Interesting...

For my Multicultural Education class this semester, our project that is due next week, we had to go out into the community and learn about a cultural group different from our own. I made a lot of phone calls and I was looking into either an eating disorder support group or an anger management support group, but as a result of confidentiality policies, both of those fell through. My next and best option was a USGA group that meets at the Provo Library, an easy walking distance for me. USGA stands for Understanding Same-Gender Attraction. Yes, my thoughts exactly...oh boy. Well, the meeting was tonight and it was extremely interesting. First of all, they were all super friendly and made everyone there feel really welcome. Second, something I didn't know was that this group, although definitely not sponsored by BYU, is compiled of BYU students, staff, and guests in the Provo area. I was also shocked when I realized that all of these gays were members of the church, active, holding callings, and some of them talked about their missions. I knew I had a lot of preconceived notions and stereotypes about gays before I went, but I was not at all expecting this. The topic tonight was on power: what powers we want, have, and how we get power. We split into groups and the group I was in was assigned to discuss "How do we get power?" A lot of people discussed how they gain power through self-esteem and self-confidence; how they stay close to the Savior and He strengthens them. A couple of them told their "story" about coming out and telling people they were gay, which was super interesting. The most surprising part for me I think was how strongly I felt the Spirit there. I don't know what exactly I was expecting, (struck down, thrust down to hell, etc.) but it definitely was not how I expected to feel. I learned a lot though about how I view others, and the whole point of the project was to apply it to the teaching profession. I learned that as a teacher, I'm going to have students in my classroom that have different beliefs than I do, but I can't let that affect how I view them. Every person deserves the right to be educated, regardless of race, gender, or sexuality. Every person deserves to be treated fairly, especially while gaining their education. It'll be job, as a teacher, to maintain equality and ensure that every student feels safe, welcome, and has the opportunity to learn.