Final Reflection - Connection to Self

I started this course off unsure of what to expect. As an international student born in Singapore and growing up in Shanghai, gender and sexuality is not commonly spoken about commonly or in academic settings. Growing up, it was always considered “shameful” to talk about sex and to be proud of all parts of me that makes up my gender and sexuality identity. When I came to the US for my undergrad, I was unfamiliar with the language and terms used around not only gender and sexuality, but also on issues of race, disability, and even class. Being from conservative countries, our culture was very much of a “don’t speak about uncomfortable topics” kind of mentality.

Being unfamiliar with the terms and language, I found myself afraid to speak my mind on any of these issues for fear that I would say something to upset someone. I was therefore very much nervous coming into this course because I was afraid this would just be another uncomfortable situation where I am afraid to speak out because I am unsure of what to say.

Going through this course, however, I felt very safe and comfortable amongst my classmates. Everyone was very open for discussion and it felt like everyone was there to learn alongside me. I feel so grateful to have gone through this course with my classmates because I feel like I have learned so much not only from the readings and lectures, but also from simply talking to my peers.

One significant reading that left a mark on me was specifically the reading on intersectionality. While I always somewhat understood the concept of intersectionality, I never really thought about how my identities come into play and intersect until I watched the powerful Ted Talk by Kimberlé Crenshaw. I guess I always thought about how because I was a “woman” and “asian minority” in America, I felt disadvantaged and therefore felt like I was part of the “oppressed”. However, I never thought about my privilege as being a cis-gendered woman from a upper-middle class background. I never thought about how all my different strands of identity came together. I always thought about my identities separately, but thinking about them all together gave me a whole new perspective on my identity and my privilege.

Another significant insight that I learnt from this course was the human rights versus queer framework of equity. As I previously discussed in my journals, I’ve always thought of moving forward as trying to make sure that everyone is included. I assumed that inclusivity for every person was their right, and so that was the goal for equity. However, reading more about the systems of oppression, specifically the reading “Five Faces of Oppression”, I realized that oppression is so deeply engrained in our system that it is part of our everyday lives. The only way that we can truly achieve equity, as according to the queer framework, is to dismantle the current oppressive systems in place and to unlearn everything that we know about gender and sexuality. This entire idea blew my mind away when Gretchen discussed it in her lecture video for Session 5. It made me reflect a lot on on my current mindset and how it has gradually changed after engaging with the material and going through with this course.