Annually, April 8th honors the LGBTQ+ students who are regularly silenced in the classroom. Their stories and authenticity are stifled by anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ legislation that too often infiltrates the public school curriculum. Recently, the Florida government signed into law their “Don’t Say Gay Bill.” This bill prohibits teachers from discussing gender identity or sexual orientation …
Tag: Human Rights
Mar 30
Minority Stress Effect & The Impact on LGBTQIA+ Youth
What is the Minority Stress Effect? The Minority Stress Effect is a model used to assess how the dominant group’s values stack up and affect the minority groups’ values. In our society, the dominant discourse is white, heterosexual and male. This means that in the United States, the “norm” is centered around those people, what makes them …
Mar 28
Being Queer: New Trend? Or Do We Just Not Know Our History
LGBTQIA+ HISTORY DEBUNKED “Being gay is new,” “No one was gay when I was young,” these are things we have heard in recent years as the number of out and proud youth increases. While the people saying these things may think being part of the LGBTQ+ community is new, the wide spectrum of sexuality has …
Mar 15
5 Revolutionary Women of Color Who Made Herstory
History is a male-dominated subject where women’s successes and victories are constantly overshadowed, especially those of women of color. Consider taking some time this month to pay respects to all women before us and now who play a vital role in the advancement of women’s leadership in society in honor of Women’s History Month. As we …
Jun 16
Trans Women Of Color: Leaders of the Liberation Movement and Where We Go Next
Last summer marked the 50th Anniversary of Stonewall, an eventful rebellion that unified the LGBTQ+ community and sparked the Liberation Movement. Currently, millions are participating in peaceful protests across the globe in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. The trans community has gathered in this moment to call to action for social justice for Black trans …
Jul 15
Supporting Refugee and Migrant Children
Families and children from across the world are escaping to our borders in the hopes of living in a country where they will be safe from harm and have opportunities for a successful future. These children and families are changing the landscape of immigration as we know it. In the past few years, the immigrant …
Dec 07
Ending Anti-Transgender Violence
Although Trans Awareness Week and Transgender Day of Remembrance have passed, the violence perpetrated against this community will not end unless we continue to fight against it year-round. As a survivor of multiple forms of anti-transgender violence, and a friend to many other trans and gender nonconforming victims and survivors, I have seen first hand …
Nov 12
Anti-Transgender Violence: The Continuing Epidemic
I was raped at the age of 19, and a year later was threatened with death and sexually assaulted once more. I have been told that I “should be brought behind a barn and shot”, and that I should be “put on an island with people like [me] and have bombs dropped on [us]”, among …
Jul 17
#APYDCON 2017: Crisis Intervention for Prostitution and Child Trafficking
Thirteen-year-old “Abby” is the youngest child of four. She would spend her days hanging out with her friends at school and at night, like most children her age, she enjoyed browsing through Facebook and Instagram. She had recently connected with a boy her age through Facebook and had fun chatting with him. Little did Abby …
Feb 02
#WhyIMarch: A Personal Account of The Women’s March on Washington
I remember as a little girl always wondering why they had a Million Man March on Washington and never a Women’s March on Washington. When I finally saw that a Women’s March on Washington could possibly be happening, there was no question I was going! Initially, it did not garner much attention. I thought it …