When hosting the screening of "Abortion Diaries," I really felt I was doing something to represent reproductive justice. This documentary was vital to the screening in order to raise awareness of the reproductive choices women make, and goes even deeper in discussing why they choose to end a pregnancy.

The audience watched with enthusiasm while they learned of abortion experiences that were representing a women’s choice over her own body. After the film, the discussion was even better. The general reaction from the film was in support of a woman making her own choice when it comes to being a mother, but a lot of other questions got asked in the mix.

Such questions like "How much say does the guy have when it comes to an abortion if it differs from the girls choice?" We discussed it very intensively, but felt that a women has more choice over this because she is the one going through labor and child rearing so the connection is more with her. We also agreed that many young girls who do get pregnant end up raising the child alone due to departure from the father (as a given example in the film). When ending this question, we all agreed that the classic saying “It takes a village to raise a child” is true because the rest of society needs to assist women to have the opportunity to raise her child while providing necessities for her and her family. When there are programs that assist with nutrition and day care, this is the type of support women needed to raise her child, so that way people can stop putting all the blame on a mother who struggles with her child.

Many topics were brought up on how abortion should be taught and made aware of, but when I asked the question “Should abortion be part of comprehensive sexual education for the youth?” this is where a lot of people had a lot to say, various responses were that in order to prevent a pregnancy proper contraception uses needs to happen and abortion can be taught as a effect of not using a birth control. As a strong pro-choice supporter I do want abortion to be safe, legal, and rare and educating people is the key towards these standards.

Very limited support goes out to women who decide to get a pregnancy aborted, they are deemed ungodly and heartless for their life decision. Until we as a society are ready to set aside the ignorance towards these images about women and their reproductive choice, and realize that we create shame if a girl becomes a out of wedlock teen mother or if she decides to wait on becoming a mother. For women to gain fair judgment on their decision would call for awareness to get a mass audience to actually understand and compromise a personal life choice. Starting at places such as a dinner party or university is where conversations like this can be told and helps overturn society’s decision for policies that effect choice, which then can lead to changing policy.

In 2009 the El Paso Texas City Council voted to offer health benefits for unmarried and same sex partners of municipal workers. The policy took effect in 2010. As soon as council members approved the measure, some religious groups began trying to repeal it. They gathered enough signatures to put the issue on the November ballot. Ever since then this has been a ongoing battle between traditional values and defining who is classified as a couple. The whole Re-call issue is an ordeal between El Paso’s Mayor John Cook and city representatives Susie Byrd and Steve Ortega and Pastor Tom Brown, who currently runs Word of Life church. Mayor Cook and city representatives felt this petition to override the health benefits sets El Paso back as being progressive and equally diverse and thus, made the decision to overrule the ordinance voters had approved. Cook’s defense to proceed with this overruling was because he argues that Brown and supporters gathered signatures in the church and at local businesses, a practice that Cook argues is prohibited under state law.

This issue is very complex because of the Mayors decision not to listen to voters ordinance and attempt to stop the petition, But this decision is based off the fact that people are losing their health benefits for their sexual orientation. El Pasoan’s need to voice out there opinion to show city council and Pastor Brown supporters what the people think is most reasonable. There has not been much visible support for Cook and the representatives who seem to be getting targeted by the Re-Call supporters. This issue is controversial because churches want to define who is married and who can get benefits. We as a new generation of young open minded people who don’t agree with backwards traditional moral values controlling peoples personal life and want equality for all, We need to make awareness of this issue and help make El Paso a city that welcomes all people regardless of their status.

The Texas Tribune in the New York Times posted an article about this ongoing policy issue and makes it out as a pursuit of our liberalism. This article describes this ordeal as
“dividing a city that prides itself as a liberal Democratic stronghold. For some, it is a symbolic struggle over El Paso’s identity. For others in this deeply religious and largely Latino city, the fight is one that city leaders brought upon themselves and have badly bungled.”

This is true because El Paso has a unique cultural that has very different viewpoints, such as a college town full of young people who define their own lives and then there are the traditional family lifestyle that has the moral basis of our city’s identity. A diverse life style can happen and people may live in accordance if they can have leaders who make equality available for everyone and not define someone “not worthy” of getting rightfully due benefits.

This article also points out that “Ms. Byrd said the move stemmed from a conversation she and other council members had with a gay high school student who said he did not feel welcome in El Paso.” With a positive outlook from our city leaders and a town where their university has much pride in supporting diversity and high school students being concerned about the same issues make this town more prone to progressive change.

As part of the CAMI Texas Freedom Network student chapter at UTEP, it is a big goal for my organization to voice our opinion and make awareness of Cook's decision and explain to people why overruling the people's petition was a brave and rightful thing to do. In the near spring (when the next hearing will be happening) the TFN student chapter plans on hosting events and assemblies to advocate equality for LGBT and unmarried couples.

Here is the link to the NY Times artice: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/02/us/in-el-paso-a-storm-over-benefits-for-gay-partners.html

In 2011 I was honored to become an intern with the Texas Freedom Network as part of the Cultural Advocacy Mobilization Initiative (CAMI)and was able to attend the Urban Retreat in Washington, DC with Advocates for Youth. Over a few months I was able to bcome part of grassroots organizing and was made aware and a part of issues that deal with young people and their well-being. I feel liberated to be able to work on many issues such as supporting comprehensive sex ed, fighting for a HIV/AIDS free generation, and LGBTQ rights.

During my first semester as co-president of the Texas Freedom Network student chapter at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) my fellow members and I have been part of many events that have raised awareness of health wellness and supporting the fight against HIV/AIDS. In October El Paso held its annual AIDS WALK event which is an event to raise awareness and funds for medications, food pantries, doctors, transportation and everyday items needed for patients and their families. The experience was warming and had very positive energy within the park. The TFN student chapter tabled at this event and handed out our condoms from the Great American Condom Campaign and those were a big hit! It was being a part of this event that made me feel responsible for raising the awareness of community that wants to see an AIDS free generation.

We also tabled during “Love Your Body” week at my university and this was a great event to promote safe sex as a way of loving your body. TFN handed out condoms and gave statistics on teen pregnancy and STI rates in Texas. These events are very good for us because the TFN Student Chapter gets to hear actual voices from students who agree that abstinence-only programs don’t work. Young people need to hear about ways to protect themselves and have access to health clinics and accessories like condoms and birth control.

Our TFN student chapter tabled on a weekly basis and informed students of the current statistics from the effects of abstinence-only programs that are being thought in Texas. We have heard many students agree with us and this is possible through tabling and signing petitions, (and of course handing out our Trojan condoms!) We now can see that a majority of people who have came up to our table agree with teaching young people comprehensive sex-ed because it befits their well-being and promotes health along with a start to a bright and fulfilling life.

Starting in the spring semester, TFN plans on being part of many more events that have to deal with youth’s issues and defending civil liberties like LGBTQ equality. I feel blessed to be part of such a wonderful opportunity and feel part of the solution. Even though there is much work needed still, I am willing to devote my time and positive energy to help raise awareness of the dangers of abstinence-only programs, advocate for the separation of church and state and proudly defend civil liberties!

Please become a fan of our TFN University of Texas at El Paso Student Chapter Facebook Page!

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) introduced House Resolution 3324, or the “Real Education for Healthy Youth Act” into both chambers of Congress earlier this month.
This new bill is a great achievement towards strengthening public schools and by addressing not only heterosexual but LGBTQ students in comprehensive sex education in public schools this would help students to broaden their perspective and help them to accept LGBTQ individuals.
If LGBTQ-inclusive comprehensive sex ed is taught, LGBTQ targeted bulling can go down. I believe in getting the schools involved will get students to understand that homosexuality is a natural feeling that shouldn’t be taunted. What better way to do this than to include it into the sexual education forum. A lot of schools teach abstinence only programs but they have be proven to not to be effective. So by teaching teens comprehensive sex education that’s doesn’t leave out LGBTQ students than everyone can get a better understanding of sexual health of others.

We need to advocate that sexual health is a big part of every teen’s life and by opposing it to abstinence only programs we ignore the teen’s concerns. We need to promote equality within the public spheres’ and provide truthful information on contracpetive and sexual idenity. There will be many challenges to face along the way for this issue such as conservative parents who feel teaching LGBTQ issues in schools is an outrage and would also require a great deal of advocacy to reach the schools boards. But with the proper advocacy and a positive outreach we can live in a society that no longer shames people for natural sexual urgues.
www.americanindependent.com/202803/new-federal-bill-would-defund-abstinence-only-programs-include-lgbt-youth-in-sex-ed-discussion

How can situations for the LGBT community get better? We have heard of so many young teens taking their lives because of the bullying via at school or on the internet because no one understands there lifestyle. Ive come to conclude that healthy sexuality is a very important practice if we choose to be intimate with someone. Such advocacy groups like www.itgetsbetter.org advocate that we need to be optimistic and hope for a better tomorrow for people living with ridicule for who they are. And though they maintain a very optimistic view for the future, the future starts today and promoting gayness with equality needs to be promoted in society.

I feel by addressing not only heterosexual but gay/lesbian-friendly comprehensive sex education in public schools it would help students enrich their view on homosexuality. My only concern is for the boy students who usually ridicule gay teens more because that male feels he is obligated to tease this gay student because that humiliation makes the perpetrator feel more dominant and higher.

The possible outcome of this theory would be that comprehensive sex education reaches out to a more diverse crowd and can help lead the way to safer sex practices and by students getting a better understanding of more sexual orientations in a public sphere they can overcome that bigotry that is within them to tolerate and accept them (gay/lesbian) for who they are. But on the downfall, this theory would need a lot of operation power to get results that can answer this. Also the fact that it means we need to change the ideas of masculinity so boys wont call gay students “Sissy's”.

This sounds like a great idea for people who consider themselves to be progressive, but this idea of teaching LGBT sex-ed in schools would anger parents and would be a long outreach to the schools boards. But I think with a positive generation and strong advocacy we can make the changes we like to see and hope people live in a society and be free from shame and pain for who they are.

Heterosexism is the assumption that everyone is society is heterosexual and that this orientation is superior and normal. What about for the teenagers in public school systems who are feeling confused about their sexual orientation but have no way to express or understand it in a society that views homosexuality as unmoral. This is all changing in BURNABY, British Columbia, Canada where the Board of Education for the Burnaby School District is moving towards adopting a “Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity” policy (formally titled Homophobia/Heterosexism), which promotes homosexuality and censor all opposition .

This seems like a bold movement because children for this district will now get the education that may or may not concern them and help them be productive in a society that shames the GLBTQ community. Not only does this policy concern homosexual issues in the school curriculum, it also requires schools to have strict rules in their code of conduct monitoring any language or behavior towards students or staff that indicates harassment on the basis of real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identification.

This policy passed in June of 2011 and has been getting a lot of criticism from Pro- Family for the involvement of Gay Straight Alliances (GSA) involvement in elementary schools instead of just high schools. This policy that was implemented by the school board is to aim to foster respect, acceptance and understanding in the schools and community. While opposition groups see this as a way to introduce non-family values to their children, I personally think this is a great step towards accepting all sexual orientations and giving them the right information on how to stay safe in sexual engagments  and feel accepted in society. I hope to see the US develop this policy real soon and continue the acceptance of all sexual orientations within the school sector as well as society.

To read press release's on this districts website and more on this policy check out:
www.lifesitenews.com/news/burnaby-school-board-passes-anti-family-homophobia-policy

Policy # 5.45 sd41.bc.ca/budgets_policies/pdf/policies/545.pdf