🌈Meet the site leaders!🌈
Noor Hillou
Fourth Year Genetics Year
they/them/theirs pronouns
How did I get involved with IMPACT?
“We are all born into these broken systems and it’s our job to find ways to curb, if not to eradicate, the harm we are set up to perpetuate.” [Chani Nicholas] IMPACT is an excellent way to be knowledgeable about social issues occurring locally and internationally and to become active in our communities. No matter your background and your level of knowledge, this trip will be a great introduction on LGBTQ activism: in terms of housing issues, international experiences of women of color, human trafficking, refugees, and more! Whether you want to become more aware of the systems that dominate our society, be introduced to activism, or just learn and make friends, Jamie and I will make sure this week is a unique, warm experience for everyone. IMPACT has been a wonderful avenue for make cherished memories with life-long friends and created adventures that are the highlight of my college time.
Why am I interested in my trip focus?
I lived through the 2nd Lebanon War when I was 7. Dealing with war trauma from the Middle East and also the racism and Islamophobia in the United States, I was exposed to a lot of narrative intersectionalities and experiences throughout my life. Because being raised in those situations made me very empathetic, caring about other communities has always been a default. I am a proud nonbinary/queer Palestinian and an exec member of Pride Alliance,so I have a lot of personal experience with being queer and how it plays into other intersectionalities. I’ve experienced prejudice and discrimination in many settings, so I believe knowledge about all the many ways sexual and gender identities can be emulated and appear is important in order to be accomplices to other communities. I’m excited to show the different milestones of the LGBTQ community in Atlanta and give attention to those who are silenced in my communities. There is a whole range of identities and experiences that do not get heard, and I am excited to have the LGBTQ trip to Atlanta focus on that.
Fun facts?
I love learning languages, even if it consists of me making mistakes. I love learning and trying new things, so if you need a buddy to cook with or go on an adventure I’m the right person! I’ve also studied abroad in Athens, Greece and got to work with a refugee shelter.
Contact: nh65471@uga.edu
Jamie Lee
Second Year Social Work Major
She/her/her pronouns
How did I get involved with IMPACT?
Coming into UGA, I was eager to get involved with the many service organizations offered. However, I couldn’t find any that offered service and education. I felt like I wasn’t making any long-lasting changes in the community I was serving nor bettering my understanding of social issues. But then my friend told me about IMPACT. This organization is a great way to become educated and serve populations you would never think to while bringing you together with people from all different backgrounds. I went on my first IMPACT trip to work on shelter and resource access and met some of the most amazing people. I chose this focus because I felt like I was already educated on it but this trip really opened my eyes. I came back feeling more knowledgeable than ever and better equipped to serve back in Athens!
Why am I interested in my trip focus?
I chose this trip focus to get out of my comfort zone. I have always considered myself an ally but I would love to learn and better serve my LGBTQ brothers and sisters. This focus ties together many other social justice issues such as race, health, accessibility, and discrimination. I would love to serve marginalized communities in my career as a social worker and that knowledge needs to start somewhere.
Fun fact!
My two favorite things to do are hiking and going to concerts! I love to do anything outdoors from surfing to camping. If you ever want to explore nature or see a show, I will always say yes!
Contact:
jkl45087@uga.edu
Key Terms:
Ally | A person who is not LGBTQ but shows support for LGBTQ people and promotes equality in a variety of ways.
Asexual | The lack of a sexual attraction or desire for other people.
Biphobia | Prejudice, fear or hatred directed toward bisexual people.
Bisexual | A person emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to more than one sex, gender or gender identity though not necessarily simultaneously, in the same way or to the same degree.
Cisgender | A term used to describe a person whose gender identity aligns with those typically associated with the sex assigned to them at birth.
Gay | A person who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to members of the same gender.
Gender dysphoria | Clinically significant distress caused when a person's assigned birth gender is not the same as the one with which they identify. According to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the term - which replaces Gender Identity Disorder - "is intended to better characterize the experiences of affected children, adolescents, and adults."
Gender expression | External appearance of one's gender identity, usually expressed through behavior, clothing, haircut or voice, and which may or may not conform to socially defined behaviors and characteristics typically associated with being either masculine or feminine.
Gender-fluid | According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a person who does not identify with a single fixed gender; of or relating to a person having or expressing a fluid or unfixed gender identity.
Gender identity | One’s innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. One's gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth.
Gender non-conforming | A broad term referring to people who do not behave in a way that conforms to the traditional expectations of their gender, or whose gender expression does not fit neatly into a category.
Genderqueer | Genderqueer people typically reject notions of static categories of gender and embrace a fluidity of gender identity and often, though not always, sexual orientation. People who identify as "genderqueer" may see themselves as being both male and female, neither male nor female or as falling completely outside these categories.
Gender transition | The process by which some people strive to more closely align their internal knowledge of gender with its outward appearance. Some people socially transition, whereby they might begin dressing, using names and pronouns and/or be socially recognized as another gender. Others undergo physical transitions in which they modify their bodies through medical interventions.
Homophobia | The fear and hatred of or discomfort with people who are attracted to members of the same sex.
Intersex | An umbrella term used to describe a wide range of natural bodily variations. In some cases, these traits are visible at birth, and in others, they are not apparent until puberty. Some chromosomal variations of this type may not be physically apparent at all.
Lesbian | A woman who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to other women.
LGBTQ | An acronym for “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer.”
Non-binary | An adjective describing a person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman. Non-binary people may identify as being both a man and a woman, somewhere in between, or as falling completely outside these categories. While many also identify as transgender, not all non-binary people do.
Outing | Exposing someone’s lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender identity to others without their permission. Outing someone can have serious repercussions on employment, economic stability, personal safety or religious or family situations.
Pansexual | Describes someone who has the potential for emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to people of any gender though not necessarily simultaneously, in the same way or to the same degree.
Queer | A term people often use to express fluid identities and orientations. Often used interchangeably with "LGBTQ."
Questioning | A term used to describe people who are in the process of exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Sex assigned at birth | The sex (male or female) given to a child at birth, most often based on the child's external anatomy. This is also referred to as "assigned sex at birth."
Sexual orientation | An inherent or immutable enduring emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to other people.
Transgender | An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation. Therefore, transgender people may identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc.
Transphobia | The fear and hatred of, or discomfort with, transgender people.
Facts and Stats:
From the HRC:
- Like other LGBT youth, 9 in 10 LGBT Latino youth are out to their close friends. However, Latino LGBT youth are more likely than others to be out to their classmates, at school, and to their teachers.LGBT Latino youth are more likely to face harassment and violence in the community than their non-LGBT Latino peers and much less likely to participate in a variety of community activities.
- The LGBT community earns as little as $0.68 for every dollar that a heterosexual man earns, even when qualifications are equal or even greater for the LGBT worker.
- The percentage of the US workforce that identifies itself as being LGBT: 4%.
- 21%: That’s the percentage of LGBT employees who report having been discriminated against in hiring, promotions and pay.
- 1 out of every 25 complaints made about workplace discrimination comes from LGBT employees.
- For the Fortune 500 companies that have internal policies which forbid LGBT discrimination, 96% of them state that their workplace policies have led to greater productivity and a general increase in overall morale.
- Up to 64% of transgender people report incomes below $25,000.
- Termination of an employee based on sexual orientation remains legal in 31 American states.
- Termination of an employee based on gender identity remains legal in 39 American states.
- Half of teens that come out as being LGBT state that their parents have had a negative reaction to the news. 1 in 4 report that their parents kicked them out of the home.
- Parenting by same-sex couples is more common in the south. But same-sex couples face legal restrictions in adoption and foster care.
- All southern states, except for Texas, have a law criminalizing exposure or transmission of HIV. If convicted, people can face possible prison time or registration as a sex offender.
- Though only 7% of the general population of youth identify as LGBT, a shocking 40% of homeless youth are LGBT. This disparity is made even more alarming by the fact that LGBT youth are more likely to be victimized than non-LGBT youth on the streets.
- “State laws in Georgia do not protect LGBT people from discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, and local ordinances protect only about 5 percent of Georgia’s residents from such discrimination. Additionally, Georgia ranks in the bottom quarter of states in terms of social support for LGBT people, although support is increasing over time.”
- There were 2,698 persons in Georgia diagnosed with HIV in 2017, for a rate of 31.2 per 100,000 population age 13 and older.
- 77% (2,089) of those diagnosed with HIV infection during 2017 were male, 22% (587) female, 1% (22) transgender.
- Georgia employers saw the second-highest rate of complaints of workplace discrimination from LGBT employees in the nation, according to a recent study.
Percentage of LGBTQ people living in the United States.
LGBT people in the South continue to face obstacles at higher rates than the rest of the country. Queer/Trans People of Color are the largest demographic in the South compared to the rest of the United States. Yet LGBTQ Southerners are resilient and continue to thrive.
LGBTQ Southern History:
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/new-project-uncovers-deep-south-s-hidden-lgbtq-history-n902181
https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/census-lgbt-demographics-studies/lgbt-in-the-south/
http://www.covenanthousega.org/FastFactsStatistics-265
https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/stigma-and-discrimination-against-lgbt-people-in-georgia-negatively-impact-300000-lgbt-adults-and-58200-lgbt-youth-in-the-state/
https://dph.georgia.gov/sites/dph.georgia.gov/files/HIV_EPI_2017_Fact_Sheet_20190128.pdf
https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/study-georgia-second-for-occurrence-lgbt-workplace-discrimination/EjlXMWbzZLy5CKwKX4YNNN/
