2022 Blogs
February 6, 2022
Written by: Megan Moran
Gendered words are all around us. We all use them from time to time, probably without realizing it. Male-focused gendered words, often used everyday, exclude our non-binary friends, and these words also exclude women. Gendered language can cause these groups feelings of hurt and low confidence. For example: postman, policeman, fireman, congressmen, freshman, salesman, mankind, snowman, and more. You might notice that a lot of those words are careers: careers that have been male-dominated industries for years. Many women and non-binary people work in those jobs or fall under the categories these words describe. In an effort to be more inclusive, we should refrain from using gendered words and change our language. Instead of saying policeman, fireman, or salesman, we should use inclusive language and say police officer, firefighter, and salesperson.
Not gendering nouns is a first small step in the process to stop using gendered language. Society has a tendency to refer to people in general, people you don’t know, as ‘he, him, his.’ Referring to those you don’t know as ‘they, them’ or just asking for someone’s pronouns is another simple way to make society a more inclusive place. Recognizing gendered words and asking for people’s pronouns are low effort ways to implement genderless, inclusive language in our lives.
January 20, 2022
Written by Megan Moran
The U.S. Department of Defense defines human trafficking as a crime in which force, fraud, or coercion is used to compel a person to perform labor, services, or commercial sex. In 2010, January was named National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention month by President Barack Obama. Every President since then has followed in his footsteps and named every January: “Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.” Most recently President Biden dedicated January 2022 to preventing this crime. With his proclamation President Biden said the following, “Since human trafficking disproportionately impacts racial and ethnic minorities, women and girls, LGBTQI+ individuals, vulnerable migrants, and other historically marginalized and underserved communities, our mission to combat human trafficking must always be connected to our broader efforts to advance equity and justice across our society.” This month is a time to raise awareness and educate people on human trafficking, how to recognize and prevent it.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, one in six runaways reported in the United States are likely to become sex trafficking victims. 4.5 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking and children make up 20% of those victims. Here are some ways to identify a potential human trafficking situation: living with their employer, poor living conditions, multiple people in a crammed space, inability to speak to the individual alone, their answers appear to be scripted or rehearsed, and signs of physical abuse. If you suspect human trafficking call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-373-7888 or the Department of Defense Inspector General Hotline at 1-800-424-9098, for urgent situations call 911.
Sources:
2021 Blogs
October 20, 2021
Written by Emma McGilvray
HIV is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. HIV stands for human immodecificny virus. When HIV is not treated, it often leads to AIDS, which stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. There is still no cure for HIV. Once someone has developed HIV, they will have it for life. HIV can only be controlled with effective treatment. With treatment, people can live long lives.
HIV in humans originally came from a certain type of chimpanzee in Central Africa. This was probably passed to humans while hunting these chimpanzees for their meat and came into contact with their blood. This transmission was thought to have jumped from chimpanzees to humans dating all the way back to the late 1800s. As the years went on, HIV spread through Africa and into other parts of the world. The virus would enter into the United States from at least the mid to late 1970s. The possible symptoms of HIV are fever, chills, rash, night sweats, muscle aches, sore throat, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and mouth ulcers.
In the early 1980s some rare forms of cancers associated with compromised immune systems began to increase in gay men. This led to HIV/AIDS being stereotyped as a “gay” disease even though anyone can acquire it. In this era, homosexual indivudals, especially homosexual men, were especially stigmatized and discriminated against. Some ways that people living with AIDS/HIV were discriminated against was: refusal of treatment by healthcare professionals, refusal of casual contact, and community isolation due to their diagnosis or perception of being HIV positive. Additionally, many children/young people who had acquired HIV through blood transfusions were banned from attending their schools and received death threats.
While we as a society are now more informed on what AIDS/HIV is and the means of transmission, many of these stigmas and stereotypes still exist today. One way we can help reduce the stigma is to inform ourselves of the condition and have open conversations with each other. A good resource for having conversations is the CDCs Let’s Stop HIV Together initiative “Stigma Language Guide.” This initiative by the CDC is also a great resource for testing, prevention and treatment resources, as well for more general information on HIV.
Sources:
October 13, 2021
Written by Emma McGilvray
Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15th to October 15th. It marks a month of celebrating those who have ancestors that belong to Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. There are many things that are celebrated, such as their cultures, histories, and their contributions. Hispanic Heritage Month actually started as a commemorative week. This was first started by Congressman George E. Brown. It gained momentum due to the peak of the civil rights movement and society being more aware of different backgrounds. It began as an officially observed week in 1968 under the presidency of Lyndon Johnson. Later, it was expanded to be a month under President Ronald Reagan during 1988. This was then enacted into law on the date of August 17, 1988. The starting date of September 15th holds a special place for those who are of Hispanic and Latinx background. Latin American independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua began on September 15th. Mexico and Chile also celebrate their independence on September 16th and September 18th.
While Hispanic Heritage Month may be coming to an end, there are still various ways to celebrate and learn more about different Hispanic cultures. As part of their Hispanic Heritage Month events, the St. Louis Public Library Central Library branch will be showing the film “Stand and Deliver” based on the true story of teacher Jaime Escalante and his class of Latino students who face discrimination for their academic achevements. The showing will be at 5:30pm and you can register to attend here. For more on going opportunities, make sure to follow SLU’s Latino, Caribbean, and Hispanic culture club OASIS on instagram: @oasisatslu. OASIS regularly holds different events such as their annual Dia de los Muertos event, meetings to talk about issues affecting the latino and hispanic communities, “Taste of” events highlighting cuisine from different countries, advocacy events, and Undocuweek in the spring to highlight and bring conversation about immigration.
National Hispanic American Heritage Month 2021 (hispanicheritagemonth.gov)
Hispanic Heritage Month - Origins & Facts - HISTORY
June 28, 2021
Written by Emma McGilvray
Rainbow Alliance is a student-led club at SLU where LGBTQ+ students can meet with one another and get involved in the community. In addition to their bi-weekly meetings, Rainbow Alliance hosts service events such as their annual Trans Memorial Garden clean-up, and helping out at the winter shelter. Other events that Rainbow Alliance hosts include programming in October for LGBTQ history month. Additionally, every spring Rainbow Alliance hosts two weeks of programming, including guest speakers and collaborative events with other clubs, focusing on issues relevant to the LGBTQ community. Last year's topics included religion and mental health.
In the future, Rainbow Alliance will be working to re-open their clothing program, which allows students without access to gender affirming clothing to access clothing that better suits them. This was temporarily shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, Rainbow Alliance plans to host a pride summit for faculty and students, and to work with the Reinert Center to create a program in which faculty can become departmental allies so that LGBTQ students can find supportive staff members.
What Rainbow Alliance means to member Tempest Malone: “Rainbow Alliance has provided an environment that has allowed me to meet tons of new people that I would not have met otherwise. Being on the executive board, I feel that I’ve been able to make a genuine impact on SLU’s student body by organizing different campaigns and events. Rainbow Alliance has been a safe space for me that has allowed me to further understand and explore my identity.”
What Rainbow Alliance means to member Lexie DeLongchamp:
“What Rainbow Alliance means to me is an organization where people of all different backgrounds can go to feel comfortable being themselves. It truly allows for SLU students to have a comforting and welcoming space free of judgement, especially in a world where it can be hard to be themselves. Rainbow is truly a welcoming group of students that accept people for who they are!”
Resources for Students:
The St. Louis Queer Support Hotline (SQSH): https://www.thesqsh.org
SLU has a page that is helpful: https://www.slu.edu/life-at-slu/cross-cultural-center/lgbtqia_support.php
Email alliance@slu.edu
Housing and res life does a really good job with helping to keep all that info very tight
https://www.slu.edu/housing/index.php
University counseling are really good at helping and directing to lgbtq+ resources as well as facilitating convos if needed https://www.slu.edu/life-at-slu/university-counseling/index.php
Non profit working to create a more inclusive community in STL https://www.stlmetrotrans.org
List of STL and national resources
https://www.startherestl.org/lgbtq.html
June 19, 2021
Written by Emma McGilvray
It is important to recognize that when the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, not all people were free. On June 19, 1865 General Order Number Three was read in Galveston, Texas. This order is part of the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring slavery illegal in the United States. The Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863 but it was not enforced in the Confederate States. It was not until months or years later when Union troops advanced in Confederate states that the law was enforced. Celebrations lasted for weeks after the order was read. One year later, June 19, 1866, freed people in the Galveston area organized Jubilee Day, a celebration of their freedom. These celebrations often gave aid to freed people trying to vote for the first time. By 1872, the holiday became part of Houston’s calendar of events. That year, Black leaders raised $1,000 to buy ten acres of land to be used for Jubilee Day celebrations. This is what is known as Houston’s Emancipation Park today. Other towns, such as Limestone County, Texas, bought land for similar use. Booker T. Washington Park was built there. Sometime during the 1890’s, Jubilee Day became known as Juneteenth. However, in the early 20th century, Jim Crow laws excluded Black people from voting and hurt their ability to participate in the economy. The Great Depression saw a decline in Juneteenth celebrations as well. Between 1940-1970, black people took Juneteenth to all corners of the US during the second wave of the Great Migration. The era of the Civil Rights movement saw a small decline in the celebrations as many people were more focused on activism. 1978 saw the largest Juneteenth celebration so far with over 100,000 people in Milwaukee. In 1979, Al Edwards, a Democratic State Representative of Texas, led legislation to make Juneteenth a paid Texas state holiday. In 1999, Ralph Ellison published a novel titled Juneteenth, greatly increasing recognition of the holiday. By 2006, over 200 cities were holding official celebrations of Juneteenth. On June 16, 2021 Congress passed a bill to make Juneteenth America’s eleventh national holiday. Traditional Juneteenth celebrations include potluck style meals, gospel singing, and reading passages of notable black Americans’ work. Modern Juneteenth celebrations include street fairs, Miss Juneteenth contests, rodeos, blues music, and historical reenactments. Many modern celebrations have a focus on teaching black American heritage. Juneteenth allows black Americans a holiday for them to celebrate their own freedom. However, it is also important to recognize that there are more steps needed to be taken to achieve equity.
Sources:
https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44865.pdf
https://daily.jstor.org/juneteenth-and-the-emancipation-proclamation/
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/06/19/colleges-acknowledge-juneteenth-holiday
http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1815936,00.html
June 8, 2021
Written by Emma McGilvray
TW: MENTIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AND PHYSCIAL VIOLENCE
SOME CONTENT MAY BE TRIGGERING FOR CERTAIN READERS
Stonewall is one of the most important events in LGBTQIA+ history. During the 1960’s, police raids on queer friendly establishments were common. Most queer friendly establishments would be raided about once a month. The owners would stockpile liquor in nearby buildings or cars so they would be able to resume activity soon after. During raids, the patrons would be lined up and their identification cards would be checked. Anyone who did not have their identification cards or were dressed in full drag would be arrested. Women who were not wearing at least three items of feminine clothing would be arrested. Most queer friendly establishments were run by various branches of the mafia due to the illegal nature of being queer. Queer friendly bars could not legally operate as bars because it was illegal to provide liquor licenses to them. The police would collect weekly payments, known as gayola, from the bars and restaurants instead.
The Stonewall Inn was owned by the Genovese crime family in Greenwich Village. There was no running water and no fire exits. People would still come to the bar because it was the only establishment in New York City were gay men were legally allowed to dance. There was a bouncer at the door who would let in people they knew or who were dressed very flamboyantly in order to keep out the police.
On June 28th, 1969, four undercover police officers entered the bar. Around 1:20 am, they gave a signal to the nearby Police Morals Squad to raid the bar. The police began carrying out their procedure, checking IDs. However, patrons began to refuse to show them their ID and men dressed in drag were refusing to comply with the police orders. The police decided to take everyone to the station. During this time, several male police officers sexually assaulted a few of the women at the bar. The police wagons meant to take the patrons and employees in were running late. The police gathered the patrons and employees outside and soon, a crowd appeared. The men dressed in drag began to salute the police flamboyantly as the crowd cheered for them. When the wagons arrived, the police began to use excessive force to herd the patrons and employees in. Someone in the crowd shouted, “Gay power!” and the crowd began singing “We Shall Overcome”, a gospel song of protest. A police officer hit a woman over the head with a baton and she yelled to the crowd, “Why don’t you guys do something?” as she was pushed into a wagon. The crowd then exploded. They fought back at the police attempting to arrest people, slashed tires, and threw bricks. Ten police officers barricaded themselves and some detainees inside the building. The mob threw everything they could at them to free the detainees inside and outside. Eventually, the Tactical Patrol Force arrived. The mob began mocking the police and singing taunts. The Tactical Patrol Force beat them down and had the streets cleared by 4:00 am.
A second day and night of rioting took place. Demands to free those arrested and create legal protections for queer people were shouted at the police who came to continue to arrest people. Marsha P. Johnson and two others, Zazu Nova and Jackie Hormona, coordinated the majority of the pushback.
Police raids on queer friendly establishments continued to take place for years. The Gay Liberation Front and Gay Activisits Alliance created Christopher Street Liberation Day on June 28, 1970. Soon, other cities began to celebrate the day as well. There were many other marches coordinated by various organizations over the years. In June 2009, President Obama declared June Pride Month.
Sources:
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/stonewall-why-did-mafia-own-bar/
https://afterellen.com/people/77167-an-interview-with-lesbian-stonewall-veteran-storm-delarverie
https://www.salon.com/2017/06/28/the-night-they-busted-stonewall/
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/eresources/exhibitions/sw25/voice_19690703_truscott.html
https://www.workers.org/2006/us/lavender-red-73/
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/presidential-proclamation-lgbt-pride-month
April 27, 2021
Written by Emma McGilvray
TW: MENTIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AND RAPE
SOME CONTENT MAY BE TRIGGERING FOR CERTAIN READERS
This year, Denim Day takes place on Wednesday April 28, 2021, during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This campaign, which has proved to be successful in the past, was started after a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court. In 1992, an 18-year-old girl was picked up by her married 45-year-old driving instructor, on the day of their first lesson. Instead of doing the job he was asked, the instructor took the girl to a secluded location, forced her out of her jeans and brutally raped her. After threatening her life, she is forced to drive the car home, never the same again. Later on, the perpetrator is arrested, convicted of rape, and sentenced to jail. However soon after, the sentence is appealed and is eventually taken to the Supreme Court in 1998. Only days later, the perpetrator is dismissed and released since the Chief Judge claimed, “because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans it was no longer rape but consensual sex. As a result of this unjust ruling, the women of the Italian parliament protested by wearing jeans, standing outside the Supreme Court. Because of the determination of the women in Italian Parliament and the bravery of the victim, Denim Day has continued annually since, staring in Los Angeles in April 0f 1999.
In 2019, 10,679,597 people purposely wore jeans in support of Denim Day, to use their voice and advocate for all victims of sexual assault, including the 18- year-old girl. By participating in a campaign like Denim Day, we are aiming to eliminate victim blaming. Sexual assault is never the victim’s fault. Not if they were dressed in short shorts, not if they were showing cleavage, not if they were flirting back, not if they were wearing provocative underwear. Never. By allowing the victim to take blame for a situation that they have no control over, we are permitting these assaults to continue because the perpetrator is never held completely accountable.
While having this discussion, it is important to acknowledge the impact that sexual assault has on Greek Life and the cycle that continues. Too many times members of fraternities and sororities deal with the consequences brought by sexual assault to themselves and their peers. As a result, the organizations as a whole suffer from the acts committed by and to their members. It is reported that women involved in sororities are 74% more likely to experience rape or sexual assault than other collegiate women, with a surprising total of 25% of sexual assault victims belonging to a sorority, according to a report by the National Institute of Justice. These numbers should be unsettling considering they are reported from organization who preach leadership, outstanding character, and unity. As members, friends, and peers of those in Greek life, we must do better for our sisters and brothers.
Resources:
Info:
https://www.instagram.com/denimdaynyc/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/monarch_stl/
https://www.thecenteronline.org/get-involved/denim-day/
https://theuncomfortableconversation.org/support-survivors-denim-day
https://students4sc.org/2020/07/23/greek-life-and-rape-a-tale-as-old-as-time/
https://www.unwomenuk.org/safe-spaces-now
Get help:
https://www.rainn.org/resources
https://www.ywcastl.org/what-were-doing/womens-resource-center/guidance-for-sexual-assault-victims
https://www.slu.edu/about/safety/sexual-assault-resources/index.php