Activism Log 3

Jennifer Smith
Nina Perez
WST 3015
2/28/10

Activism:
It was kind of a slow week for my activism. We haven’t started to table yet, but I’m glad to say that our project now has its own Facebook page, where people can join up and sign our online petition. My participation this week involved mostly planning and organizing my schedule. My community partner, Rebecca Marques, contacted me and through emails, plans were made to begin tabling and petitioning next week. I’ll admit to being very nervous about asking strangers for their time, but knowing I’m working for a good cause helps calm my nerves.

Reflection:
Our readings this week have been focusing on violence against women and I even did my Discussion Leading on the topic. Since I had to present on subject, I feel like I became a lot more involved in the readings than I normally do. The chapter discussed how much of the reported violence against women is between couples and not reserved only to heterosexuals. “LGBT people are also victims and perpetrators of intimate partner violence, as well as being subjected to intimidation, physical, and verbal abuse, and hate crimes by people outside LGBT communities” (Kirk 258). Another place where violence commonly occurs is on college campuses. It’s disturbing to read and think about how much violence occurs on a college campus and, as a woman, I hate the feeling that I’m not safe in my own environment. It makes me feel even more determined to fight for Gender Identity, knowing that there might be people I know, even friends of mine, who feel less safe than me since they aren’t legally protected.

Reciprocity:
Knowing how important it is to get Gender Identity added to UCF’s nondiscrimination policy just feeds the activism bug this Women’s Studies class has created in me. Now that this cause has it’s own website, I’ve taken the time to invite everyone I know on Facebook to sign the online petition and join us on April 16th for our rally. I hope that in the upcoming weeks I can involve even more people in the fight for equality.



Works Cited:

Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Violence Against Women." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 257-73. Print.