FEA U RES
Friday, March 30, 2012
The Campanile
LGBTQ ON CAMPUS
From left: LGBTQ protestors at the 2009 Chicago Pride Parade demonstrate in support of acceptance of LGBTQ people and rights for LGBTQ people, students at Palo Alto High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance pose for a picture in front of the Paly theater.
charles dastod/creative commons
By Nira Krasnow and Olivia Cole Staff Writers
“I always knew that I was gay in the back of my mind,” an anonymous junior at Palo Alto High School said. “But it’s something that I only recently came to terms with.” At Palo Alto High School there is a group of students that identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ). Even in a tolerant community, such as Palo Alto, there are still actions people can take to increase the overall tolerance of the community.
Self-Discovery
a fact that they have known their entire lives. Another Paly student, junior Chandler Mok, realized his sexuality at an early age, although he was initially unable to accept it. “In elementary school [I] kind of got that feeling,” Mok said. “Then in middle school I kind of knew for sure, but [I sub-consciously thought] that it was weird so I tried to ease into it by saying I’m [bisexual], but I really knew for sure that I was gay.” After becoming aware of and accepting his or her own gender and sexuality, the next decision a teenager can grapple with is how to tell his or her family and friends. Some choose to keep this information private and remain ‘in the closet.’ Others feel comfortable enough to share this part of themselves with those around them.
All teenagers face the challenging process of discovering their identity. It is a process that involves exploring many aspects of oneself, including one’s gender and sexuality. During this period of self-discovery, Coming Out some realize their gender to be different than what is written on their birth certifiJamason felt confident enough with his cate or their sexuality to be different than peers and family to share that he is not that of their peers. Discovering one’s iden- straight. He had kept this information intity can be a process of realization, or some- side for almost a year before choosing to thing inherent that they have been aware come out. According to Jamason, it was a of their entire life. very hard year and he is much happier now Junior Jace Jamason, who was born fe- that he is open about it. male, now identifies as male. In 2011, Jace “It was getting really difficult to keep it decided to change his name since he no lon- in, just feeling a lot of really bad emotions,” ger connected with his birth name, Clio. He Jamason said. “I just needed to let it out to is transgenstay healthy der and gay. and sane and “I am not do sometransgender, thing bad.” junior so I go by Jace Jamason’s I think [people] just [need to] now,” Japarents are be more aware and less binary very tolerant mason said. “Transgender in their gender sections. There and supportis when someive, but are is a lot of ‘boys do this’ and one is born instill adjusting ‘girls do that.’ If people could to a sex that to the fairly just be more aware, it’d be a they do not new informaidentify with. tion. lot easier. I was born “I started female, but coming out [mentally], I identify better as male. Gen- earlier this year, in the fall,” Jamason said. der is the mental identification and sex is “My parents are as accepting as I expected the reproduction organs.” them to be, which isn’t much. They’re kind Jamason did not always consider him- of just letting me do my thing. They keep self transgender and gay. His decision to their opinions to themselves. They’re toleridentify as transgender is the result of a ant, but not as welcoming as [parents that] long process of exploring and questioning. a lot of other kids have.” “It’s been a slow discovery,” Jamason At school, Jamason found a more invitsaid. “I don’t know how I discovered it real- ing and welcoming environment. ly, I just did some research and figured out “[My friends] don’t care,” Jamason said. that I feel like a lot of people do.” “They love me for who I am. Everyone [at Although he has felt uncomfortable be- school] has been accepting and loving and ing identified as a female throughout his amazing.” entire life, Jamason realized that he identiMok has been open with his peers for fies as a transgender while in high school. many years, but only recently came out “I felt awkward when I was placed with to his parents. He said that opening up to girls and told to do the girl thing when his family was a very liberating experience it’s not supposed to [be awkward],” Jama- since he is now able to be himself at school son said. “I’d rather do the boy thing. I just as well as at home. found a lot of differences over time and I re“My mom wasn’t very surprised,” Mok alized I was somewhere in the middle.” said. “She said she still loved me, but that For other students, recognizing their she was disappointed because she didn’t sexual orientation was not a process, but want me to live that kind of life that’s full
Jace jamason
courtesy of paly gsa
of prejudice. And she started talking about how she thinks when it comes to sexual orientation, we make a choice to some extent, which I disagree with. But she eventually accepted it and said I should just try to be the best person I could be.” Mok emphasized the importance of openness and has no hesitation to identify himself as gay. “If the topic comes up, I’ll talk about me being gay,” Mok said. “It’s really nice to be yourself around other people.”
Discrimination/Tolerance Discrimination is virtually non-existent at Paly, according to gay sophomore John, whose name has been changed. The only major issue currently is the use of derogatory names. “We’re a pretty tolerant community,” John said. “I’ve had a little bit of controversial name calling, but I don’t think it’s ever with specific malintent.” Mok agrees that Paly is an accepting school. He has experienced verbal discrimination, although he does not take it personally. “I haven’t experienced any direct discrimination,” Mok said. “I’ve had a really good life here at Paly. I’ve heard from some of my friends that people have [said bad things] about me just because I’m gay, but it doesn’t really bother me because usually it’s people I don’t even know, so it’s not worth my time getting upset over.”
Spreading Awareness Palo Alto as a whole is known for its tolerance regarding differing ways of life and people, including the LGBTQ community. However, sometimes when a community tries hard to be sensitive towards an issue, it becomes harder to be open. John finds that in Palo Alto people are overly sensitive about derogatory terms about LGBTQ people, heightening the issue of discrimination rather than ameliorating the issue. “[People should] be less sensitive about [derogatory terms] or less offended as an advocate whenever someone steps out of line or an [offensive] word is used,” John said. “When it becomes re-appropriated and people become comfortable with different terminology, it becomes part of everyday life, it’s less of an issue to talk about and it’s less uncomfortable.” Jamason agrees that Palo Alto is sensitive towards the LGBTQ community, but he thinks that the community still needs to work on being more aware and informed of certain issues, particularly those of the transgender community, which she says endures particularly brutal discrimination. “I think [people] just [need to] be more aware and less binary in their gender sections,” Jamason said. “There is a lot of ‘boys do this’ and ‘girls do that’ in the entire Palo Alto community. People are very sensitive because they’re not sure how to act and
how to talk, [but] they are not as aware as they should be. So they’re sensitive of issues, but they don’t know anything about them. If people could just be more aware, it’d be a lot easier.” John also stresses the importance of openness. “[When people are overly sensitive] it becomes sheltered and even the fact that we’re having this interview [shows that it is an issue],” John said. “We’re lucky to live in a community where it can be part of your everyday life and not something that you have to be face-to-face with constantly.”
The Other Side
Although discrimination is rare at Paly, some students are unfriendly to the LGBTQ community. These students are rarely openly discriminatory, but they may not feel comfortable with the LGBTQ lifestyle. Junior David, whose name was changed, has no problem with the LGBTQ community so long as they stay closeted. “I have nothing against being gay,” David said. “But I do have a ton against flaunting it and acting victimized. If you don’t want to be made fun of then don’t alter your voice or fashion just to make people aware of your sexual preference.” David says public demonstrations of sexuality are offensive and unnecessary. “I believe that gay parades are some of the most counterproductive things on earth,” David said. “They portray gays as abnormal, insane people, which is exactly what they don’t want. They want the same things that straight people want like marriage for example. They don’t want to be societal outcasts and they can easily achieve that if they don’t seek attention. They would not be attacked and harassed if they minded their own business and went on with their lives.” Sophomore Calvin, whose name has been changed, says that while he does not oppose the LGBTQ community, he does not like it when they flaunt their sexuality or try to impose their views on others. “Part of the reason why I show any distaste towards gays is because a student who is gay at Paly thinks it’s funny to slap my a** or ask me to hookup at a party or try to hug me because he knows I’m uncomfortable with it,” Calvin said. “That is where I developed my view [that you can] do what you want to do and make your own choices, just don’t involve me in it.” David also feels that he would not be able to remain close friends with someone if they came out. According to David, if he found out that one of his friends was gay, he would view them in a very different light. “If one of my friends came out and said that they were gay I would not hate them, but that person would have to understand that our relationship would never be the same,” David said. “I wouldn’t be able to connect with them like I do with my friends who are straight and exactly like me.”
Invisible Children’s Kony 2012 viral video creates controversy By Elena Pinsker and Kate Apostolou Technology Editor and Staff Writer
In the past few weeks, “Joseph Kony” has become a household name. The Kony 2012 campaign video, which now has 84 million views on YouTube, is a recent internet phenomenon and a source of hot debate between people of all ages. But until March 5, the upload date of the video, many current supporters of the Stop Kony campaign had never heard of Joseph Kony, let alone Invisible Children, the organization which produced it. The 30 minute-long film about Joseph Kony’s rebel army, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), first sparked sympathy from many viewers. But as time progressed, Invisible Children has faced a strong resistance as controversial information surfaces. The charity, which is dedicated to bringing Kony to justice, has been under speculation since the video exploded online. As the
number one Most Wanted by the International Criminal Court, Kony was indicted in 2005 for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He is famous for capturing children and using them as soldiers, and has evaded capture. While most agree that Kony must be brought to justice, critics have claimed that the video (directed, written and narrated by Jason Russell et al.) has oversimplified the issue, providing outdated information in order to sensationalize the story and gain more support for the charity. “My major problem with this video is that it simplifies the story of millions of people in Northern Uganda,” Ugandan blogger Rosebell Kagumire said in a YouTube video. “It [talks] about how hopeless people are in times of conflict — that only people of this continent [America] can help. Yet [that] is not entirely true. There have been local [Ugandan] initiatives in this war. The war is much more complex than just one man called Joseph Kony.”
Because most people in Northern Uganda do not have internet access, a public screening of Russell’s video was set up in Lira, Uganda. In a report by Al Jazeera, Qatar’s state-owned TV network, viewers of the video were shown confused by its initial focus on Russell and his son, Gavin. This confusion soon turned into anger at the outdated information being presented, and the screening was stopped after some of the viewers began to throw rocks. “If people in [other] countries [cared] about us, they would not wear t-shirts with pictures of Joseph Kony for any reason,” one escaped member of the LRA said in the video. “That would celebrate our suffering.” He is referring to the video’s campaign to “make [Kony] famous.” Invisible Children’s primary focus is to shed light on the situation in Uganda, and they aim to do this by “[making] Kony a household name. Not to celebrate him, but to bring his crimes to the light.”
united nations/creative commons
A mother and child who were displaced by a Lord’s Resistance Army attack wait in a United Nations refugee camp in South Sudan. There has also been a focus on the finances of Invisible Children, as the charity sends less than half of its money towards funding programs in Africa. According to the Invisible Children website, www. invisiblechildren.com, only 37 percent of the organization’s expenses go towards “Central Africa Programs,” which include Legacy
Scholarship Fund, two charities which aim to provide schooling for Ugandan children. Almost all of the remaining money goes towards awareness programs for the charity itself: namely, the clothing, bracelets and posters that are sold on the See palyvoice.com/campanile for full story