Speaking Out Against Homophobia

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written by Tim Love and Morgan J CurtisCross posted at Speaking Out.

TAASA has recommitted itself to social justice work, thus moving our anti-oppression work to the forefront of our efforts. As we have taken our anti-oppression approach to sexual violence prevention out into the communities and rape crisis centers across the state, we've discovered many programs and communities struggling with both oppression in their community and ways to get their organizations to support social justice work in concrete ways. Inspired by the TAASA membership resolution process, we decided to create a personal resolution to address two interrelated forms of oppression that are closely linked to sexual violence - heterosexism and homophobia. We hope you will find the resolution a useful tool as you work to address homophobia in your life, within the organizations you work with and in your community as a whole.The following resolution highlights some key problems with homophobia and heterosexism, including its impact on all people, regardless of sexual orientation. There are a variety of ways this resolution could be used. Hanging it up in your office could spark conversations with co-workers and community partners. Sharing it with people during your anti-oppression and prevention trainings gives them an opportunity to take action in a meaningful way, something that people often seek after attending such trainings. How else can you envision using this resolution? Are there any key points that you think were not included in the resolution?Stay tuned for a follow-up post on additional ways the resolution can be used as well as tips for how to carry out your commitment to ending homophobia and heterosexism. Please indicate in the comments section if you post this commitment and where you post it.You can download a pdf of the resolution here.

My Commitment

Whereas homophobia is a contributing factor to sexual violence, andWhereas homophobia contributes to the strict gender norm socialization that leads to violence in many forms, including sexual violence, and
Whereas the oppression of any group of people contributes to the oppression of all people, and
Whereas homophobia hinders the full expression of all peoples' humanity, and
Whereas homophobia impedes the formation of healthy bonds between people of all genders, and
Whereas homophobia and heterosexism stifle the formation and expression of healthy sexuality for all people, and
Whereas fighting homophobia is consistent with my commitment to actively confront and respond to all forms of oppression as they relate to sexual violence,

Therefore, be it resolved that I will actively support the rights of all people, regardless of sexual orientation and actively oppose homophobia and heterosexism in all its forms.

Posted by Speaking Out. - November 12, 2008, at 05:51PM | in Queer Issues