You are probably wondering what we are all about and why we (Becky and Shauna) started this group. It has everything to do with gender equality.
We would like to make it clear, gender equality doesn’t just have to do with women’s rights, though that is a major component. Discrimination due to gender affects everyone, if you are:
- Female
- Male
- Straight
- Gay
- Transsexual
- Bisexual
You have most likely been outwardly or subtly stereotyped based on your sex; from society, government, teachers, peers, friends, and family. Your sex has affected your entire life in a profound way, from the day you were born you were branded with the concepts of ‘femininity’ and ‘masculinity’, you were taught that there is a certain way to behave, a certain way to look at the world around you, and as soon as you step outside of the boundaries of ‘normalcy’, your spirit is beaten down. There is something wrong with the ideas society has stamped into our heads; this is why this club has been birthed.
Our E.R.A. is affectionately named after the Equal Rights Amendment in the United States that was first purposed in 1923, most recently in 2007, but has never made it in the constitution. The goal of the E.R.A. was for ‘equality of rights under the law [to] not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on the account of sex.’[1] The goal of Our E.R.A. is to raise awareness of gender equality issues and ensure that progress is made within the Harry Ainlay community that leads to the elimination of sexism and homophobia.
So? How are we going to do this?
- Have weekly meetings at lunch.
- Have a day dedicated to equality issues.
o Celebrate V-Day and Pride Week
- Raise money for women’s shelters and to bring in some stellar speakers!
- Watch movies that promote a positive image of females and homosexuals.
- Gather together some reading material on these issues.
*- Discourage the use of gay and sexist slurs at Harry Ainlay.
- In Our E.R.A. we want to promote an open forum for conversation and discussion, hopefully we will be able to brainstorm about our issues and come up with some creative ways to get our message across to the school community.
Through Our ERA, we hope to reach certain goals, including:
-Creating a safe and open environment to talk about equality between genders and all sexual orientations in our school.
-To eradicate acts of hate in our school due to sexism and homophobia.
-To raise awareness of issues of sexism and homophobia in our school community. Provide different viewpoints.
1- Source: http://www.now.org/issues/economic/eratext.html
