Radio play podcast

This is a radio play, told in a humurous tone, to fight against LGTB discrimination, encourage respect and break down stereotypes. Students wrote the plot from this start point: on January 17th, John meets his parents in the afternoon to confess them a terrible secret: I am hetersosexual!!!!! Screams, cries. Now he will have to cope with all the difficulties LGTB met during the 20th century.
Although it is a fiction plot, the historical, social, cultural and political elements are true.

 

Could the future Belgian Queen Elisabeth wed a woman?

The question if the crown princess would be able to wed a woman suddenly popped up in the Netherlands because of the approaching 18^th anniversary of crown princess Amelia. But what about Belgium?

 The simple answer is yes, our crown princess would be able to marry a woman. All because the constitution includes the right of equal marriage, which applies to royals as well. The only people who would be able to oppose this marriage would be the United Chambers. “This is a political matter, not a legal one after all”, says Hendrik Vuye, Constitution Specialist.

 But the real problem people are discussing is “What if princess Elizabeth and her partner get children?”. Dutch PM Mark Rutte spoke of a ‘fundamental tension’ between the modern rights of families and the ‘closed system of hereditary monarchy’.

 Even the Belgian constitution opposes. The succession is a matter of ‘natural and constitutional offspring’ according to the ‘first birthright’. The term ‘natural’ would sadly enough exclude the help of a sperm donor or adoption. The constitution suggests that it should be a descent within marriage, via a blood bond. “In this case we could speak of discrimination, which goes against the European Treaty of Human Rights. That’s going to be an interesting case”, adds Vuye.

But the constitution could be interpreted ‘creatively’. The United Chambers have the last word. It all revolves around the fact that the child should meet the requirements to take the throne. “It’s a political matter, not a legal one”, Vuye repeats. This should be reason enough to update Article 85 - about succession of the throne - to fit more into the 21^st century according to Vuye.

 Selina Vanhoutte, Atheneum Athena Ostend

 

LEARNING ABOUT MINORITIES

 Lately, we have been carrying out activities that have to do with minorities, being our main objectives , among others, to raise awareness about diversity, encourage tolerance, develop empathy and prevent bullying.

That's the reason why we performed this game: a race in which different roles (catholic woman, upper class homosexual teenager, lesbian black woman etc) are assigned to students who will have to take one, two steps forwards or no steps depending on the different scenarios suggested by the teacher ( getting a job in a bank,  having a flat, having a medical insurance etc..). Who will the first one to reach the finishing line?
 

Interesting to discuss about feelings, expectations and opinions and reflect about what it is like to be part of a minoriy group or community and what that means.

 

 

STOP BULLYING

  Talking about minorities means also to talk about bullying. Although no student is totally safe from suffering this kind of abuse, we have to admit that lgtb students are more likely to suffer it. In fact, this is one of the reasons why this project began.

Many people feel threatened by anything considered different, maybe because it gets us out of our confort zone and makes aus review our most basic ideas. 

However, bullying is not that easy and if we want to fight against it, we have to start understanding how it works.

The psicologist Luis Rodríguez talked to our students about it. Not only from the victim's point of view, but also from the bully, and from the eyewitnesses.

First thing we have to do is to assist the victim; but this is not enough as the bully will continue acting and, sooner or later, will find someone new to abuse. It is necessary to work with this person too, to understand the reasons behind his or her actions, the consequences for the victim and for the bully and also for those who witness and keep silence.

This lecture was quite interesting as it was enriched with details of the psicologist's own experience. But the best was yet to come. Student had time to exchange their point of view and then we learnt something quite important. In their opinion, teachers ourselves, can contribute with our comments to lower our students' steem. Of course, it is not bullying at all; but, somehow, descredit some students or at least they feel they can not count on us if needed.

In this sense, students proposed to carry out workshops where they and the teachers work toguether.

 

So, if we finally want to work it out, it's absolutely essential to work together.

WHAT HAS ART MEANT TO YOU? A REVIEW OF THE FILM PHILADELPHIA

 

    Art is not an intellectual but dispensable production, a kind of ornament without which we can live. On the contrary is one of the most important elements of our culture. It expresses our concerns, the way we feel about the world we are living, our ambitions, wishes or hopes. Moreover, art also changes the way we feel. It opens new perspectives, because art shows the same reality we know from a different point of view and, therefore, help us to understand better the reality that surrounds us.

    But art also helps to become aware of the problems that exist in our society. It happend with the film Philadelphia, an Amareican film produced in 1993, directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Tom Hamks and Denzel Washington. It was one of the fiirst films that spoke openly about AIDS, homophobia and discrimination at work.

    VIH was isolated for the first time in 1983, by that time it meant a mortal illness and people panicked. Those who were infected sufferd employment discrimination. Particularly LGTB people, suffered a double discrimination, because of the infection and becuase of being LGTB, as a part of the society considered that it was their sexuual behaviour that was the cuase of the infection. Many awareness campaigns were need to change the situation and make people understand that VIH could be stopped is we all took preventive meassures, to make people see, that we were all safe by doing that, that we were not at risk by working with an infected person. In few words, that the discrimination people suffered was unbeareble and totally absurd. 

In this context, the film Philadelphia came to help. It showed openly that kind of discrimination and introduced  this debate in our society. 

More than 30 years after our students wanted to know what did this film mean to our generation.

CREATING ART

     

    Finally we decided to create our own piece of art!!!!

     Thankfully we have extraordinary students. Spencial reference should be made to Miguel Muñoz Alabarce student in IES La Rosaleda and in the conservatory of music in Málaga. He and the producer Luis Amador Goberna have created the song Free Spirits that talks about freedom and pride and breaking down stereotypes in a very optimistic way.

    We were so completely happy with the result that we decided to record it and Bahia Records was in charge of it. Students and teachers had a great time. 

    Not only the song fits perfectely with the project, but it is really good itself. Here you can check it and see if tou don't end the video singing the chorus.

    THANKS MIGUEL AND THANKS TO ALL THE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS FOR YOUR COMMITMENT!!!!

LGBT rights in Romania