Since graduating from University of Wisconsin-Superior, I remember more of the campus's "safe space" (the Gender Equality Resource Center) as just another spot to study with a few activities to take a break for a while. I wanted to become the office's student facilitator, but I knew more students in the fields of social work and gender studies qualify more for that position. Yet, I wouldn't want to apply myself as an ally in one place. If safe spaces are doing more harm than good, the humane LGBTQ+ welcoming message needs to be carried outside of the academic environment. Community members and their local venues depend on each other to escape out of institutionalized sociation.
No matter how many bans today's Congress might allow, our country's citizens should still be looking out for those lucky enough to live in the United States with some worldly perspective to offer. In London, the Thomson Reuters Foundation has taken refuge in their reports of Nigeria persecuting gay and lesbian civilians. According to activist Aderonke Apata, she has lived in Britain for her search of an established asylum and collected charities. Ever since the government criminalized same-sex marriage in 2014, Nigeria has been one of several African countries opposing homosexuality for being a Western cultural disbelief.
Partially, the Western culture has been misconstrued with the First Amendment privileges. Every publication and news platform should pay more attention to their audiences. Back in April 2016, I've experienced the UW-Superior backlash over an offensive April Fools Day edition of the campus student newspaper. A diversity of students made their arguments with the editor for the insensitive satire of race, creeds, nationality and sexual orientation. One other piece of satire was brought into court going against a team of student writers in the University of California- San Diego; much like how UW-Superior was aimed as liberals, they published that newspaper to aim towards progressives. The defense of "free press" became more complicated as there seems to be more attacks towards political and sociological beliefs. Whether they're writing for the sake of satire or journalism, university officials must address viewpoint neutrality for their students' comfort and trust in their academics.
The promotion of more safe places prompted me the most by the recent happenings of the Charlottesville rallie and my brief absence of involvement towards some of wholesome communities including the Twin Ports Prism and the Duluth branch of the NAACP. In order for a public event to bring zero tolerance of violence, the venue's manager and security should be aware of the oppressions towards minorities. Terri Burns of Teen Vogue attended and covered the multicultural event, Afropunk, as it's touring internationally. It had a straight-forward message that should be clear to everyone seeking and spreading peace everywhere:
"No sexism, no racism, no ableism, no ageism, no homophobia, no fat-phobia, no transphobia, no hatefulness."
Whether the person is born that way or has many complexities in life to make themselves as an individual, love will eventually win as the world changes.
While studying social work, I've learned more about how professionals use humanistic approaches to make clients more focused on themselves. I believe we can all relate in transitions between gender identities and other big life choices including moving from a small town to a larger city. But for any social cues of confusion and discomfort, group discussions are best led by the community's most mindful people. I also believe people are only ugly by their attitude, not by appearances. Now after graduated with a degree of psychology, I'm encouraging everyone to express their uniqueness by hobbies, clothing, and goals in order to "feel right" within a group.
With 100 being the safest out of all U.S. cities, Duluth's crime index has shown to be 7. The chances of a resident becoming a victim of a violent crime have been 1 in 244. After four years of being a Duluthian resident, I felt naive reading about these statistics. I destined to stay active in the community with the "social tools" I have in compassion and understanding, which it has been rooted from going to church.
I've grown up not only as a Christian, but as a Lutheran. This domination of Christianity has a vision: "A world experiencing the difference God’s grace and love in Christ makes for all people and creation." As inexcusable Joel Osteen was for refusing shelter after Hurricane Harvey, the Evangelical Lutheran Church strives against the discrimination of racism, gender identities, and sexual orientation. I've grown up in a church that teaches love and acceptance as equal children of God. If I had to be a facilitator of a group discussion, I would want my peers to feel just as welcoming as I always have on the past Sunday morning of worship.
I wouldn't push for a Bible study in providing a safe space. It would have to be the current events to talk out all of the hard feelings without placing judgement of others. Whether it's religion or philosophy, I believe either one of them shape up the hearts to share for in times of need.
