https://padlet.com/kaylap678/5zjackm2pmgif1sz Made with a bit of tears: A Photo Essay for GWS 203 en-us 2023-05-02 23:11:30 UTC 2023-05-03 01:07:33 UTC hello@padlet.com kaylap678 https://padlet.com/kaylap678/5zjackm2pmgif1sz/wish/2575882118 Before this class, I had never thought of what it means to be radically queer. As someone who struggled to be outwardly themselves let alone queer the implications of having such a rambunctious political understanding were terrifying. Someone who has radically queer politics is not focused on ratifying single issues, such as marriage. Instead, it is focused on the systematic problems that exist within the world and how that influences the "single issue" problems that exist today. It should be the basis for activism and offers a guideline for how we should continue to fight for social justice. Understanding this was the stepping stone of my journey to understanding myself and achieving the erotic.]]> 2023-05-02 23:53:35 UTC https://padlet.com/kaylap678/5zjackm2pmgif1sz/wish/2575882118 kaylap678 https://padlet.com/kaylap678/5zjackm2pmgif1sz/wish/2575902883 A social construction is an idea or performance sculpted and accepted by society. This performance is not only accepted but is rewarded  This acceptable way of 'being' comes all too naturally to me. What does it mean to perform sexuality and gender? What does it mean for a society to want to shape queer people into a cis and heterosexual model? How all of these ideas showed up for me through religious trauma. As someone who grew up and continues to navigate a hyper-Christian family performing heterosexuality is all too natural of an experience. How society shapes my sexuality and performance has been through the implementation and influence of religion. In my experience, sexuality is still a performance and there is no room for acceptance. Will there ever be? ]]> 2023-05-03 00:17:29 UTC https://padlet.com/kaylap678/5zjackm2pmgif1sz/wish/2575902883 kaylap678 https://padlet.com/kaylap678/5zjackm2pmgif1sz/wish/2575937643 The connection that radical queer politics and the idea of social construction has is those radical queer politics challenges the idea of assimilation that the social construction pursues. Understanding radical queer politics means that it's okay to take up space. Taking up space means stepping away from respectability politics which all too often targets people of color and that is even more compounded by the intersectional lens of queerness. Accepting myself and you can be through radical queer politics aided my journey to achieve the erotic and discover what queer pleasure and queer desire mean for me. ]]> 2023-05-03 00:47:57 UTC https://padlet.com/kaylap678/5zjackm2pmgif1sz/wish/2575937643 kaylap678 https://padlet.com/kaylap678/5zjackm2pmgif1sz/wish/2575952264 Stepping away from performing my sexuality and gender in a society's acceptable way to be meant expanded what I felt in my heart is true. I did this with a lot of reading meditation and therapy that guided me in understanding what queer pleasure was for me. I also met an amazing girl who showed me how beautiful it is to be queer and continues to show me how to accept and show love not only to myself and others. Crystals have been an amazing way for me to ground myself and accept myself. ]]> 2023-05-03 01:00:33 UTC https://padlet.com/kaylap678/5zjackm2pmgif1sz/wish/2575952264 kaylap678 https://padlet.com/kaylap678/5zjackm2pmgif1sz/wish/2575959999 My happiness looks like this. My happiness looks like the growth I have gone through and the acceptance of myself and others that I now showcase. My happiness is playing Sims 4 with my girlfriend for 8 hours straight when we're together. Loving queerly in and of itself is radical and I will try my best to continue to do that. I've learned so much about queer politics and myself through this course.]]> 2023-05-03 01:07:33 UTC https://padlet.com/kaylap678/5zjackm2pmgif1sz/wish/2575959999