Show your true colors

Abigail Charles

Activists, Interlopes, and Pranksters

Dec 17^th, 2019

Final Paper

Show Your True Colors

My final project is about bringing awareness to the LGTBQIA youth. Awareness concerning the history of legends of the community and the support systems that they have access to even now. There is a lot of history that has not been taught or talked about. There are also many support groups that are around but not known.  I did not have access to these resources when I was younger, more confused and moderately monitored by my guardians. If I had more courage and a little less supervision I would have learned about the legends like Marsha P Johnson, Ellen DeGeneres, Harvey Milk and Laverne Cox. My final project is about the lack of support for the LGTBQIA youth and the lack of knowledge they have about the LGTBQIA history and resources.

            Much of the knowledge I have learned about the {LGTBQIA} community was self-taught. Out of my own curiosity did I learn that Marsha P Johnson and Sylvia Rivera were activist during the 1960’s and from a couple days’ worth of rioting against police, The Pride Parade came about. No one told me about Ellen DeGeneres being one of the first people to come out on television leading to her to losing her career and then renaming herself after “Finding Nemo” with her own television show. These events are important and worth telling and knowing about. Not every leader will be a white heterosexual privileged man. Celebrities like Frank Ocean and Janelle Monae have space now to be themselves. Janelle identifies as pansexual while Frank is bisexual. Both of them received a lot of backlash about who they are. Here’s Janelle’s response: “I want young girls, young boys, nonbinary, gay, straight, queer people who are having a hard time dealing with their sexuality, dealing with feeling ostracized or bullied for just being their unique selves, to know that I see you,” she says. “This album is for you. Be proud.”

My original Idea was to create workshop with various organizations that support and are allies for the community, but after talking with several individuals I have decided to add myself as a presenter. I am a vocalist so I would sing the song True Colors by Cyndi Lauper. A song that can be interoperated in many ways but has made an impression on the {LGTQIA} community. The lyrics goes as

You with the sad eyes
Don't be discouraged
Oh I realize
Its hard to take courage
In a world full of people
You can lose sight of it all
And the darkness inside you
Can make you feel so small

Show me a smile then
Don't be unhappy, can't remember
When I last saw you laughing
If this world makes you crazy
And you've taken all you can bear
You call me up
Because you know I'll be there

I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful
Like a rainbow

The lyrics send out such an authentic message that needs to be heard: You’re beautiful just as you are. Be you. We all need that affirmation once in a while.

The workshop will be held on Coming out Next year 2020 and I will be singing True Colors on campus and off campus. The workshop(s) will be  in partnership with organizations such as Hudson Pride, NJCU LGTBQI Alliance, and hopefully the NJCU Women’s and Counseling Center. The workshop will be informative but is in place to be help the community’s youth. After the workshop I want the people who were a part of it, and those who just came to listen or watch to feel like a bit more informed and emotionally moved by the program.

https://youtu.be/GLvBtvwHM08