The TED talk below with Jenni Chang and Lisa Dazols inspired our blog post about how different cultures across the globe respond to and accept the LGBT community. We spoke with Meg Evans, Director of the LGBT Resource Center at UGA, to get more insight on issues facing this community, advice she gives students and her own personal background and experiences.
Meg started off at a few community colleges in Chicago, pursuing nursing, and became an EMT. She worked in an E.R. in oncology for four or five years. At age 23, she went back to school in undergrad full-time at Warren Wilson College for degrees in outdoor leadership and history. Her first run with student affairs came about by working in housing as a resident director at Warren Wilson.
“I loved being able to work with students and learn from them certainly and share experiences that I had that might kind of mirror some of their experiences,” she says.
Meg has her master’s in community leadership from Duquesne University and will be beginning her Ph.D. in college student affairs administration at UGA in the fall. She began with the LGBT Resource Center at UGA in August 2015. Having worked at other colleges as well, she has worked directly with students in many capacities. Over the course of her career, she has shifted from a generalist to now a specialist in LGBT issues.
Culture plays a clear role in identity. “Our culture and socialization within that defines how we think about our identity, whether that’s our LGBT identity, our racial identity, gender, ability, etc. etc. I think culture defines a lot of that for us,” Meg says.
The spectrum globally of acceptance can range from very inclusive and progressive environments to countries where LGBT life isn’t only frowned upon, but illegal. Even further, some people may be put to death if they’ve engaged in “homosexual behavior.”
Another aspect of culture related to sexual orientation that presents challenges to international students is language. “In our language, we’ve created these words–lesbian, gay, bisexual, […]–all these different words, right, that can help us define who we are and what feels good and try on different identities. And in some other languages, that simply doesn’t exist. It’s homosexuality, right, encompassing everything,” Meg says.
Reasons international students may not be able to be out in their home countries could be factors such as culture, religion or family. Meg knew one student working at her last institution who had to make a decision about coming out to family with the potential of losing funding. International students may risk not having financial support from parents and having to go back to their home countries. Arranged marriages can also be a concern.
“My recommendation would be finding other people who identify similarly or understand the cultural context to be able to engage in those conversations with. Because that’s hard stuff, right? Navigating LGBT identity is hard no matter what, even if you have incredibly supportive family and you’re in spaces where, you know, friends understand.”
Meg says that people may feel like they have to figure things out on their own, but they don’t. She hopes that student affairs is creating a space for free conversation and comfortability to talk about what they’re going through. “Folks don’t have to carry that all alone, but it often feels like [it], especially when you don’t have friends or family close […].”
It’s important to remember that there are untold stories, outside of the white U.S.-centric lens. Meg says that many aren’t aware of the intersectional nature of queerness. “We don’t just come as an LGBT-identified person. We also come as an international student, as a student of color, as a woman, as a vegetarian, as a Christian, as a Muslim, you know, and I think those are the stories that aren’t often told.”
So how can UGA students be more accepting of the LGBT community?
“My biggest thing is thoughtfulness. And so how do we be more thoughtful? How do we think of things from other people’s perspectives? How do we engage in conversations with folks who are different than us? It is very easy to be in like community often,” Meg says.
She believes there is definitely space for that–for being with people similar to us–but she stresses the importance of becoming more aware and conscientious towards the stories of others. As we learn about how others think and feel, we’re able to be more consciously thoughtful.
“If I can understand somebody else’s story and maybe be able to see how they view the university, how they view a space, I can begin to change my behaviors to make it more inclusive and welcoming for them.”
ISL at UGA 