I look down at the syllabus. I'm 28. My ASL class will be talking about family the third week. I hesitate. How do I articulate my family. I have two moms, a dad, a step-dad, a step-mom? What's the sign for lesbian again? Is that appropriate? After all this time and all my speaking I still hesitate at having to explain, even in all my proudness. The reality is, it takes a lot of words. Is the other person going to wonder if I think I'm so "special" by sharing that experience? Will they understand? Should I just give in and only tell them about my biological mother and father?
I wonder how children feel when they come across this? Are they ready and willing to give up this information? Are they proud? Is this easy or a challenge?
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Thanks Chelsia. You inspired a post at Damn Straight.
I recently had a similar experience in an adult language class. Anyone who thinks that queerness is a "non-issue" in our culture needs to sit with a group of supposed grown-ups in a language class who can't stop giggling when a student mixes up gender-specific vocabulary, like when a man says the word for husband when he was trying to say he has a wife.
And that was a *mistake.* What if the guy actually *does* have a husband? Like hell I was gonna be out about my family. Not worth it.
I was in a class on International Student Advising once, and everyone had to describe their ethnic identity at the first meeting. I was pretty stumped about how I would describe mine, becasue I mostly feel like I grew up in the gay community, or around left wing activists, more than being part Irish and whatever. I chickened out though, because I knew it would derail the whole class discussion.
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