Hi PACS students! If you don't know me already, I'm Hannah. I'm a 4th year Peace and Conflict Studies & English student, minoring in Women's Studies. I'm also currently working as the PACS Communications Assistant for the 2018-2019 school year.
Here’s my entry for Humans of PACS. Message us on social media or email pacsasst@uwaterloo.ca if you’re interested in sharing!
I'm majoring in PACS for a lot of reasons, but the fact that I am bisexual continues to be quite influential in my passion for the program. Here’s a confession: I still have trouble saying the word bisexual. Even after 6 years of knowing this part of myself and 2 years of a wonderful, healing relationship with my girlfriend, a part of me continues to struggle with my sexuality. Coming out is difficult for any LGBT person anyways, but there are conditions that lend themselves to the difficulty of coming out as bi, specifically. The stigmatization and sexualization of bi women has created a space wherein many of us feel unsafe revealing who we are. Studies have shown that we experience higher rates mental health issues, workplace discrimination, and domestic violence. The truth is, though, that to be a bi woman is to occupy a beautiful and unique space! I'm here to fight as a bi person and as a part of the LGBT collective. Lesbophobia, homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia are awful things that operate to shame and scare us into silence, which is why it's so important to start conversations around the issues we face. I want to help create spaces where LGBT people- and especially LGBT people facing other forms of intersectionalized discrimination- can be themselves without fear of judgement at best or danger at worst. PACS is helping me to do this, and I truly believe that through our efforts we will all one day be safe.
