Let The Outreach Begin!

Earlier this Summer, my fellow Peace Corps Volunteers and I (in partnership with two NGOs) applied for a Peace Corps SPA Grant for LGBT Community Outreach throughout Albania. The idea started from a former volunteer (more formally called "Returned Peace Corps Volunteer" or RPCV) who served in Albania from 2012-2014. He had completed his project right before I arrived. It just so happened that our service years overlapped a bit, and I was able to learn about his project early on in my service. I liked the project design and thought it would be great to replicate and even expand if possible during my service (2014-2016). I am happy to say that we were awarded the grant funds last week!

Overview

The idea is to educate Albanians about LGBT issues and build awareness of the LGBT Community. Our work is primarily outside of the capital city of Tirana, as these areas are less exposed to such subject matter. Our target audience is younger individuals, as this population tends to be more receptive, and can be more easily engaged in a classroom or group setting. Me and my fellow group mates will work with a group of amazing activists from two NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) to facilitate each engagement - Aleanca Kunder Diskriminimit LGBT (Alliance Against LGBT Discrimination) and ProLGBT. 

What's New?

This year we are looking to expand the network of the NGOs by engaging members of the community and working with them as a local contact point. It is our hope to create a network that will serve to provide more safety and support for the LGBT people across the country (more about this concern below). We also hope that this will allow for sustainability after Peace Corps has finished its mission here in Albania. 

Timeline

We already started! We are looking to do outreach until all 13 sites are visited. This will happen between now and April 2016. Check out the next post for info on our first outreach engagement!

A Growing Concern

As it stands, many LGBT people seek community in Tirana. For some, the situation in their home town is so hostile that they move away. Of course, without local support from family or friends, the only place one has to go is Tirana. This is a country where family means a house, food, and community. When a family rejects a son or daughter for their sexual orientation, the child loses their ability to care for themselves. Once the community finds out that one of their own is a 'deviant,' it is no longer possible to remain in the closet. Word travels fast, especially in small towns. Thus Tirana becomes a sort-of mecca for LGBT in Albania. Hardly the bastion of gay life as in San Francisco, New York, Berlin or even Tel Aviv, it is better than facing derision from their family and community day after day. So they go. They seek a better life - yet possibly with no job prospects, no job training, limited English skills, little/no money, and nothing in their possession but the clothes on their backs. Luckily there is a shelter that caters to LGBT youth that will house them, cloth them, and give them food, psycho-social support, and even vocational training. When did this start, you may ask? Just last year, around December 2014. :-) If you would like more information about the shelter visit STREHA SHELTER (And yes, of course they always need support and donations!)

A Gay Man, A Football, A Dream

Gerald "Jerry" Sanford Smith (July 19, 1943 – October 15, 1986) was a professional American football tight end for the National Football League's Washington Redskins from 1965–1977. Photo re-posted from: http://www.vixenvarsity.com/2014/01/24/why-no-gay-active-player-will-ever-come-out-in-the-nfl/#.VdRCyEnovIU

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to work with a professional athlete on an LGBT campaign. Of course it would be great if they were an Ally too. (Thank you Ben Cohen) It would be interesting to think about what impact that could have on youth across the globe, and even for parents of LGBT children. When I grew up I wasn't very confident when it came to sports. Not only was I inexperienced, I was also very shy. This got worse through middle school and into high-school. By the time I got the courage to pursue any sport (American Football), it was already too late to join any school-related group.

I wonder if being LGBT also held me back somehow. Did it give me one more reason to not participate? Yes. I can say that with certainty. Would I have been a lot better at sports if I wasn't LGBT - of course not! haha. But I might have practiced with friends if I felt comfortable with them. I just didn't know how to fit in as an athlete. To be in the 'jock' crowd can mean different things depending on where and when one goes to school. Even if it would have worked out fine, I didn't know it. No one at my school was there to guide me and show me how that would work. Then again, I never asked for help. I did occasionally chat with the football coaches but never acknowledging my orientation. That was a major piece missing. I was too intimidated.



"Michael Sam final Mizzou home game" by Marcus Qwertyus - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michael_Sam_final_Mizzou_home_game.jpg#/media/File:Michael_Sam_final_Mizzou_home_game.jpg

Although there seems to be many LGBT athletes out there, I wish that I knew of any gay men as players in sports I was interested in, like: American Football (more recently: Michael Sam, Wade Davis, Alan Gendreau, Kwame Harris, Brian Sims, Esera Tuaolo), Boxing (Orlando Cruz), or Bodybuilding growing up. That might have given me the motivation I needed to start earlier. I must say it is so encouraging to see diversity coming through now from athletes like Caitlyn Jenner. The list of out athletes seems to grow every day. Certainly there are numerous athletes in other sports that have paved the way for more recent out athletes. Especially many props to the numerous Lesbian athletes who pushed through so many barriers to challenge stereotypes in sports and to put everything on the line to be themselves. I don't imagine it is easy for any professional athlete to come out as LGBT or even an Ally. When one's career is tied to sexual orientation (or can be influenced by), it makes it that much harder, and certainly more of a game-changer to come out (no pun intended). I would love to read more from these out athletes. If anyone has a suggestion, please comment below.
I'm thinking

After crossing the finish line! - 545 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles, AIDS Lifecycle

Well, I'm a bit older now, and have played football with friends, taken boxing classes, and have been lifting weights at the gym for over 5 years now. It is interesting that this is still an interest of mine. It never went away. That is my happy place now.

Who knows if I will ever get a chance to even talk with an out athlete - To toss the pigskin around with Conner Mertens, learn to combo with Orlando Cruz, do a bench press with Bob Paris, or wrestle with Darren Young All I can say is that it would be an honor to do so. One can still hope, right?

Btw, check out this article regarding players coming out in sports. >>>> http://www.vixenvarsity.com/2014/01/24/why-no-gay-active-player-will-ever-come-out-in-the-nfl/#.VdRDWknovIV Do you Agree?



Running at the National Mall