Webinar: (In)Visible Minority: Racism and Homophobia among LGBT People of Color
Details
February 13, 2007
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Full Webinar Description available at: myacpa.org/pd/webinars/.
Description
While significant movement towards social tolerance and acceptance has been made since Stonewall, oppression of gay and lesbian people continues to be pervasive both external and internal to the LGBT community. Considerable literature has been generated exploring the process of identity development (Cass, 1979; Coleman, 1982; Brown, 1995; Fassinger, 1998) as well as the consequences of being a sexual minority in the areas of civil rights, suicidality and mental health, family relations, etc. in the United States (Levine & Evans, 1991; Gonsiorek, 1995; Savin-Williams, 1996). Meanwhile, a less-discussed area of oppression that crosses multiple borders of identity remains relatively unexplored, largely unsupported in the literature and in delivery of student services on college campuses.
The experiences of LGBT people of color are often clumped alongside and perceived as similar, if not almost the same, as those of their White peers (Espin, 1984; Chan, 1995; Dumas, 1998; Holmes, 2001). Consequently, individual and systemic layers of oppression create an environment where LGBT people of color are often forced to choose one identity over another (Espin, 1987; Manalansan, 1996). Individuals may experience intensified heterosexism, homophobia, and racism in personal communities they ought to be able ascribe to and receive support from, resulting in significant levels of dissonance and marginalization (Loiacano, 1989; Morales, 1990; Manalansan, 1994). Central to this quandary are two major contentions. The first relates to Cintron's (2000) contention "that homosexuality in the United States has been defined through the only possible prism, the dominant White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) culture" (p. 299). The second is exemplified by the comments of a Japanese American study participant who noted, "The gay community is just a micro community of the larger society. These [race] prejudices transcend being gay"(Wooden, Kawasaki, & Mayeda, 1983, p.241). Campus support services mirror these trends, typically leaving unexplored the interaction of race and sexual orientation, and remain largely under-developed.
This webinar presentation seeks to deconstruct the layers of oppression faced by LGBT people of color through presentation of student interviews, media depictions, reviews of research and campus practices, and personal experiences of presenters and session attendees.
Learning Objectives
- What we see: Identify and critique portrayals of LGBT people of color through media clips
- Student Voices: Review major themes of experience as an LGBT college student of color interview excerpts from across the country
- Deconstructing oppression: Develop an understanding of the dynamics of racism in the LGBT community and heterosexism and homophobia in communities of color via review of research and discussion on media, student interviews, and personal experiences
- Campus cultures: Identify and critique the systems and offices on college campuses which support and hinder the development of an integrated identity
- Approaches to ally development: Dialogue on effective and ineffective strategies based on themes pulled from student interviews and conversations with colleagues
- Best practices and creating transformational change: Highlight pre-selected examples of practices that effectively support LGBT students of color and discuss additional strategies
Conference Packages
| Pass Name | Description |
| Webinar: (In)Visible Minority | Full Webinar Description available at: myacpa.org/pd/webinars/. ACPA Student Member: $ 59 ACPA Member: $109 Nonmember: $229 |