Is feminism a bad word?
![Picture](/uploads/3/0/1/7/30179753/4353211.jpg?180)
Feminism is no more of a bad word than equality or kindness!
Being a feminist means that you believe that people of any gender
deserve to be treated equally and that everyone has a responsibility to
help support anyone who faces discrimination because of their gender,
with the ultimate goal of establishing total equality. Anyone can be a
feminist and you will find that many students and staff identify as
feminists. In fact, there is even a Gender Equity Committee at UTS
devoted to addressing issues of gender-based discrimination within
the school.
Also this adventure time gif.
Being a feminist means that you believe that people of any gender
deserve to be treated equally and that everyone has a responsibility to
help support anyone who faces discrimination because of their gender,
with the ultimate goal of establishing total equality. Anyone can be a
feminist and you will find that many students and staff identify as
feminists. In fact, there is even a Gender Equity Committee at UTS
devoted to addressing issues of gender-based discrimination within
the school.
Also this adventure time gif.
How big is the school's LGBTQ society? I feel alone here...
The Basics
UTS’s branch of the LGBTQ society is actually quite large. We have established our own governing body and judicial system as well as secure means of production and equitable pay for the harvest of rainbow fragments and pixie dust. Yay egaylitarianism!
Okay, in all seriousness, it's impossible to know exactly how many people who at our school belong to sexual and/or gender minorities. That being said, the LGBTQ community at UTS does try to be quite visible. The QSA (a.k.a Queer-Straight Alliance) is comprised of students whose sexual orientations and gender identities fall on a diverse spectrum and is a welcoming support group for any students who would like to become involved in equity work, have questions about gender and sexual minorities, or are just looking to meet other students who also know how difficult it is to feel like you are alone. Currently, we have around 20 people who are officially members of the QSA, but many more come to our events.
Coming Out
Ben Swadron (S6) says...
The first time I came out to anyone was in a UTS classroom. I guess I have always known that I wasn't completely straight but I never really accepted it myself until I was in F2. It took another two whole years after that until I was able to put words to my sexuality and start trying to open up about it to others. I was scared to bring it up with my friends or family and because I had been in a long-term relationship with a girl, everyone just assumed I was straight as could be. I was sad a lot of the time about not being able to be open with my friends and I became anxious about people finding out. I felt like I was alone and I didn't know how to go about finding other people who had gone through what I was going through. Fortunately, I joined the QSA and found several like-minded individuals with whom I felt more comfortable talking about the depression and anxiety being in the closet caused. It was actually at a QSA meeting in M4 where I first said the word “demisexual” or “panromantic” and outed myself for the first time. Over the last couple of years I've slowly been coming out to more and more of my friends. Their reactions have ranged from shock to admiration, but all have been reassuring and I’m happy to say I’ve found an awesome support group here at the school. This year I've started coming out to some members of my family, and having such an amazing group of friends at UTS has made things so much easier.
This Comic Is Adorable & Accurate
UTS’s branch of the LGBTQ society is actually quite large. We have established our own governing body and judicial system as well as secure means of production and equitable pay for the harvest of rainbow fragments and pixie dust. Yay egaylitarianism!
Okay, in all seriousness, it's impossible to know exactly how many people who at our school belong to sexual and/or gender minorities. That being said, the LGBTQ community at UTS does try to be quite visible. The QSA (a.k.a Queer-Straight Alliance) is comprised of students whose sexual orientations and gender identities fall on a diverse spectrum and is a welcoming support group for any students who would like to become involved in equity work, have questions about gender and sexual minorities, or are just looking to meet other students who also know how difficult it is to feel like you are alone. Currently, we have around 20 people who are officially members of the QSA, but many more come to our events.
Coming Out
Ben Swadron (S6) says...
The first time I came out to anyone was in a UTS classroom. I guess I have always known that I wasn't completely straight but I never really accepted it myself until I was in F2. It took another two whole years after that until I was able to put words to my sexuality and start trying to open up about it to others. I was scared to bring it up with my friends or family and because I had been in a long-term relationship with a girl, everyone just assumed I was straight as could be. I was sad a lot of the time about not being able to be open with my friends and I became anxious about people finding out. I felt like I was alone and I didn't know how to go about finding other people who had gone through what I was going through. Fortunately, I joined the QSA and found several like-minded individuals with whom I felt more comfortable talking about the depression and anxiety being in the closet caused. It was actually at a QSA meeting in M4 where I first said the word “demisexual” or “panromantic” and outed myself for the first time. Over the last couple of years I've slowly been coming out to more and more of my friends. Their reactions have ranged from shock to admiration, but all have been reassuring and I’m happy to say I’ve found an awesome support group here at the school. This year I've started coming out to some members of my family, and having such an amazing group of friends at UTS has made things so much easier.
This Comic Is Adorable & Accurate
Like lots of things in life, gender and sexuality exist on a spectrum. Some people like to label where they fall on the spectrum, while others don't. Both are perfectly okay:) Shout out to Ashley for showing me this!
How do you get a job/internship while still in high school?
Here are some infographics I made (for an internship, actually) that could be helpful to you :)
Why are marks so important?
Marks are only important because they are the primary established method through which educational institutions quantitatively identify where a student is on an academic spectrum. In reality, they are often quite arbitrary, considering each student has a unique skillset and a unique way of learning and presenting information. Consequently, marks are not a very accurate reflection of an individual's intelligence and capabilities.
To provide some historical context, our current education system arose out of the industrial revolution for the sole purpose of preparing children to enter the workforce; it is a system entirely based on using marks to measure so-called "academic ability." Many people reject this paradigm and believe that it seriously impedes creativity. Check out this RSA Animate on educationalist Ken Robinson's TED Talk to learn more: |
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When did you start thinking about university?
Ashley Bate (S5) says...
I started thinking about university by the end of F2, but only because I was wondering why everyone around me was thinking about it so early. It really freaked me out that other people had even a vague idea of what they wanted to study before they even had the chance to choose their own courses. Now that I’m in S5 and the decision is a lot closer, I’ve started looking at different universities that appeal to me, mostly based on location and reputation. The only thing that’s stopping me is that I have absolutely no idea what I want to study – I can’t consider any university seriously because I don’t know what type of program I’m looking for. In short, I started thinking about university a while ago, but it hasn’t gotten me anywhere.
I started thinking about university by the end of F2, but only because I was wondering why everyone around me was thinking about it so early. It really freaked me out that other people had even a vague idea of what they wanted to study before they even had the chance to choose their own courses. Now that I’m in S5 and the decision is a lot closer, I’ve started looking at different universities that appeal to me, mostly based on location and reputation. The only thing that’s stopping me is that I have absolutely no idea what I want to study – I can’t consider any university seriously because I don’t know what type of program I’m looking for. In short, I started thinking about university a while ago, but it hasn’t gotten me anywhere.
What are magic mushrooms?
Magic mushrooms, or “shrooms,” are an illegal psychedelic drug that contains the compound psilocybin which is known to cause hallucinations. Magic mushrooms are one of the most widely used recreational psychtropic drugs, with a long history dating back thousands of years as part of religious or spiritual ceremonies. High dosages are very likely to cause fear and anxiety that may result in dangerous behaviour (but as a scientific specimen they're actually quite interesting.) They look like this:
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On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being awesome and 1 being terrible) how would you rate your enjoyment of school?
Ashley: 7 overall. Work-wise 4, people-wise 9.
Bella: 7 overall.
Ben: 8.5 overall. 7.5-9.5 depending on the day.
Carolyn: 7-7.5 overall. Workwise 6, people-wise 9.
Claire: 4 overall.
Daniele: 7.5-8 overall.
Jamie: 5-6 overall.
Mia: 8-8.5 overall.
Shreya: 8.5-9 overall.
Average enjoyment: 7/10
Bella: 7 overall.
Ben: 8.5 overall. 7.5-9.5 depending on the day.
Carolyn: 7-7.5 overall. Workwise 6, people-wise 9.
Claire: 4 overall.
Daniele: 7.5-8 overall.
Jamie: 5-6 overall.
Mia: 8-8.5 overall.
Shreya: 8.5-9 overall.
Average enjoyment: 7/10