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LGBTQ+ Voices / Volume 3

May 23, 2022 [5:29 PM] Interview Transcript

Q: If applicable, how was your experience coming out? Is there anything non-LGBTQ+ people could have done to make your coming-out experience more comfortable?

A: I haven't come out to my family yet (scary, to be honest) but I came out to my friends and most of them were really accepting!! I think in general non-LGBTQ+ people should well, first of all, not be homophobic, but secondly, just try to be more understanding, and try to educate themselves more on the subject.

Q:What do you find is the difference between coming to terms with your sexuality vs. your gender identity?

A: Admittedly, I am not educated enough on this topic, but from what I "know," I think coming to terms with your sexuality deals more with your attraction/relationships with other people alongside exploring yourself, and coming to terms with your gender identity is more exploring what kind of gender expression feels comfortable and right to you. I think the two are pretty similar, but again, I'm not 100% on this, and I would definitely be open to learning more about it!

Q: How does being queer impact your perspective and/or perception of feminism?

A: Being queer has really opened my eyes in terms of feminism because I feel I'm much more aware of the struggles that queer women go through. Feminism needs to include all women, trans women, lesbian women, non-binary people, etc, and not just cisgender, straight, white women, which is a group feminist movements often focus on/cater to the most.

Q: Does TAS do a sufficient job including LGBTQ+ students and faculty? If not, what can they improve on?

A: I think TAS does an...ok...job at including LGBTQ+ students and faculty. A lot of the students at school continue to use homophobic language & insults despite the school's attempts to "fix" these problems, and I think this shows how there isn't enough awareness or education on the topic and that could definitely be improved, but not through one of those lecture-style slideshows they tend to do a lot, since I personally think those tend to be boring, and the students definitely don't enjoy them...

Q: How does religion play a role in your life?

A: I personally don't believe in any religion, but my parents both grew up highly religious and were often taught that queerness was wrong, so that has unfortunately resulted in some fear in terms of coming out and talking about LGBTQ+ matters as well as some internalized homophobia in myself, which I think a lot of us can sadly relate to.