{"id":6108,"date":"2022-07-06T16:55:21","date_gmt":"2022-07-06T20:55:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?p=6108"},"modified":"2022-07-06T16:55:23","modified_gmt":"2022-07-06T20:55:23","slug":"beyond-the-surface","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?p=6108","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the Surface"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

1st Place, Human Interest Feature<\/strong>
2021-22, Division 3, News Writing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Adan Quan<\/strong>
Portrait
East Lansing HS<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They don\u2019t really know how to describe it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s like a mispronunciation, being called the wrong name, but it\u2019s not. It\u2019s an achy feeling. It\u2019s gross like a layer of sweat that you want to wipe off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But you can\u2019t, because it\u2019s not really there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a feeling that Kate Borgstrom (12), who identifies as nonbinary and uses they\/them pronouns, has felt every time they are misgendered, and one that they\u2019ve had to learn to live with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Borgstrom is not alone\u2014one in four lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender plus (LGBT+)  youth identifies as nonbinary, according to the Trevor Project, a LGBT+ youth advocacy and support group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Borgstrom, being nonbinary means not falling under male or female gender identities. However, they don\u2019t consider themselves genderfluid, where their identity changes over time. And genderqueer functions as an umbrella term for people do not identify as male or female, but as something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Borgstrom began identifying as nonbinary in their freshman year, when they were struggling more with themselves, especially being new to high school. But with support from their senior friends, they found a label that fit them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA lot of them were like \u2018have you heard of this option,\u2019 and I was like no,\u201d Borgstrom said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know there was another, or multiple [genders\/gender identities], more than two, and they\u2019re like yeah, you keep describing yourself as not either.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Borgstrom learned about various gender identities through their friends, many students at ELHS learned through freshman-year health class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to health teacher Terri Cregg, topics of identity, pronouns and gender could be talked about and taught in class as of changes approved three years ago. Gender identities are reviewed and defined during the class as part of the class vocabulary. While the curriculum is limited by what is approved by the district Sex Education Advisory Board, Cregg believes they do the best they can with what is approved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is always room for improvement, as with any subject area,\u201d Cregg said. \u201cWe want all our students to be represented in our curriculum and materials.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Borgstrom has not taken the health class, but is appreciative of how the health class is trying its best. However, they are still skeptical about how long the section is, based on their experience in prior health classes. Still, they believe that teaching inclusivity doesn\u2019t need to be limited to health class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[Even] outside of health class, I definitely think there should be something in there,\u201d Borgstrom said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would specifically like it if English classes did a short lesson on pronouns, or if science or health classes talked about how gender is not set in stone and that people can move between identities and pronouns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This desire for more discussion is shared by Keaton Kribs (10), who also identifies as non-binary. Kribs is newer to identifying as nonbinary\u2014they have been for several months after doing some research on different gender identities trying to find one that fits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m still not 100 percent sure that I\u2019ve found the right one yet,\u201d Kribs said. \u201cBut it feels good for now, so I\u2019m just kinda going with it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They agree that it would be \u201csuper helpful\u201d to have a lesson on pronouns in English, because many students don\u2019t care enough to do research on their own time. but they also feel like the school could benefit from a gender studies class, as an elective for people who are interested. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey could really take a deep dive on stuff like that,\u201d Kribs said. \u201cI think that\u2019d be really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Kribs and Borgstrom would also like if other classes were more inclusive. And this inclusivity is not limited to gender\u2014 both expressed that they would like it if there was more discussion about other LGBT+ topics overall, such as sexuality. Whether by using more inclusive language in questions, covering LGBT+ history, having more books that are inclusive and\/or written by LGBT+ authors and having more discussion in relevant classes, change is desired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHonestly, and I\u2019ve only really been at the high school for a little bit, I haven\u2019t seen discussion about LGBTQ stuff in any of my classes,\u201d Kribs said. \u201cSome of them, like, make sense, because like it wouldn\u2019t really come up, but there hasn\u2019t been anything in any of the history classes or anything like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kribs was happy to see that many teachers are now asking for pronouns, and was happy with the survey given during Excel, which asked for student\u2019s pronouns. And they were glad to see their teachers putting in effort to make sure they didn\u2019t just know names, but pronouns as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[Science teacher Heather] Mueller did a really good job. She\u2019s really good about pronouns and inclusive language and stuff like that,\u201d Kribs said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kribs has found that most students aren\u2019t opposed to genderqueer students and respecting pronouns, but that they either don\u2019t understand what being non-binary means, or don\u2019t do anything to make sure they\u2019re accommodating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kribs has been misgendered as Borgstrom has, primarily by students, but usually doesn\u2019t think it\u2019s a big deal as long as the mistake isn\u2019t repeated multiple times, especially after a correction. Their main problem is that people tend to assume their pronouns, something that other non-binary students have experienced as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople I don\u2019t know very well use like, he\/him pronouns for me because I do still kind of portray like on the more masculine side of non-binary,\u201d Kribs said. \u201cBut other than that [misgendering] hasn\u2019t really been that bad at school.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To fix this issue, both Kribs and Borgstrom expressed that they would prefer if people started using they\/them pronouns as a default for strangers, especially since how one presents does not necessarily reflect their pronouns. And people they do know should use correct pronouns for them. However, Kribs does understand that it can be difficult for people they don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI actually misgender myself a lot of times just cause I\u2019m really used to it,\u201d Kribs said. \u201cBut yeah, I know it\u2019s hard, so I don\u2019t get angry about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, Kribs and other non-binary students want their peers to understand them and their experiences, and to start talking about gender in order to create a safe and welcoming environment not only for them, but for people who may be questioning their own gender. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLike when I\u2019m at school I feel very judged by like everybody here,\u201d Kribs said. \u201cYou know, but like with friends and stuff like that, I feel like I can really just be myself, and not have to worry about what people think.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View original material<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NW-13. Human Interest Feature<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Human interest features appeal to the emotions of the reader with inspiration, motivation, pathos or humor and often make effective use of quotes. Enter descriptive, personal experience or accomplishment, or humor in this category. These are generally shorter stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judging Criteria<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
  • Lead captures attention, arouses curiosity<\/li>
  • Emphasizes new element, fresh angle<\/li>
  • Colorful, lively presentation; effective form\/style<\/li>
  • Reflects adequate research, sound interviewing techniques<\/li>
  • Avoids summaries of published materials<\/li>
  • Effective use of facts\/quotes<\/li>
  • Interesting; appeals to the emotions<\/li>
  • Proper diction\/grammar<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    1st Place, Human Interest Feature2021-22, Division 3, News Writing By Adan QuanPortraitEast Lansing HS They don\u2019t really know how to describe it.\u00a0 It\u2019s like a mispronunciation, being called the wrong name, but it\u2019s not. It\u2019s an achy feeling. It\u2019s gross like a layer of sweat that you want to wipe off. But you can\u2019t, because […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[61,4],"tags":[182,22],"class_list":["post-6108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-humaninterestfeature","category-nw","tag-2021-22","tag-division3","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Morgan Womack","author_link":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?author=12"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6K0n6-1Aw","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6108\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}