Welcome to the October Edition of the OSA JEDI newsletter – your update on things related to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. This month, we’re covering the school’s new Gender Support Team, with thoughts on queer representation in horror, offensive Halloween costumes, and an election overseas with huge implications in America. -- The Telegraph Staff
A Spotlight on the new OSA Gender Support Team, by Ava Rukavina
Gender Support Teams are a relatively new concept, but they’re being implemented in schools all across the country. These programs are meant to help accommodate the needs of individual students who identify as anything outside of the typical gender binary. The following is a summary of OSA’s new Gender Support Team, submitted to the OSA Telegraph by JEDI Coordinator Kala Stepter:
The OSA Gender Support Team serves trans and gender expansive students/staff as they express their authentic gender identity. This team - composed of Rachel Dalton (Assistant Principal), Kala Stepter (JEDI Coordinator), and Will Williams (Wellness Counselor) - develops personalized plans that navigate school systems like rosters and PowerSchool, communicating name and pronoun changes to peers and staff, and accessing external and internal resources. To request a gender support plan, community members can fill out the following form: https://forms.gle/tMoD7hqsZubEqTdy7
Stepter shared her excitement about the project, saying: “As we talk about inclusivity and belonging at OSA, it's incredibly important to create spaces where all people are seen and that their personhood is honored. We know how harmful it can be to a person's mental and physical health when this doesn't happen. We also know how powerful it is when people are seen fully; they thrive and grow! I am excited to see this happen in our school community, and am hopeful that it will spread to other communities as well.”
“I'm looking forward to helping to create more ease and care in student and staff's lives. I know it can be challenging to feel like suffering through a system (like roll being called) … is the only way through. It is really heartening to be a part of a school and community that wants to provide something different." Williams commented.
It’s wonderful to see that this new program will be extended, not only to students, but also staff members. OSA continues to make strides towards building a better future, and fostering a welcoming environment for everyone in the community.
***
Queer Representation in Horror, by Bella Schainker
As the world starts to recognize that the cis, white, straight man is not the norm, the need for representation in media has grown more prevalent. Marginalized groups are demanding more portrayal, including the LGBTQ+ community. Now, during October, the month of horror and scares, it’s invaluable to look at how queer people have been shown in horror films in the past.
In the past, Rope, Dracula’s Daughter, and other classic horror films have featured queer and queer-coded characters as the villains. Characters who are blatantly or subvertantly suspected to be gay are portrayed in the role of being the bad guy which makes it so that the community is being represented in roles that are ‘wrong’ or even ‘evil’.
But the question is, In a genre known for its bad endings, do we want horror movies where queer people are constantly villains and victims, where those same harmful stereotypes are amplified? Or is it better to have no representation if the representation sheds poor light?
It’s hard to figure out where the fine line is of what meets our need for being seen on screen. This is tricky because queerness is not the single defining character trait of the LGBTQ+ communit, so the best kind of representation is in characters with complete character arcs, that are well rounded. This has been a fine line to walk, because they should be realistic characters that are not just trying to fill a slot to get a wider audience. Queer representation should be non stereotypical, realistic, and sympathetic, which is a key not only to good LGBTQ+ representation but representation in general. Everyone wants to see themselves on screen, and what’s happened in the past isn’t going to make the cut anymore.
***
Offensive Halloween Costumes and Why Not To Wear Them, by Declan McMahon
Native American/”Indian” costumes.
Many big-box stores and Halloween outlets still sell ‘Indian chief’ or ‘Native princess’-esque costumes. Although in the age of Instagram activism and fast-spreading news, it may seem obvious that these costumes are extremely offensive, but it’s not as commonly known as one may think. Not only are many costumes representative of single tribes, but they are also based on images and paintings done of Native American important moments, like battles and ceremonies. As such, the headdresses so commonly associated with Native Americans and Native American costumes are not representative of actual historical Native American garb. The costumes themselves trivialize and commodify someone’s race and cultural heritage down to three pieces of brown cloth and some inaccurate feathered details. On top of this, the Native American garb that is portrayed is from the 1700s and the 1800s, as they’re portrayed in westerns, posters, music videos, and other pop culture references.
Blackface
This one should be pretty obvious. As with the Native American costume, this trivializes an entire race. Not only that, the origins of blackface as a practice can be traced back to minstrel shows. These were circus-like ‘entertainment’ shows with white actors painting their skin completely black or very dark brown and perpetuating African American stereotypes while performing demeaning or humiliating acts--all while slavery was going on and real atrocities were still being committed.
Fat Suit
Wearing a fat suit as a costume or an aide for your costume of a fat person is not only unnecessary, it’s offensive and upsetting. As with these other costumes, it takes a facet of someone’s life and just blatantly makes fun of it. Characters = costumes, people! You can be a fat character by wearing their clothes, and not a fat suit!
***
Italy’s New Fascist Prime Minister, by Donovan Harris
Italy has officially welcomed a new prime minister, which has a lot of people conversing, and not necessarily for a good reason. Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s new prime minister, is the first female prime minister in the country’s history. However, her regime is one of, if not the most far-right in Italian history since the early 1900s. We discuss her background, election, and the impact it will have on the United States.
Giorgia Meloni is said to be the most extreme leader in Italy since the end of World War II (I.E. Mussolini). She is the Leader of Fratelli D’Italia (Brothers of Italy party), which contains direct roots to the National Fascist Party. She has openly expressed aversion to Immigration and LGBTQ+ rights & the official flag of Fratelli D’Italia contains a tricolored flame that was a symbol of fascism during the early 20th century, which she has refused to remove. The majority of her regime is summed up in this quote she made at a rally in Spain in support of Vox, a Spanish extreme right-wing party: “Yes to the natural family, no to LGBT lobbies! Yes to sexual identity, no to the ideology of gender! Yes to the universality of the cross, no to Islamic violence! Yes to secure frontiers, no to massive migration!”.
Lorenzo Castellani, a historian at LUISS University in Rome made this comment regarding Meloni: "What is important in the campaign is not the policy itself. It's the message — 'we will stop them at any cost’. She is proposing herself as a sort of defender of the borders, a very Trumpian approach from this point of view,", comparing her to Donald Trump. Fascism is habitually growing more and more prevalent throughout the United States, and with a new prime minister in possession of these views, diplomatic relationships between these two countries are going to face dramatic results in the future. This situation is open to many implications across many different countries, and it is obviously still too early to see the impact she makes on the world, but what we can decipher is that her views and associations are going to have a large international impact, most likely not for the better.
Gender Support Teams are a relatively new concept, but they’re being implemented in schools all across the country. These programs are meant to help accommodate the needs of individual students who identify as anything outside of the typical gender binary. The following is a summary of OSA’s new Gender Support Team, submitted to the OSA Telegraph by JEDI Coordinator Kala Stepter:
The OSA Gender Support Team serves trans and gender expansive students/staff as they express their authentic gender identity. This team - composed of Rachel Dalton (Assistant Principal), Kala Stepter (JEDI Coordinator), and Will Williams (Wellness Counselor) - develops personalized plans that navigate school systems like rosters and PowerSchool, communicating name and pronoun changes to peers and staff, and accessing external and internal resources. To request a gender support plan, community members can fill out the following form: https://forms.gle/tMoD7hqsZubEqTdy7
Stepter shared her excitement about the project, saying: “As we talk about inclusivity and belonging at OSA, it's incredibly important to create spaces where all people are seen and that their personhood is honored. We know how harmful it can be to a person's mental and physical health when this doesn't happen. We also know how powerful it is when people are seen fully; they thrive and grow! I am excited to see this happen in our school community, and am hopeful that it will spread to other communities as well.”
“I'm looking forward to helping to create more ease and care in student and staff's lives. I know it can be challenging to feel like suffering through a system (like roll being called) … is the only way through. It is really heartening to be a part of a school and community that wants to provide something different." Williams commented.
It’s wonderful to see that this new program will be extended, not only to students, but also staff members. OSA continues to make strides towards building a better future, and fostering a welcoming environment for everyone in the community.
***
Queer Representation in Horror, by Bella Schainker
As the world starts to recognize that the cis, white, straight man is not the norm, the need for representation in media has grown more prevalent. Marginalized groups are demanding more portrayal, including the LGBTQ+ community. Now, during October, the month of horror and scares, it’s invaluable to look at how queer people have been shown in horror films in the past.
In the past, Rope, Dracula’s Daughter, and other classic horror films have featured queer and queer-coded characters as the villains. Characters who are blatantly or subvertantly suspected to be gay are portrayed in the role of being the bad guy which makes it so that the community is being represented in roles that are ‘wrong’ or even ‘evil’.
But the question is, In a genre known for its bad endings, do we want horror movies where queer people are constantly villains and victims, where those same harmful stereotypes are amplified? Or is it better to have no representation if the representation sheds poor light?
It’s hard to figure out where the fine line is of what meets our need for being seen on screen. This is tricky because queerness is not the single defining character trait of the LGBTQ+ communit, so the best kind of representation is in characters with complete character arcs, that are well rounded. This has been a fine line to walk, because they should be realistic characters that are not just trying to fill a slot to get a wider audience. Queer representation should be non stereotypical, realistic, and sympathetic, which is a key not only to good LGBTQ+ representation but representation in general. Everyone wants to see themselves on screen, and what’s happened in the past isn’t going to make the cut anymore.
***
Offensive Halloween Costumes and Why Not To Wear Them, by Declan McMahon
Native American/”Indian” costumes.
Many big-box stores and Halloween outlets still sell ‘Indian chief’ or ‘Native princess’-esque costumes. Although in the age of Instagram activism and fast-spreading news, it may seem obvious that these costumes are extremely offensive, but it’s not as commonly known as one may think. Not only are many costumes representative of single tribes, but they are also based on images and paintings done of Native American important moments, like battles and ceremonies. As such, the headdresses so commonly associated with Native Americans and Native American costumes are not representative of actual historical Native American garb. The costumes themselves trivialize and commodify someone’s race and cultural heritage down to three pieces of brown cloth and some inaccurate feathered details. On top of this, the Native American garb that is portrayed is from the 1700s and the 1800s, as they’re portrayed in westerns, posters, music videos, and other pop culture references.
Blackface
This one should be pretty obvious. As with the Native American costume, this trivializes an entire race. Not only that, the origins of blackface as a practice can be traced back to minstrel shows. These were circus-like ‘entertainment’ shows with white actors painting their skin completely black or very dark brown and perpetuating African American stereotypes while performing demeaning or humiliating acts--all while slavery was going on and real atrocities were still being committed.
Fat Suit
Wearing a fat suit as a costume or an aide for your costume of a fat person is not only unnecessary, it’s offensive and upsetting. As with these other costumes, it takes a facet of someone’s life and just blatantly makes fun of it. Characters = costumes, people! You can be a fat character by wearing their clothes, and not a fat suit!
***
Italy’s New Fascist Prime Minister, by Donovan Harris
Italy has officially welcomed a new prime minister, which has a lot of people conversing, and not necessarily for a good reason. Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s new prime minister, is the first female prime minister in the country’s history. However, her regime is one of, if not the most far-right in Italian history since the early 1900s. We discuss her background, election, and the impact it will have on the United States.
Giorgia Meloni is said to be the most extreme leader in Italy since the end of World War II (I.E. Mussolini). She is the Leader of Fratelli D’Italia (Brothers of Italy party), which contains direct roots to the National Fascist Party. She has openly expressed aversion to Immigration and LGBTQ+ rights & the official flag of Fratelli D’Italia contains a tricolored flame that was a symbol of fascism during the early 20th century, which she has refused to remove. The majority of her regime is summed up in this quote she made at a rally in Spain in support of Vox, a Spanish extreme right-wing party: “Yes to the natural family, no to LGBT lobbies! Yes to sexual identity, no to the ideology of gender! Yes to the universality of the cross, no to Islamic violence! Yes to secure frontiers, no to massive migration!”.
Lorenzo Castellani, a historian at LUISS University in Rome made this comment regarding Meloni: "What is important in the campaign is not the policy itself. It's the message — 'we will stop them at any cost’. She is proposing herself as a sort of defender of the borders, a very Trumpian approach from this point of view,", comparing her to Donald Trump. Fascism is habitually growing more and more prevalent throughout the United States, and with a new prime minister in possession of these views, diplomatic relationships between these two countries are going to face dramatic results in the future. This situation is open to many implications across many different countries, and it is obviously still too early to see the impact she makes on the world, but what we can decipher is that her views and associations are going to have a large international impact, most likely not for the better.
