Description of the CSUSM LGBT Pride Center
The LGBTQA Pride Center (PC) refers to an all-inclusive place that focuses on promoting positive interaction between individuals from a diverse environment. The PC aims at providing a space that recognizes and appreciates students who show tolerance to all genders as well as all sexualities contained in the LGBTQ community. Students visit the PC for lessons on homophobia, biphobia, LGBTQ, sex, and sexuality among others.
Opportunities at the Center Related to my Topic
My research topic states, “Discrimination on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender at the Workplace." Firstly, a majority of the students who visit the PC either belong to one of those categories mentioned above or knows someone who belongs to the same groups. I came to the center because I knew I would meet my interview respondents there and they will be free to talk to me about the topic of my research without fear or intimidation. Secondly, The PC contains a library that has materials on my research topic which means besides finding my interview respondents I will also find secondary data sources for my research which presents a unique opportunity.
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Moreover, the PC has resource persons such as instructors who have vast knowledge on my research topic, and I believe my visit there will enable me to interact with such experts and resource persons who will share insights regarding my research. The PC offers me a unique opportunity to observe and interact with the lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender which would have posed a challenge if I would visit a different place for the same exercise. The PC enabled me to observe the individuals in an environment where they usually operate without disguising themselves to fit into what the rest of the world considers natural. I summary, my choice to visit the PC was hinged on the fact that facility would provide me resource persons, interview respondents, and experts who will enable me to find the information that I am trying gather.
Notes Writing Process
Notes Writing Strategies from EFS (Jotting)
The Cultural Center was not appropriate for notes taking, and I had to rely on the jotting technique where I wrote short points as the interview proceeded. I did not find the right sitting place with my interviewees considering I just stopped them along the way, and thus I had to use jotting because of the prevailing circumstances. I noted down prompts as my interviewees respondent to my questions about sexual stereotyping. I planned to expound on my notes earlier on when I found a good sitting place. Good note taking requires a good sitting position and good writing materials. I had just carried my notebook which was Ideal for taking brief notes.
Bulleting
I bulleted my notes during my interview session with my respondents with the aim of expounding on them when writing my actual notes later. While bulleting, I highlighted the most critical points from the responses that my interviewees gave vertically. The bullets captured the gist of the answers, and I knew it would be easier to expound on them when doing the actual writing.
Sociological Insights
My visit to the PC gained me a lot of sociological insights relating to my research focus, for instance, I learned that gays, lesbians, transgender, and bisexual individual suffer from isolation and discrimination particularly at their respective workplaces. According to the personal experiences that the individuals shared, I deduced that majority of them lead lonely lives and at the workplace face discrimination as the rest of the staff regarding that as wayward due to their sexual orientation. Many of them indicated that their colleagues at the workplace look at them as individuals with corrupted morals who ought to be avoided at all costs. They also encounter discrimination regarding matters of employment and promotions. Bosses fear giving individuals belonging to these group promotions for fear that they would be sending the wrong message to the rest of the staff regarding their sexual orientation.
I also learned that the world is yet to accept these individuals and respect their choices in life. The society judges them harshly on account of their sexuality even if they do all the other things correctly. It also came to my notice that these individuals live lonely lives after being rejected by family and friends on account of their sexual orientation. Living in isolation has made many of them to develop depression which explains the increasing cases of suicides by members of the groups.
While interacting with individuals from those groups, I realized that the government had done nothing to protect individuals from those groups. The individuals are not protected by the constitution either which them vulnerable to vices such discrimination. Individuals from those groups cannot launch a complaint against discrimination as the authority will side with the offender to frustrate the individuals even further. Overall, society has isolated members from those groups due to its failure to embrace sexual diversity. The media, on the other hand, has enhanced stereotyping of the individuals thus compounding their misery. The world ought to recognize that individuals belonging to those groups are human beings worthy of fair treatment.
What I would have done differently
The first thing that I would have done differently was the manner in which I conducted my interview. Previously I had held my meeting in the open with my respondents standing since the majority of them was students whom I had just bumped into, and they agreed to be my respondents for my research topic. Firstly, I would have organized for a room and placed chairs inside while ensuring that the place is clean and well lit. Secondly, I would have asked my respondents to join me for an interview later on a specified time while briefing them of my research topic to allow them to prepare themselves for the same.
I would have also ensured that I interview one individual at a time and not having joint interviews. I realized that while conducting joint interviews, interviewees stated what the person had just said which limited the amount of data that I collected. Conducting individual interviews would also enable me to grant my respondents the privacy they need. I realized that most of them withheld information that they would have shared it had asked them in private. Overall, privacy plays a significant role in interviews as it creates and favorable environment for them to open up on issues.
Moreover, I would have avoided asking leading questions to my respondent since I noticed it provided some guidance to their feedback. That explains why all the responses I got from my interviews appeared almost similar. I learned that leading questions set the respondents mind in a particular mental frame that leads to similar feedbacks.
I would also have written my notes in a better way if I had a chance to go back to the CP for a new visit. I had problems interpreting the bulleted notes and the ones I had jotted down in a hurry. That led to the loss of information which would have strengthened my research. Setting the table and having good writing materials would have been my priority if another opportunity presented itself.
