminded almost daily that for many Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender U.S. Americans, independence is still not possible...but we must not give up the fight for equality for everyone of our citizens.

I am honored and happy to share with you this amazing piece composed by friend and colleague, Dr. Warren Blumenfeld.  I hope you will let him know how much you appreciate the great work he continues to do in the fight for equality and freedom.  "None of us are free, until all of us are free."


Why Do You Call Me Faggot?
An Editorial in Verse by Warren J. Blumenfeld

As you drive down the boulevard
Why do you call me “faggot”?

Alone or with your fellows
You shriek menacing refrains
Bellowing in mocking intonations

You blast your horn
Or slow your pace
Or circle back to reprise your taunts

What fuels this need inside?
Who gives permission and cover?

Where does this entitlement stem?
Who offers tacit approval?

When I express gender traditionally
Why do you call me “faggot”?

When I gender non-conform
Why do you call me “faggot”?

When I walk alone or in company
Why do you call me “faggot”?

For I am a person, like you, making my way in the world

I am a professor at your university
I am a neighbor in your town
I shop where you shop
And I breathe the air you breathe

Sunlight shines on me as on you
Rain and snow wash over me as over you

Like the Eastern Goldfinch, the Cardinal, and the Dove
Heartland winds tug and lift me
Do they lift you too?

And I am comfortable in my skin
Are you comfortable in yours?

So why do you call me “faggot”?

Dr. Warren J. Blumenfeld, Associate Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Iowa State University. He is co-editor of Investigating Christian Privilege and Religious Oppression in the United States, Editor of Homophobia: How We All Pay the Price, and co-editor of Readings for Diversity and Social Justice.

Permission granted to forward, post, or publish this essay. wblumen@iastate.edu

Dr. Warren J. Blumenfeld
Associate Professor
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011
Office 515-294-5931
Home 515-232-8230
Email: wblumen@iastate.edu
Blog: http://www.warrenblumenfeld.com

Counter Protesting is Counterproductive with the Westboro Baptist Church

One of the great pleasures of working at UCF is being surrounded by amazing and talented students.

The purpose of my blog has always been to provide a voice and a point of view on subjects that require discussion and action.


Westboro Baptist Church, for me, has always been a group of people, that evoke powerful emotions through their images and actions.  That is their purpose.  They have decided to again to pay a visit to our community at the end of this month.  According to their press release, "WBC will picket the fag-infested pervert run Dr. Phillips High School" on April 29, 2011 from 6:50-7:30am.  For every one of their visits, a lot of energy is spent in deciding, how should we, as a community, respond.  Do we counter protest, displaying support for their targeted organization, but giving WBC the kind of attention they really seek?  Or do we just ignore them because by doing so, we say, "we don't see your actions as significant or even worth our time?"

Sarah Nowak, a graduate student at UCF, did some research on the organization to better understand how it operated and the most appropriate response to their upcoming visit to Orlando.  I invited her to contribute her great work to my blog.  Congratulations Sarah...this is good!!

Counter Protesting is Counterproductive with the Westboro Baptist Church

In The Simpsons Treehouse of Horrors VI  “Attack of the 50-Foot Eyesores,” Lisa Simpson said that Springfield must stop paying attention to the giant advertising gimmicks; attention is what keeps them motivated. I wish this was the way it worked with the Wetsboro Baptist Church— just ignore them and they will go away. Maybe it’s not as simple as denying the WBC attention (although that is part of it), but there is even more to this tactic that seems to work when we take a look at how the WBC continues to fund their church.

Let me be clear, if the Westboro Baptist Church is “normal” then I’m glad I’m not normal. I’m proud to be queer. If they called me a fag I might just say thank you because it means I’m not like them. Their hateful speech pollutes my air until I suffocate. So, when I found out they were coming to Orlando, I started doing a little research for a clever sign at the counter protest. What I found changed the picture of the WBC as I knew it.  I then enlisted my mom to help me with the research (yea, I know, she’s awesome).  What I learned made me question whether a counter protest was the right approach with the WBC. Here is a summary of what I found, but read the first hand sources yourself and make up your own mind.

The WBC has been called “the most hated family in America” as the members are almost all relatives of Fred Phelps.  The church only claims 100 members, despite the large media presence of the WBC. The funeral protests (military and civilian alike) gained notoriety after Matthew Shepard’s funeral in 1998. Four of Phelps thirteen children are estranged but the rest live in Kansas (most in a WBC compound) with the family and most practice law. In fact, the Phelps Chartered law firm has such a successful reputation, that even those in Kansas who do not like the family utilize their legal services. The law firm’s success helps support the WBC including travel expenses to protests. The Phelps’ do not have any outside contributors to the church, states Shirley Phelps-Roper, the WBC spokesperson.  The church is a 501(3)c which means it has tax exempt status. They do not have to pay taxes they use the protests to find law suits that ultimately contribute to their income: “they know their first amendment rights very well and they have been very good at defending them” says Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center.  Their hate speech can get counter protesters so angry they might do something that violates the Phelps’s first amendment rights and the WBC will not hesitate to sue them. When the WBC sues, they generally win tens of thousands of dollars, most of which goes to legal fees. But, as they represent themselves, the legal fees go directly to help support the church.  

Also, I found comments stating that when nobody shows up to counter protest the media doesn’t show up. And when the media doesn’t show up the WBC protestors leave within a few minutes. Maybe the WBC is more like 50-Foot cartoon advertisements than I thought.  By the way, I’ve read that only four of them are supposed to show up for the protest in Orlando at Dr. Phillips High School. The Anti-Defamation League says their primary goal is garnering publicity for the church and its message, and every mention of the WBC is considered a victory.  Interestingly then, the picket schedule they posted online looks more like a band’s tour schedule especially when we consider 1,800+ counter protestors signed up on Facebook. Imagine if they charged admission…

The more I read about their legal history, the more I believed the online comments that the church was only a litigation scam.   I would have been relieved if I knew they didn’t really believe all of this crap but just used this vitriolic rhetoric for monetary gain. Unfortunately, I found reliable sources providing sufficient evidence that the WBC is not a scam. Nevertheless, the WBC does use the courts as a weapon to fund their church and further their message.  All this information was enough for me to agree with the late comedian Mitch Hedberg: “I’m against picketing but I don’t know how to show it.” The Phelps family is good at riling people up with their flag stomping, anti- military, anti- gay, anti-everything rhetoric. In other words, if I participated in a counter protest, there is a good chance I would get so mad that I might say or do something that would give them a reason to sue me. Besides giving me the headache and expense of a lawsuit, they would get more of the publicity they crave and, if they won money from me, I would actually be supporting the very cause I set out to protest.  They recycle the money back into the church and then they have more fuel to continue spreading the same violent rhetoric they have been spouting since 1955. The way to make the WBC shut up is to first do it ourselves. I’ll be protesting the WBC by staying home and keeping my money, my sanity, and my serenity. Ask yourself what you want to accomplish by counter protesting the WBC. Do your own research and then think for yourself.

Sara Nowak is a graduate student at the University of Central Florida pursuing an advanced degree in Non-Profit Management.  She graduated in 2010 from UCF majoring in Multicultural Humanities with a Women's Studies Minor.

If you would like to "disturb the universe," send me an email; disturbuniverse@gmail.com.

Central Florida Global Economic Forum Theme: “Redefining Competition in the 21st Century”

Attention Students:  
Here is an amazing opportunity to hear global thinkers and experts regarding "Global Economies of the Future!"

Tuesday, April 12, 2011  9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon

Student Union, Key West Ballroom

Speakers

Parag Khanna, author of “How to Run The World: Charting a Course to the Next Renaissance.” He is a leading geo-strategist, world traveler and author. Presently a Senior Research Fellow at the New America Foundation, he is author of the international best-sellers "How to Run the World: Charting a Course to the Next Renaissance" (2011) and "The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order" (2008). In 2008, Parag was named one of Esquire’s “75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century,” and one of fifteen individuals featured in WIRED magazine’s “Smart List.” Parag served in the foreign policy advisory group to the Barack Obama for President campaign. During 2007, he was a senior geopolitical advisor to United States Special Operations Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. From 2002-5, he was the Global Governance Fellow at the Brookings Institution; from 2000-2002 he worked at the World Economic Forum in Geneva; and from 1999-2000, he was a Research Associate at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.

Alex Counts, President and CEO of Grameen Foundation, a nonprofit organization that focuses on enabling the poor to escape poverty, using microfinance and technology. Counts founded Grameen Foundation and became its CEO in 1997, after working in microfinance and poverty reduction for 10 years. A Cornell University graduate, Counts’ commitment to poverty eradication deepened as a Fulbright scholar in Bangladesh, where he witnessed innovative poverty solutions being developed by Grameen Bank. He trained under Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the founder and managing director of Grameen Bank, and co-recipient of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. Counts has propelled Grameen Foundation’s philosophy through his writings: "Small Loans, Big Dreams: How Nobel Prize Winner Muhammad Yunus and Microfinance Are Changing the World." Counts also has been published in the Washington Post, the International Herald Tribune, the Miami Herald, the Christian Science Monitor and elsewhere. Counts chairs Project Enterprise’s board and is vice-chair of the Fonkoze USA board. He sits on the Advisory Council of the Center for Financial Inclusion and Co-Chairs the Microenterprise Coalition. Counts previously served as the legislative director of RESULTS, as a regional project manager for CARE-Bangladesh and speaks Bengali.

National Gay Teen Suicide Awareness Day - October 20th

From our great friends at One Orlando...Wednesday, October 20th, has been designated Gay Teen Suicide Awareness Day - there is a national call out to wear purple that day to remember - and educate.  Please join with people all across the nation to wear purple in honor of the recent gay suicides. Many of them suffered from homophobic abuse in their schools or in their homes. We want to take a stand to say that we will not tolerate this. Purple represents Spirit on the LGBTQ flag and that's exactly what we'd like all of you to have with you: spirit. Please wear purple on October 20th to remember all the lives of LGBTQ youth that have been lost due to homophobia. Tell your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and schools.

The LGBT Youth Candlelight Vigil will take place October 20th, at Lake Eola beginning at 7:00pm.  For more information:

LGBT Youth Candlelight Vigil

The UCF Vigil and Call-to-Action will take place the following evening, October 21st, beginning at 8:00pm at UCF's Reflection Pond.  The event is sponsored by the Delta Lambda Phi Colony at UCF, Equal, and Knight Allies.

A Letter from President Hitt to the UCF Community

As most of you know, our nation was rocked with the suicide deaths of six young gay men who took their own lives because of bullying.  All of these deaths, which occurred in less than a month's time frame created for many a sense of loss or a remembrance of bullying in their lives.  Two of the young men who died were students on college campuses.

President Hitt responded with a letter to the UCF community regarding the death of one of those young men, Mr. Tyler Clemente, and to the issue of bullying.  The reactions to Dr. Hitt's letter have been as varied as the students, faculty, and staff who make up the community.

Many of you have posted your comments on facebook.  Let's put them here so we can talk about your comments in a place of anonymity.  Following the statement released by the President, I will post some of the comments presently sent to me by students, faculty, and staff.  Please add yours!!

10/01/10

Submitted by: Sandra Cherepow
Submitted for: John C. Hitt, President
Subject: Message from UCF President John C. Hitt

The tragic death of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi has shocked
millions of people around the country. On behalf of the entire UCF family, I
send our heartfelt sympathies to his family, his friends and the Rutgers
community.

Though Tylers death focuses attention on the challenges faced by members of the
gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities, bullying and harassment
know few bounds. Tylers senseless death is a reminder that we must treat
everyone with dignity and respect.

At UCF, we are committed to providing students as well as faculty and staff
members an inclusive and accepting environment, free from the type of
reprehensible conduct alleged in Tylers death.

In fact, inclusivity and diversity have been one of our universitys five goals
since I came to UCF in 1992. Inclusivity and diversity were important then, and
they are equally important today.

Thanks to the resources available at UCF, there are many opportunities for
students, staff members and faculty members to feel welcome or to find help.
For example:

* The UCF Counseling Center offers a range of services, and I encourage anyone
who needs its assistance to call 407-823-2811 or e-mail councntr@mail.ucf.edu.

* The trained professionals at the UCF Police Department are available to
investigate any alleged criminal conduct of bullying or harassment.

* University organizations such as ALLIES and Equal provide acceptance, a safe
haven, a listening ear and support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender
persons, and to those exploring their sexual identity. More information can be
found at: http://counseling.sdes.ucf.edu/?id=diversity_allies and
http://www.equalucf.org/eq/node/124

The considerable resources the university devotes to these issues are in
addition to those available elsewhere in Central Florida, including support
groups, religious organizations, community programs and more.

Finally, one of the core values of the UCF Creed is Community, which charges us
to promote an open and supportive campus environment by respecting the rights
and contributions of every individual.

Accordingly, we will continue the important work of making UCF a welcoming and
compassionate university where bullying, harassment and intimidation are
unacceptable.
The following are some of the comments:

"It's finally great seeing our UCF President care about our GLBT students"
"I don't understand why he sent it out.  This didn't happen on our campus."
"Did anyone proof this before they sent it out?  It looks really bad coming from the President's office."
"I think it's a great start.  I really appreciate him calling that out."
"The freakin' website for Equal isn't even right.  There goes your credibility, John!"
"People need to know this stuff goes on all the time.  Thanks!"
"Let's see.  My first two choices are to 1) go to the counseling center because I might be sick, and 2) go to the ucf police department because they might treat me like a criminal.  Not much of a choice."
"Hitt lost his credibility when it got to the line about the "professionally trained police officers."
"We have to do something about this problem of bullying, especially our gay kids. No one deserves to die so young. Thank you for putting it out there."
"It's about the most unfeeling statement I've ever read.  Did he really write this?"

Do I Dare Disturb the Universe - If not me, then who, if not now, when?

This is the second year I've had the pleasure of presenting to the Burnett Honor's College as a part of their Symposium series.  It is indeed an honor to share space with amazingly talented young people.  Each time I am asked to speak, it is a serious and contemplative process in what should be shared.  I've listened to them speak about how "boring, uninspiring, tired, and unrelatable" they find these sessions.

The pressure is on to not commit the sins of those who've come before me.  The challenge is to be relevant, relatable, righteous, and real!  To that end, I chose a line from a work by T.S. Eliot; "Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?"

Those words are printed BOLDLY on my bathroom mirror as well as at both my desks.  It is both my mantra and commandment.  It defines my role in the institution where I'm employed and outlines the expectation of a society that still struggles to find a place of value for all its citizens.

With topic in hand or at least in my head and in the presence of brilliance and greatness..."we" began the process of learning and unlearning in order to answer the question, "Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?"  This blog is intended to capture the successes, outline the challenges, and encourage those committed to building communities of justice by pushing and questioning and recognizing change never happens until the first person takes that first action to declare, "This is not fair!  This is not right! This is not just!"

Let's use the space to create and encourage for fairness.  Let's discuss how community begins to be experienced in a place that values the contributions of everyone; not just the privileged few!  Let's say, "If not me, then who and if not now, when?"

"Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice! (mlk, jr.).

Let's go...mf