Download Outlet: Anti-Homophobia Leadership Training

Outlet: Anti-Homophobia Leadership Training
QSA Adaptation
1.) Welcome
a. Facilitator(s): Share names, maybe a little about why this issue is
important to you/something else to give audience a little knowledge about
you
b. Introduce QSA (explain what we do, our purpose on campus)
c. Credit workshop to Outlet (“a program for LGBTQQ youth that provides a
range of support services, leadership development, outreach, and advocacy
in order to empower LGBTQQ young people”)
d. Ask everyone else to share names if group is < 15 people
e. Ground rules – have the group come up with rules that for the discussion
(make sure thing like confidentiality, respect for others get included) –
write on a piece of paper where everyone can see them
2.) Icebreaker
a. Break up into pairs/groups of three
b. Each student should talk about something they did recently with only one
other person, without using any gender pronouns when discussing the
activity.
c. As a group: discuss – how did you feel not using any gender pronouns
when not talking about what you did? what would it be like to do that all
the time?
3.) Definitions
a. This probably depends on the group you are presenting to (i.e., freshman
dorm fall quarter versus activist group leaders).
b. Idea is to make sure that everyone understands what the terms that are
used mean and to emphasize that feelings/desires and behaviors may/may
not match.
c. Key words that may not be well known:
i. Sexual orientation: the deep-seated direction of one’s sexual
attraction, which is based on feelings and not behaviors. (key here
is feelings not behaviors – can just mention this, throw out as a
question to the audience)
ii. Transgender: Refers to a person whose gender doesn’t match their
physical sex.
iii. Queer: A term sometimes used negatively, but can be used
positively by people in the community to refer to themselves. In
theory, it’s more inclusive of everyone. (could ask audience what
this word means to them, how they see it used at Stanford versus at
home (might be useful in a freshman dorm) – emphasize that we
are using it positively but that it is viewed negatively by some
people and has previously been used as an insult)
iv. Homophobia: The irrational fear of homosexuality resulting in
prejudice and discrimination towards LGBTQQ people. (key is
irrational fear)
v. LGBTQQ: explain the acronym, possibly limit explanation to
LGBT since that’s used more at Stanford, basically just make sure
that whatever catchphrase you’re planning to use in the
presentation is defined for your audienc
4.) Homophobia and Heterosexism (THIS IS STILL BEING REVISED!!!)
a. Ask students about what attitudes they have seen towards being LGBTQQ
in their home towns, at Stanford, within the particular group you’re
meeting with (e.g., in their dorm, in their activist group, etc.)
b. Talk about where homophobic messages are spread (they may have just
mentioned some of those places) -> share examples, including:
i. DOMA, restrictions on marriage
ii. Ban on LGBTQQ people serving in the military (if needed,
emphasize that the military is a place where straight people can get
needed money for school, but this is banned for queer people)
iii. Lack of domestic partner benefits in many companies (whereas
one spouse would be granted health insurance, etc. through the
other’s employment, domestic partners don’t have these benefits)
iv. Hate crimes
c. Say: “One result of homophobia is that it creates stereotypes about people
based upon their sexual orientation and gender. These stereotypes are
often used to uphold and promote fear of those who deviate from what is
expected of them.
d. Ask: Where does homophobia come from?
i. Write students answers on white board
ii. Make sure you get “Power” and “Sexism”
iii. “Sexism is the belief that men are superior to women resulting in
prejudice and discrimination towards women and femininity in
general. This system gives men more power than women.” -> this
definition might be a bit pedantic, however, make sure you
emphasize that this sexism is the result of a system giving men
more power than women (not just individual cases, but
widespread)
e. ACTIVITY ABOUT GENDER/STEREOTYPES -> THIS IS UNDER
REVISION
i. Activity should demonstrate that stereotypes are not just damaging
to those in marginalized categories, they restrict how everyone
should act.
ii. First – Ask: What rules apply to men and women? write
stereotypes of “men,” “women”
iii. Ask: What sexual orientation are the people we just described?
iv. Next – (beneath) Ask: How does this change when sexual
orientation is included? Write that up. Put paper aside, start new
sheet.
v. Ask: Can you think of things that apply to specific races/ethnicities
that are/aren’t up here?
vi. Discuss – how do race and sexual orientation interact? are certain
races seen as “feminized” or “masculinized”? how do the
stereotypes of queer people of color differ from those about white
queer people? what does the number of stereotypes in relating to a
particular group say about how “common” and acceptable that
race-sexual orientation pair is perceived? is there a gradient in
terms of race, gender, and sexual orientation?
vii. Story about impact of strict binary gender system (from original
Outlet booklet – shows stereotypes hurt everyone, use if you
wish/seems appropriate): Nashville, TN, 7-30-01 “Willie Houston
was shot to death for holding his fiancé’s purse and escorting his
blind male friend to the restroom. He was taunted in the restroom
by three men with anti-gay and anti-woman epithets. When Willie
and his fried were walking back to their cars to join their
girlfriends, one of the three men came out with a gun and fatally
shot Houston.”
f. Heterosexism
i. Define: “Sexism and homophobia promote heterosexuality as a
superior way to live. Essentially, people who are heterosexual
receive many privileges in life simply because of their sexual
orientation. This belief and the set of privileges are called
heterosexism.
ii. Ask audience how they see heterosexism enacted in their lives.
What privileges do heterosexual people get to do freely without
thought that LGBTQ people don’t? Make a list of the answers,
encourage student discussion.
g. Allies!
i. Ask: What does it mean to be an ally to LGBTQQ people? Make a
list of answers.
ii. Commend answers, then draw the ally graph:
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
iii. Say: This graph shows three possible attitudes towards LGBTQQ
people. People tend to think about allies as working towards
“tolerance,” but I tend to think that working towards appreciation
is a better idea. Let’s explore these attitudes a little bit.
iv. Ask: What does it look like when something or someone repulses
you? Make a list by “repulsion”
v. Ask: What does it look like when you tolerate something or
someone? Make a list by “tolerance.”
vi. Ask: What does it look like when you appreciate something or
someone?” Make a list by “appreciation.”
vii. Discuss these attitudes – where is their group/Stanford? what do
they think tolerance does towards promoting good feelings towards
a group or reducing prejudice towards that group? what about
appreciation? what is their reaction to seeing appreciation as the
goal for allies?
viii. Ask: How can an ally who appreciates LGBTQQ people actively
help to stop homophobia? This can be broken down into things
they might do to make their dorm room a safe space, their
particular group a safe place (see next), society at large less
homophobic, etc. Make a list of all the ideas that people come up
with.
ix. Ask: What can all of you do specifically to make <their group –
dorm, club, etc.> a safer place for LGBTQQ students? Make a list.
5.) Closing
a. Ask: What’s something you learned today that you plan to share with
someone else? and/or What’s something you’ve heard today that you plan
to do personally to be a better ally?
b. Thank everyone for coming, tell them you hope that they will implement
the ideas they came up with, invite them to stay for snacks/refreshments
and to hang out and decorate queer rights signs!