| Feminism
simply means all humans are equal, WGS speaker says
By Jacob Fullmer
November 15, 2006 | There were no
burning bras or male voodoo dolls at the Women and Gender
Studies student awards banquet Monday night, but students
and faculty shared their passion for equality.
Who should care about WGS? Journalists,
single moms, those in the military, and yes, even men
were in attendance. Students of all backgrounds met
together to share in their accomplishments and hear
from Christy Glass, assistant orofessor in the sociology
department. Glass, who holds a Ph.D. in sociology from
Yale University, explained how labor market issues and
gender are closely related.
"Feminism," she said, "is nothing
more than the idea that all human beings are equal."
Even though Glass grew up in a home
with her single mother and sister, she said she didn't
"figure it out" until she gained insight from her graduate
studies. She encouraged listeners to look closely at
events like the recent efforts of janitors in Houston
trying to raise their minimum wage and the firing of
a gay woman from the Cracker Barrel Company because
of her sexual preference.
"What's needed is people like
you," Glass said. "People with insight into these matters."
A student panel made up of seniors
graduating with a degree in WGS also spoke with the
group. Students Lindsay Kite, Nathaniel Boehme, and
Jessica Sahely were on the panel.
"When I entered college I really
didn't know what I was doing," said Boehme, one of the
few men in the program. "I was your typical white male."
Boehme discussed the struggles he
experienced when he finally faced "everything given
to [him]" because of his skin color. Growing up, he
had been learned people are poor because they are lazy
and other false stigmas surrounding economic and racial
minority groups. To his family's credit, he said, his
mother also taught him to be skeptical and ask questions.
Boehme had planned on being a law
enforcement officer but now wants to positively influence
people as a professor.
Kite, a journalism and WGS student,
plans to attend graduate school to study media criticism
and gender studies. She said she always noticed women
were portrayed differently than men in the media. She
believes a $100 billion beauty industry in the U.S.
is reaping the benefits from images in the media focusing
on women's sexuality.
Sahely expressed the platform all
women can share with one another because of their gender.
According to the program's director,
Brenda Cooper, women and gender studies has been part
of Utah State University for almost 30 years. Students
interested in WGS can visit www.usu.edu/womenstu
or go to its office on the third floor of the Animal
Science Building.
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