Community
Partner Profile
Community
Partner: LGBTQ Services
Contact: Kimm G.
Class Partner: Sarah G.
Community Partner Mission Statement:
The Mission of LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender,
Queer) Services is to allow the diverse student population access to resources,
opportunities and each other to hopefully achieve the vision of a stronger,
healthier and more equitable world for LGBTW people and their allies.
Political or social basis of
organization:
Currently, LGBTQ services work to foster greater opportunities
for students to succeed at UCF, organize programs and experiences geared toward
provide education to the UCF community, creating a forum where LGBTQ history
and culture is acknowledged and celebrated as well as creating a space where
resources can be created and explored in the future.
Needs of community partner:
There are numerous ways to get involved with UCF’s LGBTQ
services. They offer an OUTreach program, workshops such as allies advance and
Q Lab, Dialogue Groups like LGBTQ Empowerment & Growth Group and Alphabet
Soup, as well as the resources to join affiliated groups such as Equal or
Knight Allies. With Pride month rapidly approaching in less than a month LGBTQ
services will need help setting up events, tableing, as well as making their
presence known.
Community Partner Needs:
LGBTQ services need volunteers that will allow them to
further spread awareness by the numerous events they will be organizing in the
month of October.
The Proposal:
The following is a proposal to give an outline of the needs,
rationale and feasibility for a service-learning project to benefit the LGBTQ
community at UCF. It will contain an outline of the work I plan to do, and the
rationale of its relevance in WST 3015 and a, at this time, a rough timeline.
Revision may be required after beginning the project to encompass the needs of
the community partner as well as the project itself.
Plan Proposal:
In today’s culture, public displays of affection (PDA) are a
common thing to see amongst heterosexual couples. We have been stigmatized not
to think twice when we see two people of different sexes hugging or kissing,
but when the two people are of the same sex it is considered a taboo. In hopes
of breaking these socialized stigmas I propose to plan, organize and host a PDA
Day which would consist of people of all kinds showing affection for a period
of 5 minutes to whomever they choose. The purpose of this is to show that
couples of all shapes, sizes, genders and sexes should have the equal
opportunity to show affection to their partner or significant others without
having to worry for their safety. It is quiet clear that due to the stigmas set
by social norms in this modern day society—even though we have come a long
way—safety issues are still a concern. To address this, the UCF Police will be
notified once a date has been set for the event. Before hand, meetings will be
held and strategies of how to get out of any dangerous situations, if any are
to occur, will be discussed and decided upon.
Similar to the annual Gay Days event at Walt Disney World,
everyone will be asked to wear a red shirt so that it is easy to distinguish
who is taking part in the event. If everyone is to wear the same colored shirt
it is beneficial to the event because it shows not only unity in the LGBTQ+
community, but the union of the LGBTQ+ and the heterosexual community as well.
Hopefully this will demonstrate that there is no difference in public displays
of affection between people of the same sex or people of a different sex.
At 12:30 on a Wednesday the five-minute event will take
place. The reason for the time being at 12:30 is because the 50-minute classes
that begin at 11:30 will be letting out at 12:20 and therefore people will be
out on campus. The reason for picking Wednesday to do this is because it is
market day in front of the student union. Vendors will be out selling their
merchandise, clubs will be out tableing and people will be walking around in
front of the student union, where this event will be held.
Dates for the event are tentative, but expected to be
sometime in late October or early November. In addition to this event, I will
also be tableing alongside LGBTQ services and helping out with their events
leading up to PDA Day.
Rationale for Women’s Studies
“Our society constructs sex as a dichotomy: female or male.”
The word ‘heterosexuality’ was first used in the 1890’s but didn’t become
commonly used in the United States until 1934 when it was added to Webster
Dictionary. From this point on, when heterosexuality was considered the
norm—and no longer used to describe a sexual perversion twoards the opposite
sex—lesbian relationships became known as the abnormal. “Lesbians and gay men
have long challenged the legitimacy and ‘normalcy’ of heterosexuality.” Due to
social norms it is considered to some “disgusting” or “inappropriate” for
lesbians as well as gays to show public displays of affection to their partners
or significant other. This event applies to WST 3015 because the overall goal
is to show the general public that lesbian couples, gay couples and other
couples that are defined as anything other than the norm are within all of
their rights to show the same affection as every heterosexual couple twoards
their partners or significant other. It is important that we work to educate
the minds of the general public so that a teenage girl doesn’t have to live in
fear when all she wants to do is hold her girlfriend’s hand.
Action:
I have spoken to Kimm Gutierrez, the Wellness Chair of the OUTreach Advocacy Board, and she has approved the “PDA-day” event, which will take place in front of the Student Union at the UCF campus. I will also attend different meetings and events according to Equal’s needs.
Timeline:
The months before the event we will spend planning the event’s details, such as security, funding and promotion.
1. Plan event
2. Promote event Early October
3. Event held late October/early November
Works
Cited:
Kirk,
Gwyn. Women’s lives: multicultural perspectives / Gwyn Kirk and Margo
Okazawa-Rey – 5th edition
Seely, Megan. Fight Like a Girl: How to be a Fearless Feminist.
New York: NYU, 2007.
UCF LGBTQ Services. 2012. LGBTQ Services. 26 September 2012
Word Count: 1065
