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Name: Sonia Kalia
How did I get involved in IMPACT?
  • I convinced my friend to go to an IMPACT tabling session with me, and I got to meet so many amazing Site Leaders and see how passionate everyone is about their trips! We both signed up to go on a trip, and I had the most amazing experience and met so many wonderful people. 
Why am I interested in my trip focus? 
  • Our trip focus is gender appreciation, and I’m so excited to learn and discuss the role of gender in all of our lives. The role of gender in society changes constantly, and it affects our lives in more ways than we can imagine. I'm looking forward to learning more and leading great discussions!
Favorite IMPACT memory?​
  • On my last IMPACT trip, we had to shower at the local LA Fitness every night. One night, we all went to a smoothie place next door after showering and ordered about 15 smoothies all at once. The people working there thought it was hilarious that we had to shower at LA Fitness, and we stayed there for about an hour just drinking smoothies and trying a bunch of samples. 
Contact info
sonia.kalia@uga.edu
She/her/hers
404-924-0303
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Contact Info: 
mlm18681@uga.edu
She/her/hers
407-484-6882
Name: Maddie Merril 
How did I get involved in IMPACT?
  • ​I got involved with IMPACT during my freshman year, it was the beginning of the spring semester and I found myself in a panic that I wasn’t involved in anything. While I was cleaning out my desk of last semesters’ work, I found an IMPACT sticker that I received at the involvement fair and immediately applied for a trip. Through IMPACT I not only discovered new passions for social justice that have shaped my life goals but I also found a supportive and encouraging home on campus. I have continued to participate in IMPACT because of the positive change it can create and the people it brings together.
Why am I interested in my trip focus?
  • Our trip focus is gender appreciation. I am interested in this topic for several reasons, but one of which is how gender, and how it is perceived has such a huge influence in everyday life, and behaviors. I am so very eager to be leading and furthering my knowledge of gender in Nashville and discuss how gender intersects with other social issues.
Favorite memory from an IMPACT trip?
  • My favorite IMPACT memory was one of the last nights of reflection on my Nashville community health and wellness trip. We were all in a circle giving affirmations/compliments to the one person in the center when all of a sudden a stranger entered the hallway and we all just immediately started screaming as there was this dark figure in the hallway. It ended up being a person who routinely came to clean the church at the end of every week, but it scared all of us half to death as we were deep in reflection with most of the lights turned off for intense mood lighting. We laughed about all of the different reactions for the rest of the night, and never had I been more thankful to be in a room with friends I was able to grab onto when I was in fear and then laugh about later for the entire car ride home. 


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ABOUT GENDER APPRECIATION


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TERMS TO KNOW:
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Key Terms

  • Sex assigned at birth - The sex 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.
  • Intersex - An umbrella term used to describe a wide range of natural bodily variations in sexual anatomy, reproductive organs, hormonal patterns, and/or chromosomal patterns that do not fit the typical definitions for AMAB ( assigned male at birth) or AFAB ( assigned female at birth)  bodies.
  • 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.
  • Cisgender - a term used to describe a person whose gender identity aligns with the gender identity typically associated with the sex assigned to them at birth.
  • Gender expression - the multitude of ways (ex: behaviors, dress) in which a person may choose to communicate their gender to others, which may or may not conform to socially defined behaviors and characteristics typically associated with being either masculine or feminine.
  • Gender identity - one’s innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both,  neither, or other genders entirely. One's gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth.
  • 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, neither, somewhere in between, and/or another gender entirely. While many also identify as transgender, not all non-binary people do.
  • 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. Many gender non-conforming people also identify as transgender, but not all.
  • Gender Dysphoria - significant distress caused when a person's assigned birth sex and its socially associated gender does not align with the gender that they identify with. Gender dysphoria has a large social component and includes individuals being perceived as the wrong gender by others.
  • Misgendering - the experience of being labeled by others as a gender other than one that a person is. This includes transgender/gender non-conforming people being called by the wrong pronouns, wrong names, or by incorrectly gendered language. 
 
Intersectionality
How does gender tie into other social justice issues?
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Healthcare 


Transgender health protections reversed by Trump administration 
- Gender identity often affects how a person is treated by healthcare professionals. Gender non-conforming people face a different set of challenges when seeking medical attention, ranging from bias by medical professionals to increased risk of health issues due to misdiagnosis and lack of preventative care. 












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Housing and Homelessness
Nearly 3 million young Americans are homeless. LGBTQ+ youth make up a disproportionate amount of that population. These youth often face discrimination and bullying at home and at school. This rejection drives too many youth to the dangers of homelessness. Read more about this issue here! 

Racism 
- Racism, Sexism, and Unconscious Bias  
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Racism 

Domestic Violence 
- Christine’s Story: Raising Awareness About Domestic Violence by: NBC News
- Reporting Domestic Violence in LGBT Relationships 

 Immigration 
- Undocumented Violence: One Undocumented Immigrant’s Story on Domestic Abuse
- Between Worlds: Immigrant Women and Domestic Violence