“I can’t fail at being Gay/ a Lesbian!!”

"Where can I go for help if no one sees me as a victim?" Thank you for making this class so engaging. As you read in the readings there are few to no resources for the LGBT DV victims within that community. As you saw in your 'Looping' exercise, it's easy to say one thing but feel another. How can we separate what Professor Stein brought up about the 'Feminist Theory' of DV and the challenges of how to address these very real issues about DV within this specific population? As Cynthia pointed out; HIV and LGBT victims of DV are not qualified for the services that the organization provides. How can we as a society say that one life is greater than the other based on the sex of the batterer? It all goes back to how we perceive victims to be and how we "like" our victims. As Dani suggested, some educational classes to the NYPD on how to address these calls would be great. As you think of those looping words you jotted down, what ways can you think of in regards to changing your own mindset so that DV victims regardless of their class and sex can get free of both the batterer and the LGBT community expectancies?

Expand VA-WHAT? Not in this economy.

First of thank you all for your cooperation this past Thursday. Your participation in this class was phenomenal. Ruby and Popy, special thanks to you and your wonderful collaboration with your testimonies about how this issue also had impact in each of your lives. One article that we spoke very little about was the New York Times article on the legislation of reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). This article spoke about the heated discussion from the politicians of moving forward with this piece of legislation. The purpose is to expand the programs and services of VAWA in order to reach awareness and help populations such as immigrants. The legislations also looks to help same- sex couples, which is something many Republicans are opposing because they are a conservative party. VAWA has been expanded over the years and this expansion is looking to create more outreach in order to prevent worse abuse and help survivors on time. Why else do you think that certain politicians oppose the reauthorization of VAWA? How would this legislation affect our economy? Why? What would you add or remove from this legislation and why?

Are You Wit' It?

Karen Pittman once said, “The ongoing growth process in which all youth are engaged in attempting to: 1) meet their basic personal and social needs to be safe, feel cared for, be valued, be useful and be spiritually grounded, and 2) build skills and competencies in their daily lives.” I truly believe that youth development is a shared responsibility between family, school, community-based organizations, religious organizations, civic groups and youth themselves. However, in many cases we see otherwise. Youth are the center of their growth, and each youth person meets their needs through their own context. Youth development is ACTIVE not PASSIVE, which places value on making intentional connections with the youth.

In Gray’s article, “The Lord of Rikers,” inmates call “One Main,” the most dangerous facility on Rikers, the “House of Pain.” Inmates are described to be “minorities from broken homes in public housing, awaiting robbery and murder charges. They have all the ordinary problems of youth: impaired judgment, poor impulse control, and invincibility complexes, distorted and amplified by hard life on the streets.” Former prison commissioner Marty Horn calls Rikers an “asylum,” and says, “There’s nothing you can do, or anyone else, to make them stop fighting.” He then continues and says, “They are kids, and they want to fight each other. That’s what they want to do. And some are stronger than others. Jail is like the ocean…You got your bluefish, your barracudas, and your great whites.” Youth offender’s needs and issues are identified, however, we see how correctional officers who work in the facilities condone violent behavior against other inmates. An asylum is a shelter that protects from danger; it shouldn’t sharpen violent behaviors of youth offenders to become better offenders. There are many cases where correctional officers are accessories to the killings of inmates. Fellow inmates beat Christopher Robinson--a teenager that violated parole by showing up at his new job as an overnight stock boy--to death in his cell. In this killing, correctional officer, McKie and a partner were charged with “running a criminal enterprise inside their housing area and outsourcing their duties to teenagers who killed Robinson.” McKie was arrested, convicted, and served a short sentence for such a tremendous offense.

Some of us will ask, “Was there any justice for this teenager and his family?” or “Why are correctional officers behaving in this manner?” Now in the “Gray Zone,” Primo Levi would argue that it is difficult to judge everyone involved in a criminal act. The “gray zone,” which refers to the motives of guilt, torture, terror, and the desire to obtain power amongst two parties that converge and diverge, in this case, correctional officers and inmates. Although the fault lies within the system, as outsiders, we cannot judge or justify the motives of others because we have not experienced it ourselves.

Given these gray zones, are programs and organizations really helping to empower youth to change or is it all a show for society to watch and be comforted with for the time being?