Blog Post 4

 Write a set of gender studies-related resolutions for yourself. After this class, are there particular actions you'd like to take? How do you hope to become a "better" feminist or a better LGBTQ+ ally? How do you hope to respond to queerphobia or toxic masculinity? (You can choose a single focus in your response.)

After taking this class, I hope to become more mindful of instances where toxic masculinity is prevalent and point it out when it happens or try to help people understand it as well as the effects it may have. I have already been mindful of conversations between my brother and my dad, and have had conversations with them about toxic masculinity in general after talking about it in class. I also hope to put more effort into being inclusive of all types of people in various contexts.  After seeing and understanding the art at the art exhibit at Krannert, I had a realization that I never really thought of art outside of being an abled person. Art is always so visual; it's portrayed visually and assumed to be made visually. The way art is displayed is almost always meant for abled people. As a privileged, abled person, it hit me pretty hard that I had never really considered what art and the way it is displayed meant for disabled people. This goes on to show how this sort of thing isn’t brought up or considered until someone points it out, which is very problematic. As someone who may or may not pursue art in the future as a career, and even just as someone who enjoys making art, I felt an urge of responsibility for the topic specifically about how art is shown or displayed in places like museums. I hope to become a more cognizant individual and a more educated version of myself as I continue to learn about and respectively change my thinking and mindfulness as necessary about various topics like this. 

I also hope to become a better ally for myself and others in the LGBTQ+ community by actively listening to other people and learning about and advocating for changes that can be made in all sorts of situations that will increase visibility and inclusivity. I hope to respond to queerphobia with knowledge and comprehendible arguments. I already had to deal with an instance this semester with a couple DREAAM House kids who were saying directly homophobic comments about relationships involving gay men. I was actually kind of shocked at first but as I thought about it after it all happened, it unfortunately wasn’t that surprising, considering all the different ways homophobia is ingrained and perpetuated by society towards younger children.  At that moment, I asked the kids why they thought a boy liking another boy was wrong. They simply said it was weird. I explained  to them that there was nothing wrong with being gay, and one kid agreed with me, causing the other kids to become quiet for a moment (and contemplate a bit..hopefully). We moved on pretty quickly from that topic (as the kids were very restless and talkative) and on my way home, I thought to myself if the kids actually reflected on their thoughts or if they simply brushed it off. It stayed at the back of my mind for a while honestly. It bothered me not knowing whether or not what I said was actually impactful or if they were going to continue to carry their homophobic thoughts with them. So if I encounter a situation like this again, I want to be able to leave the conversation without doubt or at least as little doubt as possible.