"No Homo"- Blog by Peer Leader Marcos Garcilazo

I recently watched an organization's public service announcement that promoted condom use to prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS. I remember the gist of it, but as a matter of fact, the makers of the video lost me within four seconds.

The video had very little dialogue, but they used Lil' Wayne's "Lollipop" as the background music for their video. If you are not familiar with the song, click on the following link and pay very close attention to the lyrics.

Lollipop

Did you catch it? It's four seconds into the video/song. If you're not used to having gay slurs thrown in your direction you might have missed it. Heck, even if you are you might have missed it. If you did miss it, click the link again and really try and hear it.

Four seconds in, he says "no homo." The expression, if you are unaware, is used to clarify that under no conditions is any of the following to be interpreted as gay. The expression is very common on most social websites like Twitter and Facebook. The expression bases itself in the fear that anything - describing a shirt or even the weather - may be interpreted as the speaker being gay, and implying that there is something inherently wrong or offensive about being gay. Once again our culture has found a away to put down gay individuals everywhere constantly - first it was "that's gay" and now it's "no homo."

When I heard that in a video, they lost me. I wasn't listening because I was wondering "How could an organization perpetuate a negative phrase against such a vast part of the community when they're supposed to be educating them about condom usage?" Gay men tend to be at a higher risk for HIV/AIDS, so I struggle to understand why they would use a song that marginalizes gay people within the first four seconds.

There are more rap songs out there than I care to count, and some just as popular (if not more popular) than Lil' Wayne's song. Now, it is hard to miss it but if someone is used to being harassed for their sexual orientation, they won't miss it. If one is constantly demonized, when that demonization makes it into a video that's supposed to encourage safe sex, they're not going to hear the message. They'll hear the homophobic remark at the very beginning.

As I said earlier, gay men are at a higher risk of HIV/AIDS if protection isn't used, so it troubles me that one of the more at-risk target populations is being ignored. Stigma is a cause of risky sexual behavior, so it's important to remember what our language is doing to a community. I should hope that organizations will think very carefully when deciding what content to include, and in so doing they will ensure that their message is actually heard by those who would benefit from hearing it. With so many gay youth completing suicide in recent months, it should be obvious that we need to be more sensitive about language and the words we use.

In support of all love: Guest Peer Leader Blog Post by Hannah Davis

These last few months have been filled with tragic deaths, all of which could have been avoided if only our society was more understanding and less homophobic. We lost nine youth recently, including Seth Walsh from California, Asher Brown from Texas, Felix Sacco from Massachusetts, and Caleb Nolt from Indiana. I for one am appalled and saddened that these teens feel so stigmatized that they felt suicide was the only option.

You’d think that by now we would have overcome these biases and found ways to accept those who are different from us. But is it that much of a shock when in this day and age we continue to ban gay marriage, say things like “that’s so gay”, have ignorant beliefs such as “being gay is a choice” and have people espousing the idea that being gay is an abomination that goes against the bible and God.

Who is saying this? Is it only those who are religious? Or people who have grown up with these ideas all their lives?

No. As much as we might like to group those who are anti-gay activists into a neat little group, we can’t. People of all races, religions, ages, social classes, education, and ethnicities may have these negative views. Even though every new generation is showing a reduction in biases regarding racism, sexism, and sexual orientation, we still see younger people who are stuck in these prejudicial ways.

What is distressing about this to me is that there are very few truly safe and welcoming places for those in the LGBTQQI community to be open about their sexual orientation without being afraid of hate crimes, discrimination, and violence. While changes are being made by groups such as FCKH8, Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance, the "It Gets Better" project, and various gay pride parades, Americans still struggle with the idea of being open minded and accepting of homosexuality.

I want to know why people are so bigoted. Why must the majority put down those who are already under-represented? Will society as a whole eventually understand that there is no difference between heterosexual and homosexual couples? How long will it take for society to realize that ALL love for one another is precious and sacred? And perhaps most importantly, I wonder if the discrimination will ever end.

My belief is that yes, we will one day live in a country that is welcoming to all sexual orientations. It will be a struggle at every step, but each small victory for those who are being stigmatized is worth the fight.

As Abraham-Hicks once said, “A belief is only a though you continue to think. A belief is nothing more than a chronic pattern of thought, and you have the ability – if you try even a little bit – to begin a new pattern, to tell a new story, to achieve a different vibration, to change your point of attraction.” These empowering words give me hope that every time a person protests against abuse and mistreatment of the LGBTQQI community, we will slowly change the minds of others. By educating the public and promoting awareness, love, and compassion we can take that engrained pattern and begin a new one that is more accepting.

Teen Mental Health A-Palooza!!!

The Sonoma County Peer Outreach Coalition has been BUSY. Aside from our regular duties of updating all of our social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, we have also been busy with lots of other activities! Here's what we've been up to:

Updating Our Website

*whew!* That was hard work! For the past few weeks we have been building resource pages on the website. Do you want to know more about depression? What do you do if a friend has an eating disorder? Have you ever heard of K2? Do you know how to put on a condom correctly? What should you think about before you come out of the closet?

Did any one of those leave you scratching your head? Check out our resource page on the website to get all the facts. We're just calling it a "Teen Mental Health A-Palooza!"

Chillin' at the South Park Day and Night Festival

On Saturday, August 14, the Peer Leaders headed to Martin Luther King Jr. Park to promote the Peer Outreach Coalition. We handed out dozens of our new stickers, resource lists, and had a raffle for two tickets to Great America! The Festival was a blast too! The food was yummy and the day was full of non-stop music, dancing, and martial arts demonstrations. It was a great day!

Be sure to go to our Facebook page and check out the photos we posted!

Recording Radio Shows

What are you doing Sunday night? Well, if you are near a radio or computer, tune in to KRCB (Radio FM 91) to hear the Peer Outreach Coalition on the hit show Outbeat Youth! Peer Leaders Marcos Garcilazo, Jesús Guzman, and Vanessa Romero (along with group faciliator Shana Friedman) will be discussing their experiences with the POC and helping the LGBTQ community! The show airs at 8pm on August 22, and if radios are just too mid-nineties for you, you can stream the show online at the KRCB website.

So, feed your inquiring mind at our website resource page, check out our photos from the festival, and listen to us on the radio too! It's just another wonderful weekend with the Sonoma County Peer Outreach Coalition. Have a happy and healthy weekend!

What does your Facebook say about you?

When you run an online social media campaign about mental health awareness, you are constantly aware of how you are perceived by the public. You must be careful about your choice of words (i.e. The Baby Seal Club) and make sure that you are providing the best information possible for your readers. The Peer Leaders are constantly sifting through articles, websites, and a plethora of information online about teen mental health, sex, drugs, and occasionally a little rock and roll. We discuss frequently if something is worth posting, if it is "Fact or Crap?" as we have joked on many occasions.

So when you are looking online at your friends' Facebook profile, can you be sure they are showing you who they really are? Well, now you can. According to a study in the March issue of Psychological Science, Facebook users' profiles accurately reflect who they really are! The study was done by a collaboration of University of Texas at Austin and the University of Mainz in Germany. Research assistants ranked profiles study participants on the “Big Five.” These are the five dimensions of personality often used in psych­ological research. They include extroversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness and conscientiousness.

The research assistants then compared their perceptions with personality tests of the study participants, and the feedback of four close friends of the participants. For the most part, the perceptions were very accurate. In other words, if you were to look at a profile on Facebook and think "Wow, this person sure is extroverted!" you would most likely be correct.

Why is this important? Well, think about everything we do online. We socialize, we date, and we occasionally snoop on other people! The latter is more common than you think, especially when it comes to employers checking up on prospective job applicants. What do you think a potential employer thinks when they see a job applicant's Facebook profile where all the pictures show the applicant drunk on the beach in Cabo? Hmm...maybe it's time to rethink posting those Spring Break photos.

The Sonoma County Peer Outreach Coalition works pretty closely with local LGBTQ organizations such as Positive Images and Outbeat Youth. Over the past few months, we have become increasingly aware of the problem of privacy when it comes to being "out" online. Once you have posted information online, people can access that information. Privacy settings can help, but concerns about safety and security often are at the forefront of the minds of those who have faced discrimination in the past.

Cyberbullying is also a concern regardless of one's sexual orientation. Teens across the country are being bullied by peers via the internet, often resulting in mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. Cyberbullying has even been linked to a probable cause of a girl's suicide in New York.

Will knowing that people are (for the most part) pretty honest on Facebook help with this problem? Will this knowledge make it easier to spot a wolf in sheep's clothing? Can we now determine what is "fact" and what is, well, "crap?"

Excuse me now while I go remove my summer vacation pictures from my Facebook...

Can you be both homophobic and a good counselor?

Happy Monday! Let's talk about the First Amendment. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution states, among other things, that the government shall make no law that interferes with freedom of speech or expression of religion.

At Augusta State University in Georgia, graduate student Jennifer Keeton has filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging that her First Amendment rights have been violated. Jennifer claims that the school has threatened to expel her for refusing to complete workshops that conflict with her religious beliefs. She also alleges that Augusta State is trying to force her to change her beliefs.

So what exactly are Jennifer Keeton's beliefs? Jennifer believes that homosexuality is both immoral and a lifestyle choice. Jennifer's classmates have also reported that she believes in "conversion therapy" for homosexual clients. Jennifer is also enrolled in a counseling Master's program. Since counselors may counsel clients from very diverse backgrounds, it is important for counselors to be sensitive to issues concerning multiculturalism, including sexual orientation. The professors and staff have told Jennifer that it is important to acquire these skills in order to be an effective counselor. Jennifer has responded by saying that her belief system will not impact her ability to counsel gay and lesbian clients.

I have previously mentioned that I recently completed a Master's in Counseling program. One of the required courses was titled Cross-Cultural Awareness in Counseling. This was a required course. If I did not complete this course, I would not be eligible for graduation or my degree. My opinion (which aligns with Jennifer Keeton's professors) is that one cannot effectively counsel other individuals without some understanding about how to be sensitive to issues surrounding gender, race, religion, age, socio-econmoic status, and sexual orientation.

Earlier this month, two gay men in Atlanta were beaten and robbed at gunpoint. Not three hours from Augusta, it is not outside the realm of possibility that one of these men could make a counseling appointment with Jennifer Keeton. Would she show unconditional positive regard and empathy, or would she tell him that he was robbed because of a "lifestyle choice" and that he should seek conversion therapy?

It takes a tremendous amount of courage to seek counseling. Many individuals who desperately need mental health services never seek them because of the fear of stigma and prejudice from friends, family and co-workers. How would you feel about going to a counselor who believed that the way you are is immoral and wrong?