Lydia's essay 7

Lydia Schulz
Mr. H. Salsich
9 English
20 November 2008

A New Kind Of Awareness
An Essay on Heterosexism and Stump Olsen

Heterosexism, or the discrimination against homo, bi, or transsexuals by heterosexuals, is a raging battle that comes down to those who can accept these other sexual orientations and those who cant. With heterosexists under the impression that they are lording over all other orientations, thinking that they are the best, how can a homosexual woman like Stump Olsen ever gain the confidence to tell her story to a group of high school students, maybe the same types of students that used to harass her when she was our age? This will remain a mystery, because when Ms. Olsen spoke to our class, we gained much more than forty minutes with a funny, intelligent woman. We left with a greater understanding of heterosexism and of how hurtful words can be.

TS: In my opinion, heterosexism is absolutely ridiculous. SD: Heterosexism is based around something that goes back to the beginnings of mankind: being scared of something you don’t understand. CM: These fears date back to when everyone thought the world was flat and that the sun revolved around it, and when someone presented a different idea they couldn’t understand, they locked him away. CM: Fortunately, we did eventually come to realize that the earth moves around the sun, so maybe there is hope for people to overcome heterosexism and realize that a person’s sexual orientation does not define them. SD: Another main part of heterosexism is that people don’t realize that your sexual orientation is not a choice, but something you are born with. CM: These heterosexists are so set in their own ways that they cant begin to comprehend or wrap their heads around something different. CM: These stubborn, ignorant people are so busy thinking about how God intended for love and marriage to be between a man and a woman that they don’t have time to think about the fact that if God really thought that way, people wouldn’t be gay. CS: Sadly, heterosexists are too narrow minded to see new ideas.

TS: Then I see a person like Stump Olsen and I am amazed by how casual she is about her sexual orientation. SD: I don’t know how she dealt with the harassment and bullying she endured during high school. CM: A person should not have to focus all their concentration on staying alive while getting from one class to another, but this is exactly what Ms. Olsen found herself doing. CM: The worst part was that “not one teacher stood up for [her],” (quote) they were merely spectators, standing aside, watching their student get abused. SD: I’m sure when Ms. Olsen officially came out, she expected her family to be supportive and help her through it, but they were just the opposite. CM: Her family requested not to be in contact with her, refusing to accept that their daughter was gay (participle). CM: Her entire family against her (absolute), Ms. Olsen was finally able to face the world as who she truly is. SD: I was impressed that through all this, Ms. Olsen always stayed true to herself. CM: Though she has gone through hard times, she is happy with herself and is free to be the person she has always known she is. CM: She said that though she is aware that another birthday will go by without a card from her family, she will have her friends behind her to celebrate and show her a good time. CS: I admire Stump Olsen for her strength and her resilience on her journey to become her true self.

Ms. Olsen’s story is an inspiring one and it made me think about how hurtful words can be. I know that I occasionally say things that could be perceived as offensive, but I never thought about them actually hurting someone until I had heard what Ms. Olsen had to say. I will definitely be more careful with what I say and take her advice of thinking before I speak. Perhaps if we all do our part, we can abolish heterosexism once and for all. What will you do to help?
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1. I am continuing to work on tightening my writing and cutting out unnecessary words. I am also trying to be more careful with my polishing and proofreading.
2. I think I got my point across well in this essay. I said everything I wanted too and to me, it seems to all fit in nicely.
3. Some of the sentences seemed a little bit rambling. This is difficult because I am having trouble seeing where I could shorten them
4. I would give this essay an A- or a B+