I have to make a speech on Gbl rights and I need advice on which subjects to focus on

Re: I have to make a speech on Gbl rights and I need advice on which subjects to focu

I find that people are influenced best by concrete exemplification and personal stories. Also, it helps to use "I" language: never tell people what THEY ought to believe. It's like telling them they are somehow incapable of forming their own beliefs, and it will always incur a contrary response. What really matters is what is happening to real people out there.

Talk about feelings of helplessness you might feel when you are confronted with suffering related to intolerance. When a person who is already feeling sympathetic hears that, that person thinks, "well, I can help! I can do something! You don't have to feel that way!"

There is a simple way to handle people who have a perverse streak. Sometimes, you can get these contrarian thinkers to argue AGAINST YOU but IN FAVOR of your case. Claim that sometimes you feel inclined to give up trying. Suggest that sometimes it doesn't seem to be worth it. If you do it just right, the contrarian thinker just might think, "now, now, don't be so hasty."

As for research, a focus for your research that I would suggest would be what actually goes on at Gay-Straight Alliance type organizations. You might be able to generate some interest.

And remember, always end on a spiritual note.

Good luck.

 

Re: I have to make a speech on Gbl rights and I need advice on which subjects to focu

Well, some people like to emphasize the fact that gay people have had a place in our culture going back to antiquity. Take, for example, the many male lovers of Apollo, including Hyacinth. Some of these stories from antiquity are exceedingly romantic. Let's take, for example, the abduction of Ganymede: the god of thunder came in the form of an eagle, and he whisked the beautiful Trojan youth away to Mount Olympus, where he was made Cup-Bearer of the Gods. I think that's beautiful.

Another option would be to discuss the Samoan "fa'afafine" gender: these are boys who are raised as girls. Samoan fa'afafine are valued in traditional Samoan culture for their legendary work ethic and the involved role they play in rearing their relatives' offspring. To have such a person in the family is traditionally considered to be a high honor.

Pacific Beat St Ep 167 - What is a Fa'afafine - YouTube

The reason I think that discussing the fa'afafine gender would be beneficial is that they are a well-adjusted and valued sexual minority in an existing society. Tragically, the fa'afafine gender is losing its historic relevance as Samoa is further Westernized, but they are still widely accepted in Samoa.

Hope that helps.

---------- Post added 18th Feb 2012 at 01:46 PM ----------

Also, I think that this kind of material would give you positive, lighthearted notes to offset the more, shall we say, emotional material.

 

Re: I have to make a speech on Gbl rights and I need advice on which subjects to focu

Gay marriage is a good issue to touch on, I agree, but I would suggest focusing on more directly relevant issues for young teens. It surely deserves honorable mention, don't get me wrong, but I honestly think that "gay marriage" is more something that anti-gay people use to scare people into hating gay people. For a teenager, it's more meaningful that their good friends feel like they have to hide something about themselves that is, if you understand it, is really something very beautiful. After all, doesn't gay love prove that love itself is something more than just a mechanical, bestial act of reproduction? Doesn't gay love prove that love is something that happens in the heart, not just in biology?

Another stylistic suggestion is that you want to put in a poetic, catchy-sounding phrase here and there. You sure don't want to rely on them because they can get old fast in a speech, but phrases like "isolation kills" and "words hurt" are highly effective if used sparingly and in the right places, with the right emphasis.