SAGDA Meeting Minutes - 05/03/08

The Carnegie Pittsburgh's Teen Sexual and Gender Diversity Alliance (find us on Facebook! search "SAGDA") was back in session on Saturday, with some new members. We talked about stuff. Want to know what? Read on...

First thing on the agenda was checking in with teens who celebrated the Day of Silence, to see how it went. CAPA had one of the sparsest years yet, because people thought 1) it cost money to participate and 2) it was only for "gay kids." Of course, the answer to both of those questions is "No!" The Day of Silence is free for students in the school to participate, and it's for anyone who is interested in protesting the many ways in which students are silenced from being themselves, due to bullying and harassment.

Allderdice, on the other hand, had more people than expected, despite having no posters. Like CAPA students were a little confused about who was allowed to participate (yes, it's for EVERYBODY!). They also thought that they had to put duct tape over their mouths (ouch!), though all you really need to do is hand out cards with a statement explaining why you aren't speaking. Another interesting aspect limiting interest in the Day of Silence is the belief that the Day of Silence puts teens "back into the closet." The organizers hope that by bringing attention to harassment and the silence that people already experience in the closet of their choice, that more and more people are going to have space to start fully communicating themselves to their friends, family, and schoolmates.

North Allegheny surprised people with a small but enthusiastic Day of Silence, which spread through word of mouth. People wore all black in mourning.

So how can SAGDA we help ourselves promote the Day of Silence? Perhaps by making some buttons. Let's think about it.

Off the topic of the Day of Silence, SAGDA has a budget! We need to come up with events or other projects to spend our money on. Please submit your suggestions to the comments.

We also discussed the story of the pregnant man, as well as how transgender rights organizations have been distancing themselves from the story. The group more or less agree that these organizations should be supporting this man in the decisions he's making about his body. Fear of a public backlash seems to be against the principles that transgender rights organizations should uphold.

If you have an interesting article you want to share, bring it to our next meeting, which is Saturday, May 17th @ 2:00 PM, on the second floor of Kiva Han.

Notable upcoming dates:

Youth Invasion is Saturday, May 10th @ the Andy Warhol Museum
Pittsburgh PrideFest is Sunday, June 22nd @ Liberty Ave., Downtown

We may be having tables at both of these events, so if you have any ideas of what we should do, post a comment!

Joseph
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Main - Teen