Imagine being queer in today’s society. I bet you feel like a minority. Now imagine being queer and an immigrant in today’s society. Now how do you feel? Personally If I were a queer immigrant I would feel very lost in Canadian culture. I would like to write this blog from the perspective of a queer immigrant.
When I look around me at the society we live in I see that people tend to place people like me in groups such as the “gay” group or the “immigrant” group. I feel isolated and exploited by the world around me. I feel as though if I were to get out there and try to make a decent living for myself I would get shot down a lot because of where I am from, what I believe in and how I feel towards the same sex. Business owners tell us that they are fair when they are hiring but sometimes it doesn’t make sense as to why I didn’t get the job over someone else. I’ve worked hard. I’ve made it to Canada haven’t I? I deserve equal chance and equality. When I came to Canada I looked into some groups I could join that dealt with people like myself. I found this group called quIR. This is a group that helps people like me find a good place to live, while trying to see to it that I am treated fairly and given a decent health care and education while receiving fair wages. Groups like these are good. They make equality a reality for us. Don’t get me wrong, many queer immigrants do get good jobs and are treated fairly but then there are the unfortunate ones such as myself. People can’t assume that everything is fine. I deserve more than what I am getting.
I was reading articles about queer immigrant rights and one article caught my attention. To me this doesn’t seem fair at all. The article was talking about how a heterosexual citizen of the US (I know it’s for the US but I found it interesting) can sponsor a spouse to immigrate but a queer US citizen can’t. Why can’t a queer person bring their lover home to them while a heterosexual can? Is it because of the medical attention someone like me may need? Is it fear of a changing society?
There needs to be more equality with our society. Life is Life, How you choose to live it may not be how I choose to live it. But I do know that it is wrong to treat a person like me differently than a non queer non-immigrant living in Canada.
(Keep in mind I tried to write this from a queer immigrant’s perspective. I am not queer nor am I and immigrant)
I also found this PDF with some good sites for articles on queer immigrants if anyone is interested: http://q4ej.org/wp-content/uploads/queer-immigration-reading-list.pdf
http://www.idealist.org/en/org/150520-102
-Brittany Litke
Brittany, I also think it is bizarre that heterosexuality is given privilege over other sexual orientations upon entrance into the U.S. Even though this information is from the U.S., Canadian policies seem to follow a similar path to this approach. To me, this policy is just another way neoconservative ideology can denigrate and exploit non-traditional behaviors.
ReplyDelete-Brooke D.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Brittany. I really liked how you wrote your post from the actual perspective of the group you are writing about. I found that it made it more powerful. You are completely right, life as a person in multiple minority groups cannot be easy. It shouldn't be that way.
ReplyDeleteCrystal M.
I agree with Crystal, it was neat to hear your post through the eyes of the person you were trying to capture. I agree that this would be a very difficult life altering event for a person to go through. Another substantial reason for immigration would be if the person was trying to escape punishment for their sexual orientation in their country. Having to uproot one's life is difficult as it is, but you are right - finding a job and people who accept you is just another barrier to endure.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that you looked up supporting groups that the individual could seek upon arrival. I would hope that someone actually going through such a change would also take the initiate to look for the social services that exist in Canada.
Tara Purvis
I really like how you wrote this post! I cannot imagine being a queer immigrant and the hardships that they must endure because society is so judgmental. I think that everyone deserves to live life they way they want and groups like QUIR are important because they are an outlet for people. Without groups like these people would feel isolated and in turn may become depressed and end up doing something harmful.
ReplyDeleteAlexis B.
This is a really good post. I think it is ridiculous how heterosexual people get more right than people who are homosexual or bisexual. It is unreal to me how just because the cultural "norm" is to be heterosexual that everything else is considered abnormal and unacceptable to many people. Having said all this, it is even worse for those who are immigrants because they obviously face all these problems of their own. It is unfortunate what some people go through. I appreciate how it was written from the perspective of someone who might be going through it.
ReplyDelete-Marina R
I like that you tried to put yourself into someone else's shoes, Brittany. And thanks for making me realize that I need to do some class discussion about the voice of an ally -- how do you try to understand the experience of someone else, and to communicate their issues, in a way that doesn't appropriate their identity? It's tricky and worth spending some time on it, because I think it underlies much of the work of the social worker.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have any thoughts on this challenge?
After reading your post, I am glad that I live in Canada, a country that is more open to people who are not heterosexual, the current immigrant policy in Canada stated that Canadian citizen can sponsor their same sex partner to immigrant. But I feel like norm of "fear of homosexual people" is not gone from everybody's yet. And I believe through the hard work from the social work field this can be changed.
ReplyDeleteSarah