OutCasting Overtime; Straight ally

This is Outcasting Overtime, a special feature from Outcasting, public radio's lgbt keys program are passing is heard online accessing media on iTunes, and on more than fifty public radio stations affiliated with the Pacifica Radio Network. Hi, I'm Quin, a youth participant in OutCasting's main studio in Westchester County, New York. On this edition, OutCaster Max talks about his story about joining OutCasting as a straight ally. Max used this to on the idea of ignorance and how OutCasting has helped him personally learn and teach others about the LGBTQ community. [Max] I used to think that stories that are in school are stupid. In my freshman year of high school, a time when I didn't have the ability to think for myself, my English class read The Allegory of the Cave. My mind was blown as Plato's story challenged the idea of ignorance, and I began to appreciate more of what I read in class. The Allegory of the Cave is a story of prisoners who were chained down to only face the backside of a cave. They suffer from having a skewed sense of reality, as their understanding of the world comes solely from the shadows they see on the walls. When a prisoner is free from this

position, his changing understandings baffle him. It's a bit more complicated than that, but that's the gist of it. This was the first story that I read in school that had an impact on me. Ever since reading it, I've always had a fear of being one of those prisoners. Not that I'm scared of being chained down in a cave, but I'm scared of being ignorant. There is something frightening about not being aware of the truth. Now, you may be wondering how all this talk of Plato and ignorance plays into my role at OutCasting. Well, in part, OutCasting has become a way for me to to take off my chains and learn about the world – at least the worlds of the LGBTQ community, activism, and leadership. I grew up in a home and a town that are pretty accepting of all kinds of people. And when I was very young, it seemed to me that society was perfect. In my elementary school days, my understanding of the world was that discrimination and bigotry were things of the past. To a third grader the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s felt like centuries ago. I was inspired by photographs of the Little Rock Nine, and wished I could've been there to join in the fight for justice. Obviously race isn't the only reason why

people are discriminated against, as the LGBTQ community's still struggles for equality. Growing up as a teenage boy, I was constantly surrounded by the f-word. While the four letter f-word doesn't bother me, the six letter one, that is derogatory towards gay people, did. For some reason, for guys, using that word is just the thing to do to be cool. And I understand that my friends don't mean to be hateful, but that's the fact they're having. That always bothered me how they could be hurting someone unintentionally. I never wanted to do that, and my fear of ignorance was always playing in the back of my head. One night, I think when I was a freshman, my mom and I were having conversation about family friends, who happened to be a happily married gay couple. My mom casually shared that she wondered who was the husband and who was the wife in the relationship. I knew she didn't have the slightest bit of hatred in her, but she just didn't know that the question she had asked was a bit offensive. I was slightly taken aback, just as I'd been with my friends. After explaining to her that their marriage wasn't defined by the traditional roles, I was forced to pose a question to myself. If my parents, who are accepting and loving

individuals, make unintentionally hurtful comments, do I? Did I make microagressions? Was I ignorant? I quickly came to the conclusion that surely I was. I knew that I had good intentions, but also that I had so much to learn about the LGBTQ community, and the world in general. I realize that I was troubled by what I understood as my complacency with my ignorance. So I felt that I needed to find a way not only to help end ignorance in others, but also within myself. A of couple years later, in June of my junior year in high school, Alex, one of the assistant producers here at OutCasting, stopped by my school one day to talk about OutCasting. Walking into the meeting, I thought that I was going to hear about a radio station like 102.7 or another average music radio station. After hearing Alex share what OutCasting does in giving you the voice and sharing their views and knowledge of the LGBTQ community. I was blown away. It felt like a perfect opportunity for me to learn about myself, and teach others, while being an activist. I signed up to join in the summer of 2017, and ever since then I've constantly been learning about the LGBTQ

community. In every session, I learnt about the community not only through the research I do, but also by talking to my peers here at the studio. When we goof off and talk about our lives, I learn what it's like to be gay, bi, trans, or the range of identities I find at OutCasting. At first, I was a bit apprehensive about joining because I was scared that, as a straight person, I might be trivializing other people's experiences. I soon found that this was ridiculous because although I'm not a member of the LGBTQ community, I'm supportive and truly open to learning about it, it, and that's what matters in being an activist. Anyway, although I don't understand everything, joining OutCasting has helped me be a bit less ignorant about the LGBTQ community and teach others as well. [Quin] Thanks for listening to OutCasting Overtime, a special feature from OutCasting, public radio's LGBTQ youth program. OutCasting is heard online at outcastingmedia.org, on iTunes, and on more than fifty public radio stations around the country. OutCasting Overtime is a production of Media for the Public Good, a nonprofit organization. Visit us at

outcastingmedia.org to get information about OutCasting, watch OutCasting videos, access our social media links, and listen to the show. Thanks, and thanks for listening.