RUNNING HEAD: Cultural Immersion and Agency Assessment 1

Cultural Immersion and Agency Assessment

Brittany D. Mingo
Wilmington University
March 19, 2017
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Abstract
Many demographics throughout the state of Delaware are serviced by the programs and
initiatives of the United Way of Delaware. One particular demographic that is serviced is the
LGBTQ Community. This purpose of this paper is to provide historical and context about the
LGBTQ Community through the mediums of research and cultural immersion. This report will
also assess the cultural competency and effectiveness that the United Way of Delaware has
related to providing services for the LGBTQ Community in the state.
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The History of the LGBTQ Experience in America: A Snapshot

The LGBTQ Community in the United States has experienced oppression throughout the

beginning of our union. While being lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered was taboo for the

entirety of the 18th and 19th centuries, the silence ended with the 20th Century. In 1924, The

Society for Human Rights was founded in Chicago by Henry Gerber; this was the first gay rights

organization to be documented in America (CNN, 2017). Approximately 30 years later, in 1950,

Activist Harry Hay formed The Mattachine Society. The mission of the society was to increase

social acceptance and other support services to the homosexual community. This was followed

by the classification of homosexuality as a sociopathic personality disturbance by the American

Psychiatric Association in 1952 and Executive Order 10450, signed by President Dwight

Eisenhower which banned populations that pose security risks to the nation from working for

the federal government or any of its private contractors. The security risks that were listed

included neurotics, alcoholics and homosexuals (CBS News, 2017).

While small actions continued to take place after 1953, the stimulus for the LGBTQ Civil

Rights Movement in the United States was the Stone Wall Riots in July 1969. The Stone Wall

Riots stemmed from a group of gay customers at The Stone Wall Inn bar who were tired of

being harassed by New York police officers. Once they started a riot, police came and violently

removed protestors, the following day, the number of protestors tripled and a violent riot ensued.

This event served as the catalyst for the progressive Gay Rights Movement that since 1969 has

not slowed down.

A major milestone for the movement took place on December 15, 1973. The American

Psychiatric Association voted to remove homosexuality from the DSM-II Diagnostic and

Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (CNN, 2017). Being a homosexual was no longer
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medically considered to be a disorder to be treated or cured. Five years later, another milestone

was achieved. Harvey Milk became the first openly gay male to be elected into a political office

in the state of California. Milk served as an inspiration to the LGBTQ Community, within the

same year a man by the name of Gilbert Baker was inspired by Milks leadership and developed

the rainbow flag, a symbol which would go on to become the banner of Pride for the community.

Tragically, in November 1978 Harvey Milk is murdered and his killer only charged with

voluntary manslaughter and serves five years in prison.

In 1993, forty years after Executive Order 10450 is signed by President Dwight

Eisenhower, President Bill Clinton creates the Dont Ask, Dont Tell Policy. This policy bans

openly gay and lesbian citizens from serving in the military but, does not allow for homosexuals

who have not disclosed their sexual status to be beleaguered (CBS News, 2017).

Most recently, under President Barack Obama, the most politically progressive change

has been seen for the LGBTQ Community. Harvey Milk posthumously receives the Medal of

Freedom in 2009 and within the same year, President Obama signs The Matthew Shepard and

James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act to law. To continue with his support of the LGBTQ

Community, in May of 2012, President Barack Obama openly supported same-sex marriage on a

nationally syndicated ABC interview; this made him the first presiding president to ever do so.

While the LGBTQ Community has not yet received all of the civil rights deserved, the

community has definitely made and continues to makes great strides to solidifying basic human

rights for all of its members.

Cultural Immersion 1: Moonlight, 2016

On February 26, 2017, Moonlight (2016), won three Academy Awards including the most

coveted award of the Oscars, Best Picture. I had never watched the film nevertheless, I was

stoked. History had been made, a film with an all-Black cast and a Black director, Barry Jenkins,
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had one the Oscars. As I began to read commentary about the film, I realized that Moonlight

winning the Oscars was far deeper than race; Moonlight winning the Oscars was history for

another minority community as well. Along with African- Americans, the LGBTQ community

was ecstatic that a coming of age story of a young, gay male was shared in an unprecedented and

eloquent way and it had won the Oscar.

Moonlight is the chronicle of the life of Chiron, a young boy growing up in a Miami

neighborhood that is plagued with violence and drugs. Viewers have the opportunity to witness

Chiron grapple with his isolation, sexual identity and love during three critical periods of his life:

childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood.

The most revealing reality to me during the film was recognizing and seeing how, in

addition to all of the issues that can plague a child growing up in an urban, low-income

environment; Chiron had to struggle with his sexual identity as an African- American male. For

me, it further drove home the point that the world is less forgiving, and most times harsh towards

a black boy exploring his sexuality.

Chirons perceived sexuality was the cause for most of his anguish. His mother referred

to him as a faggot and was disgusted by the way that he walked. The young men in school

taunted him because he did not display masculinity in a way that was deemed acceptable in their

culture. Most heartbreakingly, his first lover betrayed him by assaulting him instead of defending

him in order to maintain a certain reputation.

After Chirons bottled emotion reaches a climax, he goes to school and attacks the leader

of the boys who taunt him throughout the film. This lands him in prison, when we see Chiron

again he is an attractive, physically fit, lucrative drug dealer in Atlanta. Chiron is then contacted

by his first lover, Kevin, and he returns back home to visit him. During the visit, Chiron and
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Kevin talk about life since they last saw each other. It was interesting to see that both young men

lived two separate lives: their public and their private life. Chiron attempted to mask his

sexuality by creating the appearance and lifestyle of a masculine, attractive thug and Kevin

masked his masculinity by becoming involved with women and going on to become a father. It is

in this moment that Chiron reveals to Kevin, and viewers, that since their first sexual encounter,

Chiron has never let another male or female experience intimacy with him. The movie ends with

Kevin embracing Chiron and giving the assumption that the two engage in intercourse.

Initially, I was disappointed with the ending. I felt as if the movie really just showed us

pieces of his life but gave us no real resolve. Did Kevin and Chiron continue to see each other in

secret or did they decide to live a public relationship? Did Chiron continue to be a big time drug

dealer in Atlanta or, did he decide to eliminate the faade and be who hes always wanted to be. I

had so many questions and no resolve, it left me frustrated. And then, it hit me. So many

questions, no resolve and frustration may be with members of the LGBTQ Community

experience daily. With all of the stigmatization and ramifications about their lifestyle, maybe

each day presents the same questions that they just cannot always answer themselves. I realized

that the film did not provide a definite ending because there is not definite ending. The choices

that Chiron had to make about his life as a black, gay male couldnt not be reduced to a twenty-

minute movie ending just to appease my personal distaste for cliffhangers.

The best theme that was addressed early in the film was pride, love and acceptance.

Before the passion of his mentor Juan, we witness a conversation held between Juan and Chiron.

After being called this by his mother, Chiron asks Juan, Whats a faggot? Juan, a hardcore drug

dealer, responds, Faggot is a word used to make gay people feel bad. Chiron then asks, Am I

a faggot? Juan replies, "You might be gay but don't let anyone ever call you a faggot." Chiron
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expresses that he is not sure if he is gay. Juan then tells him, "You don't need to know right now."

In this moment, Juan gave Chiron the affirmation that it was okay to be who he was and demand

respect from the world. He also was trying to reassure Chiron that his sexuality was not

something that he needed to figure out immediately. He could take all the time that he needed to

understand, come to terms with and accept who he was.

Cultural Immersion 2: Tommy Fisher-Klein and Todd Hartstock Interview (2017)

Keeping in line with the theme that Moonlight presented: the story of a gay, African-

American male. I decided to interview two men who I have had the opportunity to work with and

develop strong personal relationships with as well: Tommy Fisher- Klein and Todd Hartstock. I

met both gentlemen through and AmeriCorps program called Public Allies. Tommy was my

program manager and Todd was a fellow ally in my class. I have witness each man walk

confidently in who they are as gay men, as black men, as amazingly efficient professionals but

most importantly, as friends to me. Their insight on their own personal experiences helped me to

further gain understanding and deepen my perspective on what some members from the LGBTQ

community face daily. During the interview, I asked Todd and Tommy a series of questions.

Below is a summary of my findings from both Tommy and Todd per question.

The first question asked was: How do you think your sexuality affected your adolescent

years? Todd stated, There was a part of me that I felt but, did not have a name for. It was

unacceptable so it was difficult to try to attribute feelings or experiences to being homosexual.

Growing up was trying to pretend to be something that I could not be. Tommy recalls, I knew

who I was but, I could not admit to my family because people did not care for it and it was not

acceptable, or at least that is how it was presented. Both responses showed insight into the
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experience of feeling the need for the two individuals to hide who they were because the culture

of their families and society were not necessarily welcoming to homosexuals.

The second question was: Who was the first person that made you feel ok with accepting

who you were? Was this person a part of the gay community? For Tommy, the first people who

said it was okay to be who he was were theater people from college. Tommy said to take,

theater people however Id like to. Some were gay and some were straight but, most were

straight females. Once his mother figured out he was gay, she told him to speak to a family

friend who could help him talk through whatever he needed. Once Tommys mother knew, no

longer cared about what other people would think. Todd laughed as he tells that his mother was

the one who initially made him feel okay with being gay, She told me I was gay. She explained

to me how hard it would be in society and stuff but she helped me accept myself. Todd goes on

to say that it was not until college that he himself fully felt confident not to care what others

thought. Todd stated that it was the straight community in college that helped him come to terms

with who he was, mostly straight women, because that is who were his friends. For a while, Todd

did not know any other gay people.

I shared with Tommy and Todd how I found the recurring theme of gay males and

straight female relationships. I can recall always having a gay male friend as a part of my friend

group growing up. We all agreed that it is possibly easier for that relationship to unfold because

most girls are not against having a male friend who is interested in most of the things that she is

interested in and, gay males still can provide meaningful insight into how to deal with men for

the most part. Straight women seemed to be more inclined to be accepting of gay men from their

experiences.
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Mid-interview, Todd had to excuse his self. Coincidently, he had a lunch date with the

young lady he was dating at the time that he decided to go public with his sexual orientation.

After Todd excused himself, I continued to ask Tommy the remaining questions. The next

question I asked was what is the biggest misconception about members of the LGBTQ

Community? Tommys response was The biggest misconception is that we want something

additional that other people dont have. We just want what everyone else has. If my husband gets

into a car accident, I want to be allowed to come to the hospital. If I have been with my partner

for over thirty years, I should be able to collect life insurance when they die. We just want the

same rights that other people have. We also are not trying to convert you, if a person wants to

experiment their sexuality, great. And another thing, straight men need to understand that we are

not looking at all of you. We look at men the same way that men look at women. There are a lot

of women who men find attractive but, there many who they dont. Same goes for us, dont

flatter yourself. While the latter misconceptions bought laughter into the conversation, I could

really hear the passion behind Tommy wanting others to understand the gay community is

essentially requesting to maintain the human rights that other people possess. They are not asking

for more than they deserve. Regardless of religious beliefs and personal opinion, people should

be able to care for those whom they love and deem as family in both life and death.

Next I asked Tommy, What are prevalent stereotypes that you would like to be

dismantled related to the LGBTQ Community? The primary prevalent stereotypes that Tommy

wishes was dismantled is that people within the community are not perverts or pedophiles. With

the recent uproar about genderless bathrooms, Tommy has seen so many hateful things said

about transgender individuals. He stated that hes even read and heard commentary about

lesbians and gays sharing bathrooms with heterosexuals. Tommy expressed, The most hurtful
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thing that I heard was that people believe that children are not safe with those perverts using the

bathroom. Tommy said that this outrage proves that the LGBTQ Community is still widely

viewed as if something is wrong with them as if they possess a mental illness, deformity or evil

spirit.

My interview with Tommy and Todd provoked some reflective thinking about how the

LGBTQ Community is marginalized and how their experience navigating their sexuality impacts

or impedes their growth. Before they come out to the world, they live in a world of secrecy and

loneliness and once they decide to publicly come to terms with who they are they live in a world

of judgement and oppression.

United Way of Delaware Pride Council

United Way services the LGBTQ Community through its PRIDE Council. The PRIDE

Council's mission is to organize community resources, including corporate, education, health,

government and religious organizations, to improve the lives of Lesbians, Gays, Bi-sexual,

Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) youth and adults in Delaware (United Way of Delaware,

2017). The pride council is most known for the Gay Straight Alliances that it creates within

schools for youth within the community and its mentorship program, through a partnership with

Big Brothers Big Sisters, which allows youth to be paired with older members of the community

for the purposes of helping them navigate their adolescent years as they learn how to be

confident with their sexuality.

United Way provides a warm and friendly environment for members of the LGBTQ

Community, throughout the office, you see symbolism that shows that one of the priorities of the

organization is ensuring that the PRIDE Council is flourishing and people within the community

understand that United Way is an ally and advocate for LGBTQ rights. The PRIDE Council's
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primary goals are to improve the school experience and education outcomes for LGBTQ youth

and to increase the number of LGBTQ youth and adults who are healthy and avoid risky

behaviors (United Way of Delaware, 2017). The PRIDE Council does this through the PRIDE

for Youth Initiative, Delaware LGBTQ Health Equity Task Force and providing resources and

directories for services.

The strengths of the PRIDE Council are that it does a phenomenal job at providing

services to young people across the state of Delaware. They engage people to serve as mentors

through Big Brother Big Sisters and they have created strong Gay Straight Alliances within

schools in all three counties. While the PRIDE Council offers a strong programming for youth, it

lacks in providing quality service for adults. Aside from the resources and directory that can be

found on the United Way of Delaware website, the PRIDE Councils services for adults could be

considered non-existent. This is concerning due to the fact that after building such strong

presence within the young LGBTQ Community, it seems as if once a person reaches that age of

eighteen, The PRIDE Council does not continue to invest or engage adults; this could feel like

abandonment to youth who have grown accustomed to the community that the PRIDE Council

provides. A suggestion for the PRIDE Council would be to begin to create opportunities for

adults to network, social and work. The creation of Gay Straight Alliances for adults would be

equally beneficial as adults in the LGBTQ Community still would like to know that they have

allies and individuals as equally passionate about equality and fairness.

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References

Christina, Capatides. "A History Of Gay Rights In America". Cbsnews.com. N.p., 2015.

Web. 18 Mar. 2017.

Library, CNN. "LGBT Rights Milestones Fast Facts - CNN.Com". CNN. N.p., 2017.

Web. 18 Mar. 2017.

Moonlight. USA: Barry Jenkins, 2016. film.