Cheryl D’souza
International Gay and Lesbian Human Right Commission
New York City
I can’t believe I have a month left before this officially begins! As much as I have loved this semester, I am so excited to finally begin working with my host organization that I’ve been counting down the days. What exactly am I excited about? This may seem like cheating, but everything. I am excited for everything. I’m excited to finally begin working on this project related to violence against lesbian, bisexual and transgender women in 5 different Asian countries. I’m excited for all the side projects I will be helping with. I’m excited to be working with people who truly are dedicated in achieving equality for all in more ways than one.
My preparation for this project has been interesting, to say the least. I’ve been extremely fortunate to have formed a partnership with such a proactive organization, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC). I’m also fortunate because they are located here in New York, and so I’ve been able to meet with my bosses multiple in order to clarify my role within the organization. They have also been great with pointing me towards works by different people that I should read up on in order to better understand the work of IGLHRC. Additionally, I was able to attend events that IGLHRC has hosted, including a discussion attended by feminists from around the world to discuss sexual orientation and gender identity.
One of the main components of my preparation for this summer included taking ‘Queer Cultures’, a class offered within the SCA department in the College of Arts and Sciences in order to better understand the concept of queer identities as well as to understand the intersectionality between race, class and gender identities. This class has maybe been one of the best choices I could have made to prepare for this project. I have learned a lot about issues that really should be on the queer agenda as opposed to issues that are generating a lot of attention right now, but really not helping the movement in any way. Because I am a Public Health major, I have also been exposed to different books on violence and this has helped me understand the different ways in which violence manifests as well as the different ways violence is perpetuated. As much learning as I am doing right now, there’s just as much unlearning that I’ve had to do. I’ve had to completely unlearn my ideas as I was only aware of the conventional forms of violence and I had never really thought of bathrooms for example, as a space for violence. It’s humbling, to see how little I really knew about issues I thought I was so invested in.
My parents have been very supportive of my involvement in this project. My mum always has a ton of questions in regards to exactly what it is I’m doing, and this has helped me a lot with sharpening my focus because she’s not afraid to call me out when she thinks I’m unsure about something. The reactions from my friends have been varied. For the most part, everyone has been really supportive. I’ve gotten a couple of “Why are you doing this again?” but I think it comes from a place of genuine curiosity versus dismissal of issues that are important to me. I think this is as much a learning experience for me as it is for them, mostly because I won’t stop talking about it!