Christian Sheherlis, 3/9/21, PD5, Day B

 What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

    As someone who grew up in America, I was always told about this idea of "freedom," the ability to express oneself however they feel without having to live in fear. As I've grown up it has become apparent to me that these ideals are not what America is founded on, rather being something that it needs to fight towards. In our modern society, the amount of discrimination present became painfully obvious, showing up all around us. With major events like the death of George Floyd sparking mass Black Lives Matters protests in the summer of 2020, the flaws in the system become more and more difficult to ignore. This issue moves beyond issues purely relating to race, extending to gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation. As of writing this, recently Arizona state senators have banned hormone therapy and transgender surgery in transgender youth. Legislature like this infuriates me beyond belief. Oftentimes, those who are transgender suffer through a lot, most notably through body dysphoria which can lead to overwhelming anxiety and depression. Those legislators who passed this bill have not considered how actual trans youth would be affected by this ban, putting their physical well being to the side in order to pass a bill filled with their own beliefs. Many of these legislators align themselves with conservative beliefs, not adapting themselves to a time where the science has proven that there's no issue with being transgender. This isn't to say that these beliefs are just held by one party, in the two party system it is just more apparent in the republican party. These antiquated ideas lead to people having to live in fear of having their rights stripped away because of things they can't control like their gender identity, sexual orientation, and race. The future needs to see widespread acceptance for all people if the American idea of "freedom" will ever come to be.

How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences, and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

    I grew up in a family of immigrants, carrying ideas that reflect more conservative values. While never particularly extreme, I was surrounded by a fair bit of silent discrimination, never in public, always behind closed doors. For a while that was all I knew, however, actually getting out into the world I began to form beliefs separate of  my family. I don't share the same silent discrimination they practice, rather denouncing it as completely and utterly wrong. This became much stronger when I realized I was bisexual. I've heard my parents talking about "being gay" before, but I never fully understood it from their point of view. Once I was able to learn from others and see new perspectives, I was finally able to look into myself and find out the truth. In all honesty, this is happening again with my gender identity. The global pandemic we've been locked in has given me a lot of time to look into myself and sort out the thoughts in my head. I'm not at the point of being completely sure about anything, but I'm on my way to understand more about myself. I like to believe that I have become a much more accepting person than my parents before me, seeing people not just by one aspect of themselves, instead taking the time to learn more about them as I learn more about myself.

 

Alabama Legislature Article:  https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/541472-alabama-senators-approve-ban-on-hormone-therapy-surgery-for-transgender