Name: Stella

Social Justice Group: 2018-2019, LGBTQIA Youth & Coming Out

Date of Fieldwork: December 17, 2018

Name of Organization: LGBTQ+ Center at NYU

Person (people) with whom I met and their job titles: Chris Woods, Head of the LGBTQ+ Center at NYU

Type of Fieldwork: Interview

What I did:

We interviewed Chris about his work at the LGBTQ+ center at NYU and asked him some questions about his day to day work and what he thinks the future is for other LGBTQ+ centers at other schools.

What I learned:

I learned that although social media has actually helped and hindered the lives of LGBTQ+ youth because it has opened up a world for them to talk to each other and see themselves represented in the media but also it has made it a lot easier for people to cyberbully them. I also learned that at LGBTQ+ centers in more rural areas with smaller communities it’s not only a place for LGBTQ+ students it’s a center for all LGBTQ+ people in the community.

What I learned about Social Justice “work” and/or Civil and Human rights “work” from this fieldwork:

I learned that although there has been some major strides made with representation of LGBTQ+ people in the media there are still some major steps to be made. People have to learn that LGBTQ+ terms are not insults, and that is offensive to those that identify with those terms when they are used as such. People also need to learn that there are resources out there for people in the LGBTQ+ community that are struggling with their identity or coming out or anything like that and that many of them are easy to find, some may need to become easier to contact.