November 2 – 4 at Spelman College
The GenderYOUTH Network will be hosting a series of events, beginning on November 2nd and ending on November 4th, at Spelman College in Atlanta, GA, exploring “the intersections of gender with race, class, and human rights.”
“Our research shows that almost four dozen youth of color have been fatally attacked since 1995 – almost all by their peers – simply because they didn’t fit expectations of a ‘real’ man or woman,” said Tyrone Hanley, Youth Program Coordinator for GenderPAC. “Our work in Atlanta is an opportunity to begin challenging some of the distorted images of hyper-masculinity and femininity that media and music are teaching youth today.”
Over the three days, the GenderYOUTH Network will lay the foundation for concrete actions that students and youth can take to combat discrimination and harassment we can be taking – from creating more expansive school policies to encouraging the media and the hip-hop community to eliminate misogynist, hyper-masculine and homophobic images.
Click here for more information.
Thanks for forwarding the news, Jen!
You can find Maria on MySpace here and read her current call for essays on femme identity here. Pick up Queer Shorts, her new anthology, at MergePress.com.
So, in 11 years “almost” 48 kids have been “attacked” by a-holes? That’s not bad considering the sheer size of this country and the sheer amount of psychotically close minded idiots that live here.
You don’t need “events” to explore “the intersections of gender with race, class, and human rights.â€
What you need is PARENTS at home teaching their kids to act like humans and not animals. Sadly, that just isn’t taught anymore.
Violence, bullying and harassment are the rule and not the exception in America’s schools for glbt youth. According to GLSEN’s 2005 National School Climate Survey:
Over a third (37.8%) of students experienced physical harassment at school on the basis of sexual orientation and more than a quarter (26.1%) on the basis of their gender expression. Nearly one-fifth (17.6%) of students had been physically assaulted because of their sexual orientation and over a tenth (11.8%) because of their gender expression.
Clearly, respect and tolerance of diversity is not being taught to most at a family level, or these numbers would be significantly lower. That makes events like this a necessity.