While reading numerous articles I can tell that the key issue that exists in 2010 around equality of boys and girls in schools are focused on discrimination. English law on discrimination was already fairly well evolved when the Directives were implemented. However, it has developed significantly since then to comply with European law and the European Court of Justice’s interpretation of certain key concepts. The Equality Act is another large step in the evolutionary process. It is effective as of October 1, 2010.

“The Act still applies to nine “protected characteristics”: age,
Disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership,
Pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual
Orientation. During consultation, it was suggested that
Characteristics such as language and genetic predisposition should
Also be protected, but the Government rejected those proposals.
The Act introduces a number of changes to victimization and
harassment. Victimisation occurs when an employee is subject to
detriment because he/she has (or is believed to have) made or
supported a complaint or raised a grievance under the Act. A
complainant is no longer required to point to a hypothetical or actual
comparator who has not made or supported a complaint under the
Act.” (Stated by cov.com)

For Gender they had to say that “The Act has expanded the concept of indirect discrimination to cover gender reassignment. Indirect discrimination can now occur when a provision, criterion or practice that applies to everyone within an organization particularly disadvantages people who fall within the gender reassignment protected characteristic (unless it can be justified as a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim) The definition of gender reassignment has also been broadened. A person will be regarded as having the protected characteristic if he/she proposes to undergo, is undergoing or has actually undergone the process of reassigning sex. This means that a person will no longer be required to be under medical supervision to fall within the definition. To reassign gender, the employee may simply decide to live and dress as someone of the opposite sex. However, transvestites or those who choose temporarily to adopt the appearance of the opposite sex will not be covered.”

All that this all means is that there shouldn’t be any discrimination towards people that change their appearance because they don’t feel comfortable in their own skin. I have a story, one of my friends was straight her whole life, always loved guys and was completely loved by all for her beauty. When junior year came she “left” the school. We were all sad but it was okay because it always happened. That same year we had a new guy student come in that was funny, loved by all, and into the drama program.
Not till just last year did we find out that it was her that came back as a guy. Really odd huh, but long story short she moved out of her house into her grandparents because her parents wouldn’t accept her as a guy. Now the only reason we found this all out was because when she went to college she was complete antagonized by her roommate causing her to kill herself over Christmas break of 2009. I wish I knew her better but she was just one of those people that said hi to everyone and always started a conversation with you. We weren’t the best of friends but we weren’t the worst either.

Obama's Influence

Responce~

After watching the video of the interview with author Tim Wise, it almost makes me want to pick up his book and see what else he has to say. He states one thing that really stuck out to me and that was his ideas of Racism 1.0 Racism 2.0. He states that these ideas are about how we as Americans now have a new outlook on the “stereo type” of the African American race. Because of Barak Obama, we now have a new idea that you don’t have to be a White Male to become President. The stereo type that people of color are not just good basketball players, or “a problem”, they can achieve much more just like Obama. That doesn’t mean that you have to have the same background as Obama, being in a naval academy or being top of their class, but that they are able to defeat all odds and achieve more.
“Barack Obama has grown up with the teaching of extremely angry, militant, known fanatic people including: the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farrakhan, William Ayers and Rev. Michael Pfleger. We want to brush aside these conclusions as attacks and believe Mr. Obama, but, how can we? Are you really to believe that we are not affected by teachers who are militant and angry? This type of teaching plays a rule in anyone whom has endured it. Who is anyone kidding that Mr. Obama won't run this country in the mindset of his teachers.”
Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/politics-articles/obama-and-the-democrats-push-to-influence-our-children-543217.html#ixzz13QSKwQls
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

The new hopes for the standards are that everyone can be exceptional no matter race or ethnicity. I agree with that because the stereo types need to be changed. Stereo types can be defeated more now than ever because of the pavement that Obama created. When asking an African American child what they want to be when they grow up, they now have a response of becoming the next president.
"Among my students was the man who's going to swear Obama in as the 44th President of the United States -- John Roberts, the Chief Justice -- very, very smart; but I think that Barack Obama is on the whole at least as impressive, probably more so because of the breadth of qualities that his mind displays, and I suppose it's also a kind of emotional intelligence as well as analytical intelligence." (projo)

volunteer

“This article is a great eye opener for almost everyone out there. Throughout our lives we are told that we should try to make a difference and to remember that even the smallest of deeds can be the biggest jester to someone who needs it. In this article you read about the way that a few different teachers showed their students how to make an impact within their community. Service projects can make students become active participants and at the same time it can further there academic views of the topic that they are going over in class” by Beth

I agreed so much with what Beth had to said in her blog I wanted to talk about what she said with my opinion. For someone to say that we don’t make a difference in someone’s life is a lie! It’s like the quote from the movie “Remember Me”, our hand prints touch other people’s hearts each person we meet. Or however the quote goes but the point is we do make a big difference in those we help. And I know the best story…
When doing volunteer work for St. Pius, I was coaching a youth basketball league and one of the parents pulled me aside. she told me how I helped her son not only with basketball but breaking out of his shell. Now to me, at the time, I just thought was just teaching them the basics of basketball but to him I helped him with so much more. Now this was three years ago, he now graduated middle school and now plays varsity basketball as a freshman. Incredible I know! The best part is that my sister goes to that school and said he has so many friends now and always is talking and being out going. Which is funny because only a short while ago he was so quiet and it was pulling teeth to get him to talk.
So as you can see we really do make a difference in what we do, say or act. And people need to read this article to get why people volunteer. I volunteer because not only does it make me happy but I help people just as much as they help me!

here is 18 great reasons why we all need to volunteer..
http://www.everydaygiving.com/volunteer.htm

What is really pretty?

Quotes:

1. “My waist didn’t dip into an hourglass” Quotes like this really makes women feel bad about themselves. Sometimes causing eating disorders. When comparing this quote to cartoon craters you can see how women feel un pretty. They see women like Bell or Pocahontas, both very fit women and can be seen as beautiful. Women try to be compare themselves to pretty women like this trying to aim for that goal of beauty. To me I don’t like this because beauty is on the inside not the outside. You can be beautiful by what you do, say, and act on. Women should not subject themselves to think that they need to be thin to be beautiful. If you do feel this way, watch Jessica Simpsons show on MTV its great way to look at beauty with different cultures.
2. “Children’s cartoon, movies, and literature are perhaps the most influential genre.” I agree with this so much because if you look at movies you see thin beautiful women, Catherine Higal, Angelina Jolie and Meagan Fox, all beautiful women that men go gaga over. Of course media has a valid roll in what women think is beautiful and as much as I hate to say it, it can’t be stopped. The only way to stop it is to not feed into it.
3. “How do films portray overweight people?” if I grabbed a bunch of movies and watched them its known that fat people on TV are shown to be ugly, unattractive to guys, and hated. But those odds are now changing more and more for movies like, UGLY BETTY,HAIRSPRAY and MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, all women that are little over weight and happy. Look at Tiara banks she is happy and successful and has a couple pounds on her.
4. In the story of “A Black Cinderella” it made me think of the first black Disney channel princess. The Princess and the Frog. It was a great movie and was the first black princess.
5. “Many who watched cartoons before was start out study say they can no longer enjoy them. Now instead of seeing a bunch of ducks in clothes they see the racisms, sexism and violence that swim under the surface of the stories” can we talk about this one in class please and thank you!!!!

Gayness, Multicultural Education and Community

Reflection~



i put this video because i know everyone has seen it and knows that saying the word gay out of context isn't right. so why keep saying it?

Quotes~

while reading Gayness, Multicultural Education and Community there were a couple quotes that stuck out to me...

"Father knows best"...."Knew their places."

does father really know best? Years ago it was said that being gay was a Disease. as years progressed it was more known and more accepted. it was stated in the essay

"In 1993, for example, the gay rights movement claimed a major victory in the signing into a lawof a Minnesota bill that makes it illegal to discriminate against lesbians and gay men in employment and housing."

In Baehr v. Lewin in that same year, three same-sex couples challenged the State of Hawaii's heterosexual-only marriage code...and won. The Hawaii Supreme Court declared that, barring a "compelling state interest," the State of Hawaii could not bar same-sex couples from marrying without violating its own equal protection statutes. The Hawaii state legislature soon amended the constitution to overrule the Court.
So began the national debate over same-sex marriage--and the pandering efforts of many state legislatures to ban it. Even President Clinton got in on the act, signing the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act in 1996 to prevent any future hypothetical same-sex married couples from receiving federal benefits. more information on the website link http://civilliberty.about.com/od/gendersexuality/tp/History-Gay-Rights-Movement.htm

its definitely known that the thoughts of gay rights have changed drastically and more in formations on this and a timeline is on http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0761909.html

basically my point to this all is to say that gay rights have come from nothing and now is accepted and more known.