What were your initial thoughts and assumptions when you first heard about Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies?
“I came to UW thinking feminism was something for angry man-hating white women. It was something that I didn’t really think about much at all. I had used “queer” and “feminist” lenses to analyze literature in high school, but I kind of thought of it as something they just made us do. I didn’t think about any larger implications, or whether these analyses had anything to do with my life or the lives of anyone around me.”
|
“I was feeling limited and frustrated with my lack of knowledge of peoples’ issues (later learning about intersecting identities), and my struggle to articulate what these problems were and why they exist. There are also the problems I faced with gender, sexuality, and disability that I struggled with growing up– how could I name these forms of abuse and oppression if I didn’t know what it was? Then I learned that I could major in Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies, and I initially thought it was going to train me how to be an activist!”
|
“When I applied to UW and was looking at potential majors, GWSS immediately stuck out to me. I wasn’t sure exactly what career I would apply to, or exactly what to expect, but I decided to just go with the study that interests me and that I was passionate about. I was resistant to going back to school, so choosing to study something that mattered to me is the only way I could really justify it for myself.”
|
I, too, originally had mixed feelings about GWSS. I didn’t think I had what it took and was rather intimidated by what I didn’t yet know. I didn’t consider myself a feminist, though I didn’t really know what it was to begin with. I wasn’t an activist. Additionally, my only understandings of feminism were negative. I have since learned that Feminist studies and activism benefits even those who want nothing to do with it. Even those who do not understand it. I truly believe that GWSS has transformed my knowledge and awareness of different lives and will be the most crucial and beneficial experience towards my life of working with others.
Kenji had originally been attending UW for engineering. Early on they assumed GWSS and tech were largely mutually exclusive. “Now I know that capitalism, the patriarchy, colonialism, and the other -isms are deeply ingrained in our societies and continually shape the lives of everyone living in them.” Kenji is now considering the possibility of maybe getting into non-profit work. Kenji is still getting an engineering degree in addition to GWSS and therefore is not considering GWSS as the main factor for future careers, however, “being in GWSS has changed how I think about technology. So whether I consciously can point exactly how, it certainly has and will be useful.” Until then, they are currently a part of a Human Centered Design and Engineering PhD student’s dissertation as a research assistant. This entails the development of an online tool used to provide sexual health information for trans* and gender-diverse youth. A population often left out of sexual education and conversations.
Faith’s original thoughts and assumptions about GWSS have also changed. “I mean, we are still learning the tools of advocacy, but it is a bit more than that: I am learning how all systems of oppression like heteropatriarchy, racism, imperialism, capitalism, transphobia, and white supremacy are all intrinsically linked and that each -ism works as a mechanism to keep what we see around us going.” Faith plans to get into Human Resources and hopes to make a difference. Knowing Faith, she absolutely will. She knows GWSS has benefited her personally, and she hopes to “utilize her knowledge to help others”. She may get into activism, but Faith is also a writer and she is aiming for a future of writing! I was honored to have read some of Faith’s work she is currently working on. Her work shows her strength in vulnerability. She finds inspiration in her past experiences with abuse and offers beautiful words and shared resilience.
Since coming back to school and studying GWSS, Madelyn J. says, “The knowledge I have gained in GWSS has expanded my awareness and changed my perspective/way of thinking irrevocably, in a way that I both did not expect and am very grateful for. These courses and professors will challenge the way you see the world and your place within it.” Madelyn isn’t certain what she will do with her degree after graduating however, like myself, she believes that it can really be applied and useful just about anywhere. “I have critical thinking skills and a nuanced perspective of identity and relationships that I feel will be important in any job position, but also dictate my ethics and what and how I will choose to enter and engage with the job market and the ‘real world’.” Madelyn is already doing important work. For an internship she worked with the Consent Academy giving her the opportunity to apply what she has learned through GWSS. Through the Consent Academy she gained new skill sets and a deeper understanding of consent. Madelyn since then has created her own consent awareness student organization on the UW campus! The group is called Student Alliance of Authentic Consent and anyone is welcome to participate. Make sure to check out the instagram page @saac.uw