Lei+Halia+B.

Phase I: Who Am I? What's My Place?

My personality traits, my experiences, and the things that are important to me make up my identity. I'm generally quiet, unless you get me talking about something quite interesting to me or something I'm knowledgable about. I'm pretty introverted, but I can work well with people when needed. I grew up in Hawai'i, and I've only left once, for a vacation in Illinois and Ohio. I grew up keeping to myself, always reading and drawing. Thusly, I find time for myself and time for doing things I enjoy important. Also, as a trans guy (female to male), I find the LGBTQ community to be important to me as well. Drawing is a big thing in my life, I love creativity and I'm constantly drawing.
 * What __really__ makes up your identity?

My sense of place is somewhere that I am comfortable, somewhere I can be myself, rest safely, and not have to worry. My room and my home are prime examples of such a place. I can rest and spend my time doing exactly what I want to. Also, the online LGBTQ community has proven to be a safe haven of sorts to me. There, I can be myself without worrying about judgement. I tend to be more of a follower, though I can lead when necessary. I enjoy reading, and thusly enjoy reading up on things and researching. In a group, I'm quiet, speaking when necessary. I generally listen, absorb information, and come to my own conclusions, which I share with the group after I've had time to think. I'm creative, both artistically and thinking-wise. I can see things from different angles and points of view. I'm analytically minded and tend to figure out the details. One problem, in my opinion, is the unacceptance of transgender individuals. While I feel that this is a world-wide problem, I'd like to start by solving it at home first and making this community safer for those like me. I've generally flown under the radar (most don't know I'm trans) for two reasons. One, I don't look like what people expect when they think "transgender". Most only think of drag, the "men in dresses" stereotype, which is problematic in its own right. Two, I have a hard time coming out to people, as I have no idea how they'll react. In school, I've heard students and even teachers make fun of trans people, mocking us for just trying to be true to ourselves. I've heard people reacting in disgust at the mere mention of transgender, going on and on about how "they're disgusting", "it's so wrong", etc. I've even heard someone talking about trans people with such vitriol in their voice, and they even confessed to their friend how much they wanted to punch, to hurt trans people. With the people I've come out to, I haven't had much problem - but that's only because I've told just my closest friends and those I know will be accepting. Most just ignore what I've said anyways. The way to solve this is education. Most people just don't know about trans people. All they've seen is the bad media representation, those that make fun of us when we've done nothing wrong. It just takes education on what it means to be transgender, what life is like for trans people, and that we're just people trying to live our lives as best as we can. One needs to be resilient, as the problem most like won't be solved on the first try if it's a long standing problem. They need to be courageous and prepared for any problems that may arise. They need to think creatively to come up with a solution that hasn't been done before. They need to be able to listen as well as talk.
 * What __really__ makes up your sense of place?
 * What roles do your identity and sense of place play when you work with others in a group project?
 * What are the qualities that you bring to the GLIP conversation that will help you make a contribution to your global group?
 * What is one local problem (where you live) that you believe needs to be addressed? Suggest some steps could you take to try to solve it?
 * Finally, some problems have been around for a long time. What qualities do you think a person must have to step up and try to solve them?

Phase II: Sense of Place

Upload image (s) here:

Use these questions to help you determine which picture shows someone else why your “place” is so special to you.
 * Does a scenic picture represent the beauty you believe that your town has?
 * Does a picture of a group of people represent and show a warmth and friendliness that your town has?
 * Does a statue or building convey the feeling of history that makes your place important and unique?
 * Is there a cultural event that represents the values of your home location?

What are your initial thoughts about how your image addresses the questions above? Later, you will be working with the members of your group to create a travel package that includes visits to each group member's home location (see Phase II)

Phase III: Identify Local Issue:

What is your local issue?

What can you do to be address the issue?

What is the global impact of your local issue?

Add these thoughts to your Group's Discussion Forum on Local Issues