Critical Analysis of “SL”
The service-learning project that I was apart of was Free Mom Hugs. Free Mom Hugs is an LGBTQIA+ allyship organization that focuses on community education and the support of LGBTQIA+ individuals. Working with Free Mom Hugs was such an amazing experience. We learned about a lot of different LGBTQIA+ issues and how we can try and fix them. We also learned how we can be better allies to members of the LGBTQIA+ community. The founder of Free Mom Hugs, Sara Cunningham, wanted to create a judgement free environment where we could learn and ask questions. She mentored us along with her son, Parker Cunningham, and her social media director Katrina Kalb. We watched documentaries, read articles, did activities, and really meaningful and candid discussions. I grew so much in that class and became a better ally, friend, and student.
Throughout this project, we focused on many different issues and aspects that we have discusses throughout my human relations academic career. Our group discussed how things like heterosexism and sexism are oppressive systems that keep the LGBTQIA+ a marginalized community. There were also many theories that we discussed such as border theory and intersectionality theory. These theories and issues are a part of a larger system that keeps oppressing the LGBTQIA+ community in many different areas such as lack of safety and protection and lack of rights. I detail how heterosexism and sexism as well as explain how these theories above also play a part in the exclusion of the LGBTQIA+ community in our society in my final capstone project which is attached below.